August 23, 2008
7 Marketing Lessons We Can Learn From TV Infomercials
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”? speaking opportunities 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!
Hear me now… continuity will change your life! Consider how you can use this principle in your business. Could you convert some of your current offerings into a monthly membership? Or instead of doing one-shot teleseminars, create an ongoing monthly program? (I did this with my Marketing & Motivation Mastermind.)
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.
Remember it’s the ongoing exposure and repetition that breeds familiarity and trust with your prospects! And that leads to more sales than you’ve ever imagined.
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown, “The E-zine Queen,” publishes the award-winning ‘Straight Shooter Marketing’ weekly ezine with 20,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at EzineQueen.com
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Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_234494_12.html
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Filed under Mail Order Jewellery, Fashion Items, Shoes and Everyday Apparel by admin
There are many people around us who are both working and have to take care of their family in this 21st century. In order to get a well balanced diet, many are going to get their vitamin supplements the fast way.
What is the fast way?
It is through the mail. Anyone can mail order vitamin supplements whether it is an online or brick and mortar location. If you are ordering your supplements through mail order, you could be purchasing them from a sixteen-year-old person in New York or a seventy-year-old man from Texas. If that happens, please do not panic. It is perfectly normal in this century.
What are the benefits of mail order vitamins?
The main benefits that people uses the world wide web is that at the click of a finger it offers a wide range of information and it will take just a few minutes to find almost whatever you need. That’s why, more and more people are letting their fingers do the typing and even shopping.
As more people join the internet revolution, online shopping is becoming a way of life. It has certainly changed the way I look at shopping and buying stuff from the internet. Almost every site you go to, you can find something for sale in one form or another. This is exactly the same and even more so with mail order vitamin supplements.
What are the advantages of buying from the internet?
The advantage of buying products from the Internet is that you are staying at home, you feel undisturbed, and there is one MASSIVE benefit. Ordering vitamin supplements through the mail order vitamin can not only be ordered through the internet but you can also get massive discounts for doing so.
However, when you are shopping on the Internet the first thing that needs to be fair is exactly what types of vitamins you need or the result you are trying to achieve. The internet can offer you all the required detail related to them. There you can find all the functions of each vitamin, the symptoms and exactly how they will work.
After you understand what kind of vitamins you need, you can take the next important step and decide from where you are going to buy your vitamins. The decision is easy. Just compare a few sites and look for the best prices but also be sure that you have read their terms of services. Remember to compare the prices as the price can be quite a disagreement even though two sites may be selling the same product.
Also to be more aware where this company is situated, because if it is situated abroad you will be charged extra for the delivery. Make sure that they actually accept mail order vitamin supplement payments, as some do not ship or mail internationally.
Are there are other steps to take?
The next step is to see that your whole private information like credit card number, address and so on are secure when ordering through mail order. Most of the sites have something like shopping safe feature, with the aim to assure you that it is safe to buy from them and also in this way they try to convince you that all your information won’t be given to any other site or company.
This is good, because it makes their service more reliable. This way, you are certain that the transaction is genuine and not fake.
So, now after taking into consideration the above points you can mail order vitamin supplements and soon after that you will have your desired vitamins mailed to your doorstep.
Last but not least is to check whether everything is ok with your vitamin supplements when they arrived at your house’s doorstep.
Be extra careful and first check the date of the vitamins and if the bottles are sealed. If everything is ok, there is nothing to worry about, otherwise a simple email or phone call will usually fix the situation. Also, be extra careful to study the fine print of the supplements. If in doubt, please consult your doctor for advise.
In conclusion, I would say that it is fantastic to mail order vitamin supplements. It is more comfortable, easier and can really save you tons of money and time for going to the stores to get your supplements.
After knowing where are the sources to buy cheap mail-order vitamin supplements, with alongside with this little information may be enough for you to choose your supplements more carefully and to consume in moderation. Before you are going to consume any type of vitamin health food, you need to first consult your physician.
At times, there are many people who tend to forget the quality of popping these pills, without realizing the harmful effects of over-consumption of these supplements, level while various kinds of supplements can treat chronic diseases.
Therefore, without a proper understanding of using mineral supplements to treat many persistent diseases, there will not be much disease free lifestyle to craving for.
Apply these effective tips as being highlighted here, together with an sheer understanding of vitamin supplements is important so that you enjoy your life once again.
Eddy K Elgin is the author of the 17 Minutes Vitamin Supplements Tips and Resource. Drop by at mail order vitamin supplements quick for more details.
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Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_144202_17.html
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Filed under Mail Order Food Stuff, Pharmaceuticals and Makeup by admin