Is your company looking to expand its marketing strategy to include TV advertising? Before you even begin looking for a production company to work with, there are a number of things you need to plan for if you want your advertising to produce consumer awareness and drive sales. It all begins with finding the right channels and the right programming in order to reach the consumers you want to do business with.

The technological advances of the last few decades have opened up a lot of new possibilities in the world of advertising. Advertising agencies and media planning companies have adapted to thrive in the modern world's rapidly changing media and business climate. Advertising agencies now do far more than crafting copy and designing graphics for print media; they can negotiate advertising costs and placements for television as well as in new media outlets.

There are also a growing number of agencies who specialize in producing high quality, effective ads for advertising media of all sorts, including TV. All truly successful TV advertising works along the same lines. Whether you're selling farm equipment, personal care products or financial services, the basic idea is the same. Media planners and advertising agencies all watch and analyze market trends and possess in-depth knowledge of what consumers want from and what elicits a positive response from viewers.

If you intend to produce your own television advertising, take a page from their playbook and try to look at things from the perspective of the consumer. Think about what sort of advert would make you more likely to buying the product or service you're selling. When you understand your market, you'll be able to identify which stations and which programming to advertise with to target your most likely customers. This also calls for some careful analysis of consumer behavior – the television station themselves can provide you with detailed demographic information about their viewership. When you have all the information you need, you can start to piece together a sales message, scenario and your preferred means of delivery. This will then allow you to work to a time frame to suit your budget.

Alternately, you can work with an advertising agency or media planning company which understands how to use advertising on television to reach your target market. These firms have expertise in identifying the TV ad placements which will yield the best results and usually have good working relationships with TV stations and other media outlets. This knowledge and these contacts allow them to negotiate the most favorable rate for advertising placements.

Once you've made your choice as to where to run your TV ads, it's time to find a production company to create them. You have a lot of choices, so shop around and find one which has a successful track record of producing memorable sales driving and brand building work.

TV advertising rates are low enough to be affordable for even smaller businesses, usually in the neighborhood of £1,000 ($1500) per 30 second advertisement. The cost of producing a 30 second ad is generally around £10,000 – making TV advertising a financially viable means of getting your company's message across.