The first time that I thought of using advertising on television was for a small graphic design business that my wife and I started in 1992.  Long before the time of the internet, information wasn't readily available and the thought of entering the realm of the pros like the car manufacturers and beer companies was a frightening prospect for two graphic designers in Poughkeepsie. 

We contacted our local cable provider and found rates that really shocked us...in a good way.  I had previously thought that getting on TV would cost tens of thousands of dollars.  I realized that for under $500, I could showcase my business to hundreds of thousands of people.

So... I decided to give it a try.  Couldn't hurt, right?  We had considered other types of advertising and had even gone to the library to look up market research statistics.  It turns out that TV advertising can be much more effective than other forms of advertising, both in the number of people reached and the return on investment.

So we hired a local video production company to produce the spot fairly inexpensively.  After three weeks of advertising, our clients grew in number from 10 to 15 projects to about 45 projects.  Needless to say, we have relied on TV advertising ever since.

Take my experience, and don't be frightened.  With the internet, company's are just a click away.  Cable providers continue to offer affordable advertising solutions and with so much competition commercial production has never been more affordable (I paid more in 1992 than I do now). 

Now I use a site called Commercial Creator (http://www.commercialcreator.com) and get commercials starting at $399.  With today's technology they look a lot nicer than our original ones did in '92.  I can't speak for your business, but they definitely offered the right solution for my wife and I.

Good luck to all TV advertisers out there and small business owners.  Remember, give it a try, I promise if your results are like mine have been, you'll be glad you did.