1. Getting started with AdWords

With Google TV Ads, it's never been so easy to advertise your business on national cable television. You can build campaigns and air ads nationally across more than 100 cable networks. And the Google TV Ads system delivers at least 1.5 billion impressions weekly, or if you know your TV lingo, over 1400 GRPs per week.

To get started, you'll need to create an AdWords account at AdWords sign up page. If you already have an AdWords account, jump straight to Step 2.

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2. Set your budget

According to the Nielsen Company, roughly 99% of all American households watch television on a regular basis, so it's no surprise that it's one of the broadest reaching advertising mediums. While this means it’s a great way to advertise to your audience, it also means that your message can get lost if you don’t run at a minimum reach and frequency.  Google TV Ads doesn't have a minimum budget requirement, but campaign budgets should be set strategically, so your ads get enough exposure to make an impact with your audience. It's up to you to decide how much you want to spend on your TV campaigns by specifying a daily budget and a maximum cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) bid for your ads.

3. Pick your targets

Several targeting tools are available to help you pick relevant programs, times of day and networks:

1. Audience search. Search by audience demographics such as gender, age, household income, and over 35 hobbies and interests to make sure you reach the right audience.
2. Program targeting. Find shows that are relevant to your product or service, or audience interests. For instance, by searching “hiking,” Google’s system will recommend programs that match the context of the keyword, as well as programs related to hiking (such as outdoor and adventure programs).
3. Network and daypart targeting. If you already know which networks and times of day will reach your audience, simply select the days and times you want your ads to air.

4. Upload your ad and launch on TV

Once you’ve picked your targets and set your budgets, it’s time to get your ad on TV. If you already have an ad, you can simply upload it within the AdWords tool. If you don’t have a television ad, consider using the Ad Creation Marketplace, an online marketplace of industry professionals ready to help you make your new TV commercial. For pointers on developing a television commercial for the first time, advertising icon Jon Bond gives you five steps to consider, in the video to the right.

Once your campaign is set up, and your ad has been created and uploaded, we’ll check to make sure your ad complies with the technical specifications and advertising policies of Google and our TV partners. And then it's time for the fun to start - your ad will be ready to run on national television.

5. Measure and optimize your campaign

Once the world has marveled at your ad, the next step is to optimize campaign performance. Historically, television is a difficult medium to track and optimize, but with Google TV Ads you can take advantage of our cutting-edge measurement tools, including:

1. Google TV Ads reports. TV specific reports are integrated directly into campaign summary pages, so you can easily analyze and optimize your campaigns. Reports are based on data from millions of anonymous set-top boxes, so you'll always have the most accurate performance data at your fingertips within 24 hours of airing.
2. Call attribution. If you're aiming to drive sales and leads, you might want to consider including toll-free phone numbers in your ads. Google offers call attribution, an easy, free way to track customer calls driven by your TV ads. Using Google’s advanced algorithms, you can track which ad placements have generated the greatest number of leads.
3. Web traffic reporting. Using Google Analytics, you can track TV campaign metrics including TV impressions and ad plays alongside daily web traffic volume. By comparing TV impressions with web traffic, you will be able to track lifts in search query volume and website traffic that may have occurred thanks to your TV advertising.