We saw some of our clients buy TV advertising packages without blinking an eye. And these were pricey packages, especially for small businesses. These clients were so taken with the thought of seeing themselves and their business on TV that they didn't give it a second thought. Don't get me wrong - the TV stations delivered what they said they would in terms of the number of spots they aired. But it wasn't what these businesses needed and it didn't help them. We thought that small business owners needed some insight into TV advertising before they spent thousands of dollars on something that may produce no return at all.

Not at all. In fact we've recommended TV to several of our clients and produced spots and placed buys for them. But before they buy there are a lot of things they need to know about TV advertising before they make such a large commitment. This book covers those basics.

One of the most frequent things is the 'build it and they will come' assumption. In other words, if I advertise on TV I'll have customers coming out of my ears and products flying off the shelves. That's often not the case. Another is the temptation to be the talent in their own spot - encouraged, frankly, by ad sales reps who see an opportunity to appeal to someone's ego in order to make the sale. Most small business owners don't have the kind of on-camera experience that will make them a great spokesperson. Probably the most important mistake is neglecting to look at the actual ad through a potential prospect's eyes. A lot of business owners tend to focus on their pride in the quality of their product or service. Potential customers may think that's nice but they won't find it as compelling as a solid offer.

You just said the magic word - package. In small markets stations tend to sell small businesses a package of a specific number of spots that would air over a specific period of time. Advertising professionals don't care just about how many spots they get. They're looking more at gross rating points, which is the way you measure how much of a target you're reaching. I cover that in the book.

Probably through value added - something the station can put on the table to sweeten the deal. Some good examples are some substantial freebies in their online properties. A lot of stations have developed a great following on Facebook and other social media. Free content there can really add to the value of your ad buy. And it costs the station next to nothing.

Oh, I've seen a lot of great spots for small businesses - too many to pick just one. I would have to say, though, that the best spots tend to share some similarities. They tend to be written by an agency or a freelancer rather than by the TV station. They also tend to be produced by a video production company rather than by the station. Yes, that adds a bit to the cost but when you're already spending thousands on the air time you want the best spot you can afford.

The biggest one is simply airing an announcement rather than using one of the classic advertising techniques. A lot of small businesses wind up with a spot that just says here we are at this address, we have these products, we're open these convenient hours and here's our phone number and web site. That's not what compels customers to buy. The book describes three classic types of ads. They're a lot more effective than a plain announcement.

There are a lot of elements in a successful campaign. It's more than just making the buy and producing an announcement quickly so you can get it on the air as fast as you can. That's why advertisers need a marketing professional who's working for them, not for the station.

An advertising buyer is a good place to start. We rely on them in our business and I talk about that a lot in the book. I'm also biased towards pros who have a marketing degree and lots of years of experience that's both wide and deep - everything from creating the right offer for your target segment to writing the spot and getting it produced. There are a lot of agencies like ours out there and that's what we're all about.

There's a lot going on in the industry. Most small businesses should use social media as a part of their marketing mix. And the pace of development in online television that's available on demand - it's incredible and it's probably going to continue to accelerate. But local TV is still viewers' link to the traditional networks. And local news is still something that gets a lot of viewership. So, yes, local TV is alive and generally well even after the economic turmoil of the past several years. And it's likely to continue to be a marketing channel with a lot of potential for small business owners who take the time and work with agencies or freelancers to put together TV advertising campaigns that can do some heavy lifting.