Infomercial-Production

Internet Marketing Importance

2009-04-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

Ask any Boston small business owner and they will probably tell you they are often too busy with day to day operations to pay mind to the importance of internet marketing. Boston internet marketing is a very important element to your business because everyone else is online! If you are a small business such as a shoe repair store and your competitor is right around the corner, it may make business difficult to retrieve if he is online and you are not. For example, someone searches for shoe repair and your competition comes up and you do not. You will likely lose business not because your site can do something for the customer but because you were not found and therefore, the person could not see your location.

Web Design Today

2009-03-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

There are important changes today due to the turning economy. If you are looking for added value to your marketing campaign and your company is based in Boston, the need for a great Boston web design company is greater than ever. There are some companies that have been working in this field for a few years and there are those with many years of skilled and wise experience. Finding a great company to build and maintain your internet marketing campaign should be a number one priority for your business.

Key steps to successful infomercials

2009-02-16T07:49:00.000-08:00

Infomercial production is crucial to having a successful DRTV campaign. The image you portray to your viewer will make or break their impression on the product. The production process includes some of the following steps. It is important to research, but also to pay close attention to this process:

1) Research your products target market. Get to know your customer and how they will use your product to benefit their lives.

2) Write a script to capture their attention.

3) Create an understandable and clear demonstration. You need to be thorough in how your product works and how simple it is for the end user.

4) Cast characters in your infomercial who are relevant and relate-able. If the audience does not understand the character, they can not picture themselves using it.

5) Testing your commercial: Once the production is done, use a focus group of people to critique and (hopefully) compliment the things you have done correctly and what you have missed the mark on.

Cleaning prodcuts and Infomercials

2009-02-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

The popular infomercial spokesperson, Billy Mays, is a robust and loud but attention getting. He has been selling products such as OrangeGlo, OxyClean and many others for years. He is upbeat, happy and most of all, has a voice that carries. The cleaning products are demonstrated on the toughest stains and harderst to clean surfaces and fabrics. They do the job but more than that, the represent an easier way to take care of a time consuming annoyance in your life with ease and results.

Infomercial Spokespeople

2009-02-02T07:42:00.000-08:00

There are all kinds of ways to induce interest to your infomercial production. The most memorable infomercials have well known spokespeople attached to the product. For example, the company Ronco was developed by spokesperson Ron Popeil. He is the man behind such products as the Food Dehydrator, Showtime Rotisserie, and Great Looking Hair. He has made a name in the Infomercial Marketing industry that has withstood the last 20 plus years.
However, he is not only a spokesperson for his products, he is the inventor. The products he creates he also markets and produces. He is well known for his catchphrases as well. Lines such as, "but wait theres more" or "now, how much would you pay" are all synonymous with his infomercials.

The Infomercial King

2009-01-15T12:38:00.001-08:00

AJ Khubani is the CEO of NJ based TeleBrands Cooperation who has for the past 25 years, become known as the "King of Infomercials". He has been using DRTV marketing to sell over 2 million steps for dogs and 200,000 earlobe lifts. The necessity of these products is more than questionable. The foolishness in the tone of these products is certain.
So he models his success on the following formula: present an everyday problem and demonstrate the cure to fix it. The dog steps are intended for elderly, lazy or incapable dogs who need to get up on the bed or sofa. For most people, they try to keep the dog off of the furniture. However for some, this product saves them seeing the dog struggle and enables them with convenience. The earlobe lifts are another product that may have disputable necessity, but for 200,000 customers it was a wonderful product to enhance their ears. He has mastered the ways to find simple things that you never knew could become more convenient.

Recognizable names in the infomercial industry

2009-01-12T08:36:00.000-08:00

Infomercials are extremely effective for some companies. There are a few companies that are the leaders in the industry. Their names are recognizable and here are a few to mention:

*Ronco
*Guthy-Renker
*Time-life Music
*Tristar

Real-time response

2009-01-12T08:22:00.000-08:00

Real-time reporting is a giant reason some companies use infomercials to market their products. The infomercial airs and a number of ways to contact the company appear to the viewer. Whether it be phone number or web address, the customer is given all the contact information during the commercial. They then have the ability to do any further research on line. The company then has the opportunity to view the data to see the relevance the infomercial had on the viewer. Scaling results will enable the company to prepare for a number of things...phone volume and the number of call center employees needed, inventory and the amount of product needed obtain proper order.

Presidential Infomercials

2009-01-12T08:12:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama bought 30 minutes of time to air an infomercial on his campaign this past October. It was viewed by nearly 22% of the population. The 30 minute program gave Obama an open stage to address what he was campaigning; without interruption. He spoke about his family, showed his day to day life on the campaign trail, and spoke to voters in different states and arenas. It gave Americans a better idea of what kind of person he is and not just the person we see answering interview questions. Although infomercials have been used in campaigns before, it is slightly new to the format and something we will most likely see more of in the future.

Direct Response media buying

2008-12-26T08:04:00.000-08:00

DRTV is based on using TV infomercials or spots to permit or encourage consumers to directly respond to the advertiser.

There are several steps to a successful DRTV campaign. One of the most important steps is media buying. DRTV media buying refers to the strategic planning, negotiation and buying of television time. A good media buying agency helps determine the advantages and disadvantages of various television channels for your products or services.

The cost of media buying depends on factors like whether it is cable or local broadcast stations, time slot for the target audience, frequency of broadcast, whether it is long form or short, etc. Most good media buyers can strike a very good deal with channels for advantageous time slots.

Buying media is usually the biggest expense in a Direct Response campaign, so it is very important to have an expert media buyer. With reasonable terms and fees, a media buyer can make life a lot easier and less complicated by taking the nitty-gritty of number crunching off your back. The right buyer will aim for your infomercial to be viewed by the highest number of target audience at the lowest possible cost.

Find out more about media buying for DRTV.

How DRTV responses are calculated

2008-12-18T07:17:00.000-08:00

One benefit to using DRTV in your marketing campaign is being able to trace responses. Aside from sales results, you can make estimates on how many viewers were exposed to the product and learned about the brand. This process can be done through a people meter. The people meter is an instrument that measures the TV viewing habits through a device placed in homes.

Direct response television

2008-12-05T08:51:00.000-08:00

Direct response television (DRTV) is an excellent vehicle for marketers to utilize for selling product and services directly to consumers. Both companies from Fortune 1000 as well as entrepreneurs have found DRTV to be very effective. Direct TV is made up of short ads, which generally last 60 to 120 seconds, and long form DRTV, often called infomercials. DRTV works best for products that appeal to a broad audience and are highly demonstrable.

One of the keys to a successful DRTV campaign is a media buyer. This media buyer will have the knowledge and ability to buy the best stations and time periods, at the right price to make your DRTV campaign as successful as possible. The U.S. has approximately 2,000 TV stations and hundreds of cable and satellite networks. A knowledgeable infomercial media buyer will guide you in choosing the best station that will attract the target audience, for your product or service. These media buyers will help you maximize your profits with your DRTV campaign.

Well known infomercial marketers

2008-11-27T07:12:00.000-08:00

Infomercials have been tremendously successful for many companies. Here are some well known infomercial marketers:

*Guthy-Renker
* Ronco
*Time-Life Music
* TriStar
* Telebrands

Infomercial Marketing & Media Buying

2008-11-21T06:15:00.000-08:00

Infomercial Marketing is one of the most powerful marketing channels around, because everything can be tracked and optimized to improve campaign ROI. With infomercials your product or service becomes differentiated and breaks free from clutter. As a result, response is greater and sales dramatically increase because the viewer is being both educated and involved.

A major part of Infomercial Marketing is Media Buying. Media Buying can be described as the systematic negotiation, planning and purchasing of television time to broadcast an infomercial (both long form 28 minutes and short form :30, :60, :120 seconds). This is a specialized skill, which requires knowledge of the target demographic, consumer behavior, the media market, and the criteria used to measure the value of TV and radio programming. It is important to match the right schedule with the product/service target demo before the airing of a campaign. This is done by using historical data and analysis as well as research tools such as Scarborough and MRI.

Advanced Results Marketing is a one stop shop for effective Infomercial Marketing, Media Buying, Creative Production as well as all backend service that are need for the campaign (customer service, fulfillment, trafficking and telemarketing). Advanced Results Marketing (ARM) is a national Direct Response Marketing and Advertising Agency established to bring Direct Response marketing services to traditional advertisers. This mass communication tool is used to produce real ROI based results for products and services.

Media Buying for DRTV

2008-11-07T05:14:00.000-08:00

There are several steps to a successful DRTV campaign. One of the most important steps is media buying. DRTV media buying refers to the strategic planning, negotiation and buying of television time. Once the buy is placed and the media airs all the results are traceable and can be optimized in real-time. Every airing is tracked by networks and daypart and is evaluated on a cost per leads/order basis. If results are found to vary from the client’s campaign goals, revisions to the schedule can be made mid-stream. A media buyer will be able to revise the schedule based upon 1^st week results to bring the CPL/CPO to the goal level.

Direct Response media costs about 60% less than traditional advertising and is a great benefit for small time entrepreneurial companies as well as fortune 100s. The cost for each airing vary in price depending on the market it will air in (local cable), if it will be a national airing, or if it is a national/local split (where the commercial will run nationally, but will be covered up in some of the larger markets). The daypart also impacts the cost since prices will be higher for prime time airings (7p-8p) due to a higher viewership, than overnight (2a-5a). Costs also greatly vary between long form and short form placements.

Taking the costs into account, a media buyer’s goal is to provide a media schedule that maximizes the amount of people who see or hear the advertisement within the target market. Experienced media buyers are able to achieve these goals by maintaining relationships with the networks and negotiating with them for advantageous time slots and additional bonus placements

Find out more about media buying for DRTV.

DRTV Media Buying

2008-10-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

Many factors go into a successful DRTV campaign. If your production is perfected, but you commercial is airing to the wrong audience, you are missing potential customers. That is why a Media Buyer is so important. A media buyer has expert knowledge of the industry standards and in this case, television spots. They can map out a plan for you to get the best times, the best stations and best price for your infomercial. A good media buyer will assist with marking your demographic and reaching them with your infomercial.

DRTV

2008-10-30T06:46:00.000-07:00

While many infomercials aim at educating the viewer about how the product works, others are using a new technique to draw customers in. Some infomercials are using scare tactics or heightened emotional situations to entice you to buy. The ASPCA are running ads showing animals in desperate need of help. The viewer feels as though they would like to do something to help these animals and get them out of their current situation. The commercial features phone numbers and websites so that the viewer may contact at any point during the commercial or even after it has aired.

Real DRTV

2008-10-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Real DRTV can be summed up in a few ways, here are examples of how you can decide if you have real DRTV.

1) The commercial compliments and enhances your brand and shows a clear message about the product or service

2) Demonstrates the product

3) Allows you to track ROI on a per lead and per order basis

DRTV Production and Testimonials

2008-10-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

Demonstrations for your product are hugely important to an infomercial. They are a huge reason for a company chooses infomercial advertising. But also as important is the testimonial. When producing an infomercial, it is important to have a good trustworthy testimonial for viewer product connection. The testimonial must be believable and to the point. A viewer should be able to understand and relate to the character of the person speaking.

The Importance of a Media Buying Agency

2008-09-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

Creating a great DRTV advertisement is only part of the job, but buying the right media is just as important for success. In every DRTV campaign, perhaps the largest ongoing expense is media buying. It is therefore very important to have the right media buying agency working for you. Media buyers advise clients as to which “daypart” should be used to best advertise a product or service. This depends on various factors like the nature of the product, the demographics of the potential target audience, regional and seasonal demand, cost of daypart, price of the product and etc. The media buyer negotiates rates with the networks, checks for package deals, and manages all the key aspects of the campaign.

Buyers try to make sure that the advertisements are seen and heard by the highest possible number of consumers within the target audience at the lowest possible cost to the client. The demographics of different networks vary significantly, so it is very important to target the right channels to reach a specific target audience. A good media buyer usually has a good understanding of this factor and can help narrow down the choice of channels for a particular product. In case a campaign does not work well in a particular channel or in particular dayparts, changes can be made mid-stream by the buyer.

Multiple products and multiple payments in infomercials

2008-09-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

Infomercials use many techniques to entice customers. Multiple payments are a way to offer the viewer an easy way to pay smaller amounts of the full price by credit card. The payments are set to be more affordable to someone who wants the product but can not afford to pay the full cost. The offer is usually extended in some form of "just three easy payments of$19.95". This can increase sales by up to 25%.
Multiple product offer is a technique used that offers one or more additional products for the same price of the original product offered. The products may coordinate with the original, or they could be something completely different. It is good to give a buyer options and enticements, but it can also leave them with too many items to choose from and perhaps not decide on any product.

Infomercial Marketing vs Traditional Advertising

2008-09-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

Infomercial Marketing can be an alternative to traditional television advertisements. The differences between the two can be show in the following ways:

1) Infomercial spots can be bought at a lower cost than traditional advertising
2) DRTV allows marketers to track results in real-time
3) Progress can be tracked on a per order/ per lead basis
4) Changes can be made to the campaign based on the speed in which results are determined

Helpful Infomercial Motivation Tips

2008-09-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

Infomercials use a number of ways to motivate viewers to buy. "Call to action" also known as CTA is a segment in an infomercial that asks the viewer to make a purchase. The infomercial may run this anywhere from 1 to 3 times in a long form or throughout a short form infomercial. The call to action is when the product is featured without demonstration or testimonial, but by giving the viewer the number and / or web address to make the purchase. This time is also used to make guarantees, warranties, which credit cards are accepted or if checks are accepted.

Factual DRTV

2008-08-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

Can there be false DRTV? This depends on your media buyer. The DRTV media buying agency is terribly important to having a successful marketing campaign. A true DRTV campaign is based on a few of the following components:

1) It compliments and enhances your brand while showing the true way the product works

2) Shows the clear and exact way the product works

3) The campaign is tracked per lead/ per order

Hilary Clinton used an infomercial to market her campaign

2008-07-03T13:30:00.000-07:00

In February, Hilary Clinton purchased an hour from the Hallmark Channel to market her campaign. The infomercial aired during prime-time hours. Although this has been done by a candidate previously, it is a somewhat new way to market a Presidential campaign. The purchase of this time gave her a full, uninterrupted hour to speak on her own beliefs without any outside influence. Infomercials are no longer just for selling a kitchen knife or a beauty product. It is a new platform for anyone who wants to reach a large number audience. The results can be tracked in real-time and can be redirected depending on the response.

Why use an Infomercial to market your product?

2008-06-26T13:25:00.000-07:00

Infomercials are beneficial to advertising campaigns for a variety of reasons. There are some things to keep in mind when you are researching their value. Infomercials allow you to discuss with an audience for a longer period of time than a traditional advertisement. DRTV produces more informative returns than typical advertising. The infomercials reinforce brand awareness even after the commercial has aired. It is important to keep these things in mind if you are considering running an ad whether as your full marketing campaign or as a component to what you already have.

Short form Infomercial sucesses

2008-05-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some products that have successfully marketed their product through short form DRTV ad campaigns:

1) ShamWow
2) The Snuggie
3) Ab Doer
4) Ped Egg
5) Hair Dryer Stand

Testing Infomercials Performance

2008-04-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

Testing your infomercials progress is one of the great ways to make improvements to your ad campaign. Companies can test their infomercials by having groups give feedback. Better understanding of your target audience will help you improve upon what and when things need to be reevaluated. The following can assist with improvements:

*finding the best networks that will match your target audience
*find opportunities to upsell
*making changes in scripts that may not be working
*make changes
*finding the best time slots for your ads
*getting acquainted with pricing through your media planner

Different ways to measure infomercial performance

2008-03-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

There are a number of ways to measure infomercial performance. The following are ways to gauge performance:

*cost per lead
*cost per consultation
*cost per sale
*cost per order
*media ratio

Gathering leads with DRTV

2008-02-21T12:52:00.000-08:00

Many companies are using DRTV to gather information to use for leads. The web sites and phone numbers attached to infomercials create interest even after the commercial has aired. The companies then use the leads to send a news letter, email or maybe make a phone call to follow up on the product. The company can use the information and send product information or promotions. This can also generate leads when the product has move on to being available in retail stores. The customer may have seen an ad on TV and but then faced it in a store. This can be a tool to help the customer recognize the product.

Product Demonstrations in Infomercials

2008-01-03T12:47:00.000-08:00

Some products require extensive demonstrations during an infomercial. The product may have a number of ways it can be used, it may also be complex and a long demonstration may be necessary. The demonstration connects the viewer to the product by showing how it either makes life easier, makes you more healthy or any other way a product can help improve life. The demonstration must be done in a logical way so the viewer can understand how it will benefit them. The better the product is explained, the more likely the viewer is to make a purchase.

Why DRTV?

2007-12-27T12:45:00.000-08:00

There are so many ways to market a product these days. Whether it is television, print, radio or internet marketing. DRTV is an amazing way to target an audience and receive clear results for your marketing efforts. Because you get your results in real-time, you can make changes according to those results and be ahead of your campaign. DRTV accounts for 25% of all advertisements on TV. Statistics show that almost one third of Americans have seen an infomercial. This is why infomercials are popping up in so many marketing campaigns.

Links for helpful infomercial websites

2007-11-22T12:23:00.000-08:00

Here are a few sites that can help with direct response television and infomercial production:

1) Infomercial Marketing blog
2) DRTV Blog
3) DRTV Media buyer

Using Infomercials to Build Your Brand

2007-10-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Using an Infomercial to build your brand is an inexpensive and informative tool for your marketing campaign. An infomercial can be a very revealing way to introduce your product because it whether it be long form or short form, the infomercial gives the viewer all the key components to make him or her want to make a purchase. By demonstration through an infomercial, the product is fully explained to the viewer. This also contributes to the brand awareness. Often times products marketed by infomercials can be available in retail stores. The infomercial is a vehicle for the product to introduced by one medium of advertising. For example, a product that is solely marketed by an infomercial is then sold in a retail store. The product can be recognized to many who have seen the infomercial.