Infomercial

An infomercial is a long-form advertisement that acts as a standalone program and aims to teach how to use a complex product and encourage viewers to make a purchase. It includes a call to action, allows companies to reach more prospects, tell about the benefits of their goods, and convert leads into customers.

In this video, you’ll get to know how to create an infomercial.

In this article, we’ll review several reasons why companies use infomercials, talk about their advantages, compare infomercials and commercials, figure out how to create successful infomercials, and see several examples.

Why should you use infomercials?

Although many believe that television is fading into the background due to the rapid development of internet marketing, it’s still an effective and cost-efficient way to reach your target audience, obtain conversions, and convey the value and benefits of your products and services.

Businesses that know how to create eye-catching infomercials have an opportunity to obtain high sales, build brand identity, and increase brand engagement. Since a lot of people watch TV, businesses that consider infomercials to pitch their goods or services can generate more leads. Insurance companies promote their services, automobile manufacturers advertise their cars, and jewelry manufacturers publicize their unique products with the help of these television advertisements.

It’s time to review the benefits of infomercials in more detail.

Advantages of Infomercials

There are various ways in which infomercials generate success for your company. Entrepreneurs use this way of promotion because of the following advantages:

• an increase in sales volume;
• a wider audience;
• improved brand awareness;
• higher revenue;
• an opportunity to convince viewers about the value that displayed products can bring;
• a chance to demonstrate goods and explain their features and benefits in detail;
• higher brand engagement;
• enabling customers to make a purchase via phone;
• endorsement by professionals, such as doctors or health and beauty specialists.

Now that you know about the pros, it’s time to proceed to the next section, where we’ll find out whether infomercials work.

Do infomercials work?

The success rates of infomercials are modest. Goods promoted with the help of early infomercials earned about a 50% chance of success. However, you can’t exclude the fact that they are still better than commercials since they allow you to demonstrate the product in action, use real testimonials, make a special offer, and encourage your viewers to act fast.

Infomercial vs. Commercial

Infomercials are long-form advertisements featured live that include a toll-free telephone number for viewers to buy products. The main advantage of these advertisements is the ability to entice viewers to make immediate direct purchases. They rely on a clear call to action after providing detailed information about products or services. Professionals demonstrate these products’ features and show all their benefits to persuade customers to buy them as soon as possible.

Unlike infomercials, commercials are a generic type of endorsement in the advertising industry that are from ten to sixty seconds in length. These videos are pre-recorded and involve an actor who narrates a monologue or dialogue. You can see or hear them on television, radio, and various platforms on the internet. Let’s take pre-paid ads, for example. You have definitely seen videos on YouTube that highlight various benefits of products and companies.

Now when the difference is clear, let’s discover what makes a good infomercial.

What makes a good infomercial?

The main problem with the majority of TV commercials is that they look too fake because of scenarios with unrealistic characters. Here come infomercials, enabling viewers to explore all the product’s features and see them in action. However, creating a good and intriguing infomercial is not an easy task since you should use key components.

You need to have a unique product that will attract customers. Also, be ready to show your viewers that it can solve their actual problems. Ideally, you should find a competing product to compare them. With its help, you will be able to demonstrate the advantages of your good over its alternatives. The last component is an enthusiastic host. It can be a professional who will describe your product in detail and show its value.

In the next section, we’ll review several steps that will lead to a successful infomercial created for your business.

If you want to lure more customers, get ready to create something unique that will concentrate all the attention on your goods or services. Although these advertisements can easily promote your products, developing something thoughtful and engaging takes several steps.

• Create a sense of urgency to make your viewers purchase. Remember, you have seconds to draw customers’ attention before they switch the channel. To start, you can offer your viewers bonuses, gifts, or special prices. Provide customers with time-limited offers to encourage them to make impulse decisions.
• Establish product credibility. The success of each company relies on credibility. Remember that the purchasing decisions are emotionally sparked but are made rationally. There are many ways to appeal to viewers, but they don’t guarantee you an increase in sales. Therefore, after reaching leads you need to provide them with actual value so that they trust in your goods’ quality and use.
• Ask a professional to become a host. The presenter also plays a significant role in sales. This person should combine specific skills and personal conviction. A spokesperson should have a good understanding of the product, be enthusiastic, and be ready to work fast and under pressure. Moreover, the host should trust and believe in your product to make others feel the same.
• Describe the best features and benefits of your goods. Direct-response television opens you a great chance to communicate your message to a wide audience. Outline the problems your product can solve and describe the features and benefits that bring the most value.
• Include a call to action. TV infomercials usually include several CTAs. Companies mention their phone numbers to enable viewers to call and order something directly. When doing this, you need to review the product before urging people to call. It’s done to evoke the same emotions when encouraging customers to buy.

Let’s jump into the examples.

Examples of Infomercials

Infomercials can be used for different purposes and businesses. Further, we’ll see several infomercials from famous brands you might know, so let’s dive in.

Total Gym

Total Gym is the name for a line of bodyweight training equipment. The company has been developing the world’s most innovative fitness training equipment for over 45 years. Chuck Norris, an American actor, has endorsed these fitness products for over 30 years.

Dormeo Octasmart Mattress

Dormeo is a brand of mattresses from the UK. The company offers a great variety of mattresses for better sleep, and one of them is presented in an infomercial below. From this video, viewers can learn some information about the product before buying it.

Gotham Steel Cookware

This is a non-stick cookware brand. In this infomercial, the company promotes one of their products — a frying pan. The spokesperson shows all the features and benefits of the product.

Simply put, infomercials enable businesses to promote and sell their products and services fast because of the urgency these programs create. If you know the benefits and problems your goods can solve, then infomercials are the best way to demonstrate them right.

Resources:

1. This article defines the term and covers the main characteristics of infomercials.
2. This article explains how to create a powerful infomercial.

Last Updated: 28.09.2024