In a digital age where video and Facebook are the rage, what’s become of TV commercials and infomercials? Is the infomercial dead?

Hardly. In fact, with today’s technology and increased cable reach, the opportunity to sell by long-form video has never been better. Commercial replays on YouTube only increase sales.

I’ve created over 300 TV commercials and 13 infomercials. Infomercials are powerful for increasing response and boosting sales.

Almost any unknown product can become a household name with the use of a well-produced, direct response pulling infomercial.

The goal is to make the sale of your product via long-form video help pay for the production of the cost – and then some.

 

5 secret ingredients to a successful infomercial

 

  1. Pick the right product.

Products that are easily understood do extremely well in this genre because they’re easy to demonstrate. Infomercials that readily solve a problem are desirable.

Household items sell well, and products that can deliver weight loss or other aspirational results have been enjoying high ROI for a number of years.

If your product is useful and unusual, it’s a good infomercial candidate.

 

  1. Choose the right length.

Knowing when to choose short-form (30 or 60 seconds) over a 30-minute infomercial is crucial.

How to tell? Short-form works best for lower-priced items that are easily grasped. For informational products, try using testimonials in a short-form version as a lead-gen tool.

Here’s the rule of thumb: The more credibility needed, the more time it takes to tell about the product. Testimonials in long-form are your best form of establishing credibility for direct sales on items like real estate offers, skin treatments, nutritional supplements, makeup, hair replacement systems and large or new types of appliances.

Car manufacturers, Medicare providers and electronic manufacturers all use infomercials.

 

  1. Have realistic expectations.

Like any other marketing medium, TV can be a bonanza or a bust — or somewhere in between. Practice good direct response: Expect to test. It’s not unusual to be very successful just by breaking even on TV because the medium creates a hefty aftermarket demand for products.

 

  1. Be prepared to deliver.

The “As Seen on TV” phenomenon has proven a true profit story. TV has shown to drive retail volume 7 to 10 times more than with no television advertising. Infomercials and TV advertising commercials have produced billions of dollars in sales.

 

  1. Plan carefully.

The #1 reason infomercials fail is from poor business planning or a sales model that doesn’t work. Choosing the right media partners, telemarketing scripts and fulfillment operations will determine your success or failure. Packaging at the shelf, if not properly thought out, can result in product returns. Infomercials can generate big business; be scrupulous when planning each line item.

 

Here’s a list of the top 5 infomercials for 2018 – the products that are using this incredible marketing medium to make millions.

 

Top 5 Infomercials for 2018 

  1. Bowflex Home Gym
  2. Carleton Sheets Real Estate Tutorial
  3. Proactiv Solution Acne Treatment
  4. Showtime Rotisserie Pro Electric Rotisserie Oven
  5. Ionic Breeze Air Purifier

 

If you’d like to learn about how you can make a powerful, response-boosting infomercial to sell your product or service, give me a call at (310)212-5727 or email Caleb at [email protected].

 

Here are the rest of this week’s articles: