This week I’d like to introduce a guest blogger - Eric Cosway, EVP, CEO, here at QuantumDigital. Enjoy.

~ Steve

I’ve done it and I’m sure you have too - getting sucked into a TV infomercial. A lot of times those infomercials are pushing products we don’t need or would ever consider purchasing under normal circumstances. Even so, they have a funny way of pulling us into their world and placing us in a trance-like state of attention. More than once I’ve convinced myself that I absolutely NEED that product they’re selling. Yet after actually purchasing the item, I realize that I was wrong and the thing I thought I couldn’t live without is collecting dust in the corner of the garage.

That being said about TV infomercials, how can we get people to stop and take notice of our other direct marketing efforts with the same level of fascination? What tactics are used in TV infomercial marketing that we can borrow and use in direct mail or eMarketing?

First, let’s take a look at what those infomercials are really selling. Sure they’re selling products, but more importantly, they’re selling core beliefs and values. Infomercials tap into the emotional and psychological needs of people and present products as a way to fulfill those needs. Take skin care products for an example. In a majority of infomercials promoting skin care products, like acne solutions or wrinkle creams, we hear people describing their embarrassment or feelings of being self conscious around peers, etc. That’s the problem that the infomercial is trying to solve, not the actual condition of their skin. The products presented strengthen values and feelings like good self esteem, inclusion amongst a group, happiness, and so on.

Another tactic used by infomercials is getting testimonials from ‘real people’ just like you and me. They know that people connect with other people-we like to sympathize and we trust what our peers say. This tactic is similar to using a word-of-mouth marketing approach. In many infomercials we hear variations of, “I couldn’t believe how great that product worked for me. It can work for you too.” We latch on to benefits experienced by real-life people. We want those benefits too.

Going a step further, infomercials support real-life testimonials with endorsements from professionals or experts. If a doctor is attesting to the validity of the product then it MUST be true, right? Between you and me, I don’t really know where they get these experts or if they’re even qualified. Yet, we want to believe it’s true and we take their endorsements as another encouraging reason to buy.

Next, infomercials often compare their product to another similar product on the market. The focus is on the defects of the competitor’s product versus the wonderful benefits of the one featured in the infomercial. This is called differentiation. They try to answer the question, “Why is this particular product better than the one I already have?”

After drawing you in by solving an emotional or psychological need, describing all the great benefits of the product and featuring glowing reviews from trusted sources, the next step is to sweeten the pot with value-added, limited-time promotions. For example, that wrinkle cream will come with a tube of mud mask made from only the purest Egyptian soil so exclusive that not even celebrities can get their hands on it. However, this fifty-dollar gift is yours for free when you buy the wrinkle cream within the next ten minutes. It’s a little bit of a pressured sale, but it gets people to make a snap decision now. The probablility of a sale is greater when the viewer sees the product right in front of them. Then the infomercial is gone from the screen, so is the potential for a sale.

Once the infomercials get viewers this far down the sales funnel, the only thing left to do is make it easy for them to take action. They provide viewers with clear instructions on what needs to happen next-call now, act now, pick up the phone, etc. Big, bold phone numbers and web addresses are pictured on the screen.

There are probably more parts of infomercials that I can mention, but these are the most common. Let’s review these tactics that are easily transferable to direct mail and eMarketing:

1. Tap in to the emotional and/or psychological needs of your audience. Make the product or services you’re promoting on your direct mail piece speak to these core values: safety, acceptance, self esteem, financial freedom, ultimate happiness, etc.

2. Provide testimonials and endorsements from your customers or colleagues. Let your customers tell potential prospects how easy it is to work with you or how your product/service changed their life for the better.

3. Highlight your product’s or service’s factors of differentiation. Let your prospects know what makes you or your service different from all the others that are available.

4. Create a sense of urgency. You can create urgency by offering a gift while supplies last, a limited-time promotion, or by referencing a timeline. For example, real estate agents can let their prospects know that the best housing prices are available now and that situation will change when the market rebounds.

I urge you to take time to examine infomercials and study the types of tactics they use to get people to act. You may be able to use some of those tactics in your direct marketing campaigns.

Thanks for listening,

Eric