Excerpts from “Planning and using infomercials successfully” By Gene Silverman
Evaluate Your Product Infomercial success is fundamentally product driven. Your product must fulfill a common need. Evaluate your product for these five basic characteristics: Is it unique? Does it have mass appeal? Can you demonstrate features and benefits in a fascinating way? Is it marked up at least 3:1 over cost of goods? Does it produce a "magical transformation" in consumers' lives? Of course there are many successful infomercials that embody exceptions to these requirements, but what it really comes down to is this: you just need a product or service that has enough mass appeal today to pay for the media costs because an infomercial's impact on retail sales is phenomenal.
Develop the Creative Should you get a celebrity spokesperson or just use voice‐over? Use film or tape? Music? Testimonials? And which format should you choose‐documercial, storymercial, demonstration show, or talk show? Product price point, product positioning, and your budget drive the answers to all of the questions concerning the creative. Infomercial format is largely determined by: your budget (in‐studio demonstration shows tend to be the least expensive to produce) your desired product image (documercials are more upscale) what your product does (kitchen products should stay in the kitchen) how personal you want your message (storymercials and documercials evoke the strongest emotions).
The Production Some important tips about scripting, casting, shooting, and editing: The infomercial's first 15 seconds can make or break the program. Get your 800 number up for a minimum of 30 seconds in each internal commercial. Don't fake it. Truth sells best. Real testimonials, real benefits. Dream‐like beauty images ‐ the stock in trade of 30‐second awareness spots ‐ make impressions. They don't motivate to immediate buying decisions. Setting up the problem and then giving the solution always works. People love to watch anything in process: juicing, learning to read, becoming thinner, more beautiful. Show the process ... the "magical transformation." Pacing is ultimate. Like direct response letter writing, "keep paragraphs short, use subheads and highlight frequently; keep the reader's eyes moving through the letter." Television is music for the eyes. Your goal is to get the viewer from start to finish to telephone, and love the entire experience. Establish an appealing, appropriate rhythm and keep it going.
Excerpts from “How to make your own infomercial” By William S. Greene
Anyone with insomnia can tell you what's on television in the early morning hours. Other than old sitcom reruns, there are those dreaded infomercials. Most of the infomercials I have seen either promote some crazy exercise program or a new cooking gadget.
Companies that put together infomercials are marketing geniuses. Otherwise, how else could they convince you to purchase a reusable bag that allows you to cook an entire meal in your microwave? If you watch any of these infomercials closely, you will see the same formula...over‐hype and over‐sell. If you are thinking about selling your product through an infomercial, I will provide you with the winning formula. Here is what you will need to create your own infomercial: Washed Up Actor or a Reality TV Star Find the guy who played the friend of some neighbor on some old sitcom that went off the air many years ago. Of course, former pornography and American Idol stars will also work if you can't find the guy who played the milkman on Seinfeld. You can probably find a grade B spokesperson for the price of a dinner at an all‐u‐can eat restaurant. With the exception of the Olsen twins, I think the rest of the cast from Full House is available. Overhype Your Product Tell the viewer how great your product is and then tell them again and again. For example, say things like "The super sausage maker is the greatest invention in the world because experts who like sausage have said so." The greatness of the product should not be expressed less than 30 times per half hour episode. Hire a Great Audience You must have a convincing audience. They must shout, yell and then throw out an ooh and an aah every few seconds after the host starts mentioning product features. The audience should also clap every few minutes and be wide‐eyed throughout the entire infomercial. Freebies Offer all kinds of freebies. You must interrupt the infomercial with the infamous "But wait, there's more" line. If someone buys your product, be sure to throw in a free gift and a special refrigerator magnet for good measure. Money Back Guarantee Always offer a money back guarantee ‐ minus the cost of shipping. Just make sure you build the cost of your product into your shipping cost so you won't be out any money when the refund requests start rolling in.
The next time you decide to invent the latest sausage maker, fancy hair clip or contraption that can give you a six pack stomach, remember these marketing tips. Forget about the newspaper ads and coupons... just go with the infomercial. You will be doing all of the insomniacs a favor because we all need something to watch at 2 a.m. when we can't sleep.
Excerpts from "7 Marketing Lessons We Can Learn From TV Infomercials” By Alexandria Brown
I hate to share this, but I love watching infomercials. And I've ordered more than once from them! Everything from cosmetics to a cell phone accessory. When pressed, my friends admit the same. If you sniff around most people's homes, you'll find SOMETHING ordered from an infomercial, whether it's the Ronco Rotisserie or Victoria Principal's skincare.
You may think of these often annoying programs as "trash TV", but think again. Did you realize that they use many of the exact same strategies that we should? Now, I don't mean you need to scream at your customers or flash "$19.95" in blinking digits on your website! Those are gimmicks. But what most people don't realize is that many of the STRATEGIES that sell the kitchen doohickey gadget are the same ones that can also sell your products and programs.)
Here are 7 of my favorites:
1. They grab your attention. Infomercials air on the most challenging medium there is out there: television. You're just a second away from your prospect clicking their remote to the next channel. So they do their best to get your attention right away and KEEP it for as long as possible. That's why infomercials give bold statements and emphasize how this doohickey will change your life. You should do this too ‐‐ stop beating around the bush and make it clear to your prospects how your products and services will change *their* lives!
2. They give tons of real‐life testimonials. You'll see that TV infomercials have evolved greatly since years ago. It used to be one or two people talking to a camera for the entire time. These days most typical 30 minute spots are over 80% customer testimonials! And that's for good reason... they are the hands‐down BEST way to gain instant credibility. A great example is for one of those home exercise machines. I noticed years ago they just showed the super‐ripped guy using it on the infomercial. Now they show that guy, PLUS dozens of before and after testimonials from real‐life guys with beer bellies and real jobs who used the product with success. That was a great move on their part, because c'mon, I just can't believe that super‐ripped guy got that hot looking using it just 30 minutes, 3 times a week!
3. They use personalities. The most successful infomercials now use celebrity guest hosts. They know this gets people's attention more than practically anything out there. Pro Activ uses Jessica Simpson. Youthful Essence (a skincare product I love) uses Susan Lucci. Even NutriSystem is now using Dan Marino in their commercials to target men. You can do the same in your marketing. You can either hire a star, or even better, make YOURSELF the celebrity... by sharing stories, being personal, and having fun with your market.
4. They give an irresistible offer. It's rare these days to see an infomercial asking for you to pay for something in full. You'll mostly see things like "3 payments of $19.95" or "4 payments of $39.95". Why? Cash‐crunched Americans are always more concerned about cash flow than the total price. They'll even happily pay much MORE in the end in order to gain a lower monthly payment! You can do the same. Offer a payment plan for your products, courses, workshops, and coaching. You'll be AMAZED at the increased response, and it's easy to do with marketing‐savvy shopping cart systems.
5. They give a strong call‐to‐action NOW. These folks know that as soon as you change the channel, you're going to forget about their product. So they make it very urgent that you pick up the phone and call them now or visit their website and order. They usually say something like "If you call in the next 10 minutes you also get..." and they list a few great bonuses. This isn't just specific to TV. Everyone would rather put off ANY decision these days; we're all so busy and overwhelmed! So you need to give people a good REASON to act now, whether it's a discount that expires, a payment plan that expires, a limited number of products or seats, a special bonus... you get the idea.
6. They sell on continuity. What's "continuity"? It's when you make ONE sale that results in multiple charges over and over. For example, because my friends have been raving about I.D. Bare Minerals natural makeup, I recently ordered a kit from their infomercial. Now, every 2 months, I receive a fresh supply in the mail, and my card is charged again. I love it because I don't have to remember to reorder. They love it because they only had to make ONE sale, and how they've got me as a customer forever until I cancel!
7. They repeat themselves. And repeat themselves. And repeat themselves again! Smart marketers know it takes an average of 9 TIMES for someone to see/hear your message BEFORE they will even consider purchasing! That goes for you too. So many of my clients complain that advertising doesn't work when they only ran one ad ONCE. Or published ONE newsletter and it didn't get them results.
Check these websites for examples and more information: Slap Chop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUbWjIKxrrs Flavor Wave (Mr. T): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rVu_‐tlSwA The Mediator (Book): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86BtWcmqyK0 Ethos, Logos, Pathos: http://media.readwritethink.org/video/plevid.wmv