Direct-response television (DRTV), commonly known as infomercials, has launched brands and products, making millions of dollars for entrepreneurs or big businesses. Whether it’s a skin product that makes you look years younger, a diet that makes you pounds thinner, or a cleaning product that makes your floors shine, infomercials work. Many infomercials air between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., leaving many to wonder why and how they work.
Sales
Infomercials generate leads that may turn into sales. Leads can generate sales. The sales you get from the infomercial itself is just the beginning. They give your product exposure. You can get access to a retail distributor. If you can get your product on the shelf in a large retail store, your sales can soar. Infomercials are a way to gain awareness for your brand, and you can drive customers to your website.
Presentation
Top infomercial producers know how to make infomercials work. Most infomercials last 30 minutes. That’s a long time to keep someone’s attention. Here are some key points that make an infomercial successful:
- Give plenty of information. Present a problem and a solution, or let the viewer know why he or she must buy your product. Don’t make your information too difficult to understand. Address concerns you think the viewer may have about the product.
- Use graphics. Flash your brand in bright colors or show keywords in your message.
- Have people give testimonials. Let the person tell his or her story. Consumers connect emotionally with stories, especially those with happy endings. If your budget permits, get a celebrity to endorse your product.
- Show results. Show how your product made someone’s life better or solved a problem. Let the viewers see a person before and after he or she used your product.
- Demonstrate how the product works. Make it short and simple. You may have an expert explain why the product works.
- Emphasize selling points. Decide what is most important and hammer the message home.
- Make ordering easy. Make sure the viewer knows how to order. Announce the phone number and website. Flash the phone number and website on the screen during the infomercial.
- Use music to keep it interesting. Increase or change the sound to emphasize key moments in the infomercial.
- Make the price attractive. Give the viewer a period to test the product with no charge, offer some free items with a purchase, or do a BOGO pitch. Give the viewer the option to pay in installments.
- Stress the urgency. Make it clear that the offer ends soon or that the viewer saves by ordering now.
- Make a strong pitch. Close the presentation with a big push to sell your product. Give the viewer plenty of opportunities throughout the program to order the product.
Test Markets
Infomercials can be used to test products. A company can run infomercials in different areas of the country and determine where the product sells best. The company can then aggressively seek retailers in the market where the product performed the best.
Costs
The graveyard spots when infomercials run are inexpensive in comparison to daytime or prime time slots. Using a celebrity in your infomercial can up the price considerably, but the increase in sales may be worth it. Some companies will pay celebrities royalties to avoid higher up-front costs.
Call NexTV USA to develop a DRTV spot that connects with viewers and persuades them to buy your product. It’s a great way to increase your sales and get brand awareness.
