Business Information for Entrepreneurs by an Entrepreneur

Infomercials- Excellent Promotional Tools

More and more small businesses are utilizing infomercials as a way of promoting their products.  Sure, the longer infomercials can be a bit on the expensive side; but having your product run on one of the popular ‘shopping channels' can work wonders for your bottom line!

FAQ's in Infomercials and What They Cover

The FAQ's in infomercials are framed with the objective of providing complete information and answer all customer queries on customer service, after sales service, demonstration or any training program conducted by the company. Questions regarding product efficacy are also included.

The focus, however, is on the unique selling proposition of the product. This sets it apart from competitors in the market. There are queries on how the product would satisfy the need of the customer in a unique way. Once this information is effectively conveyed through the infomercial FAQ's, consumers are inclined to buy the product subject to their needs, resulting in an expansion of the customer base.
 
In the consumer market, the price of a product is a vital factor that determines the sales volume. Professionally designed infomercial FAQ's justify the price tag and display its competitive nature. Questions relating to the lowering of prices, when down payments are made in case of high priced products, are also covered in the FAQ section of infomercials.

Purpose of FAQ's in Infomercials

Professionally designed infomercial FAQ's strive to inform viewers about the salient features of a product, answer questions and clear any doubts that they may have. FAQ's focus mainly on USP, customer service, after sales service and the price of the product.

Well-designed infomercials have been known to drive up product sales nearly 200%!  Approached correctly, it can do the same for you.

Well, the more I stay in the business game, the more I learn about marketing!  A fairly new concept to marketing that is being used widely online today is Viral Marketing - an idea used to disseminate a marketing message while creating considerable brand awareness. This concept can be applied to endorse your business online without any additional monetary investment on your part!

Viral Marketing Tips:

· Email signature: Usually, email programs allow you to create a signature attached to outgoing email and replies. A tagline can be included along with a separator, like a dotted line, between the body of the email message and your signature.

· Customized screensaver: A customized screensaver should be created and free downloads offered to visitors of your website. It should relate to the theme of your online business.

· Use a ‘tell a friend' script: This allows word-of-mouth advertising by visitors of your website, who will promote it when they communicate with their friends or associates. You could even install some attractive ‘tell-a-friend' scripts. A ‘thank you' note could also be sent to people by email, which could be the most effective marketing message about your business website.

· Participate in User Forums: Participating in various user forums related to the theme of your business will help promote your business.  You should add a signature to all your forum posts.  You should try to position yourself as an expert in your field on the forums people will then seek guidance from you, and visit your company website more frequently.

· Write articles and allow free reprinting: This is one of the most effective tools that can be used online. You could write articles on topics that are relevant to your area of business, and submit or trade them with as many websites as possible. These articles should be made free for reprinting. This will popularize your company's website among various webmasters, as well as people reprinting the published articles.

These viral marketing tips can help enhance the popularity of your website, and build its credibility. By implementing these guidelines, you can promote your website to a wide variety of people and help increase your sales!

I used to use telemarketing religiously, as a way of getting the word out about my business.  But then, I hit on a great way to more than double my returns and success rate — direct mail.  You can use direct mail to boost your sales, and it isn't that hard.

Frequent Mailing

Maintain a regular mailing schedule, because a single letter will forgotten quickly. If the time gap between each mailing is too lengthy, customers may move on to your competition!  You don't want this to happen. 

Address Your Target Audience

Direct mail can give you the chance to address a specific group of people. That's why your first target group should be the customers who buy from you. Don't make the mistake of forgetting your current customers while you are busy with luring potential new ones.

Enclose a Sales Letter

One of the very first things people do is read the sales letter! Make sure that you create an attractive sales letter, mentioning the benefits of your products right up front. Create a catchy headline highlighting the main selling points of your product or service, and place it prominently at the top of your sales letter.

Provide Sufficient Information

Describe your products or services in detail. Provide as much relevant information as you can. Direct mail gives you enough scope to provide in-depth information, unlike television or newspapers where there are space and time limitations. 

Create a Sense of Urgency

Add a sense of urgency to your direct mail pieces — customers need to know why they should take action NOW! Print the deadline on the envelope to persuade the customer to open the mail and read it. It should induce them to take action quickly or else lose potential benefits.  Speaking of benefits…..

Mention Benefits

Make sure that the message you communicate expresses a tangible customer benefit, because most people want a reward to open your mail, especially if it looks like junk mail! Create an intimate connection through direct mail.

When you know how to create great direct mail pieces, you've got the key to success. Now put that phone down and head out to the printer's!