Things That Startups Can Learn From Infomercials

After reading one of my favorite articles 'Plan With Pizzazz' with Cherly Isaac, she brought up a good point about how a good infomercial must grab the attention of the spectator, be specific, time conscious and seek a direct response from the potential buyer. Although it may look like a simple orchestration on television, an infomercial is actually difficult to do well.

Cheryl stated in the article that "If startup entrepreneurs were to pretend that their business presentations or retail sales were infomercials, a lot could be gained."

I totally agree with her on that ephiphany! Just look at it this way: At the startup stage of business, you're an unknown. Your struggle is to turn a potential client into a new client. At this point, the potential client has the attention span of a 5-year-old. After all, why should she listen to you? You are not a proven entity, and she is sharing her precious time with you. At the same time, you may be thinking: "I've invested a lot of time, energy and money into this venture and I need to see some return."

Both you and the infomercial creator are wrestling with similar thoughts. You both need to get the customer interested in the shortest time possible, you need a quick response, and you need to showcase the benefits of your product or service.

An infomercial strives to get a response from the viewer. The infomercial has to be explicit in telling the viewer what she must do. Entrepreneurs also need to garner responses from their potential clients. When drafting your proposal, designing your presentation, running your TV or print ad or designing your website, tell your potential client what you want her to do. Use language that is specific, avoid questions, and outline your next steps. For example, most web advisors will tell you to have a "call to action" button on all your web pages. The call to action tells your visitors what you want them to do. For example: Buy Now, Join Now, Call this Number, Apply Now.

An infomercial generates a sale or a lead. Sometimes you run across an infomercial that directs you to call a number and get a free introductory product. This is a lead. Most of the time, they direct you to purchase a product. This is a sale. Some startup entrepreneurs may have varying sales processes. If you have a higher dollar product or service, or a time-consuming service, your potential client may want to get comfortable with you first. You may then try to generate a lead. Another startup could have a low-priced product that needs to be sold on the first try. Figure out where you fall and design your sale or lead generator.

An infomercial has live demonstrations. What seems effortless on your TV screen is usually practiced tirelessly on the back end. The demonstration reveals all aspects of the product, its benefits are showcased, and you are told why you should buy the product. Startups usually have products that are in beta phase. So most of the time, the potential client has to be educated on its similarity to and difference from similarly situated products. Learning how to demonstrate a product's worth or a service's value is a great advantage for a startup entrepreneur.

Responses from an infomercial are measured. One of the top priorities of an infomercial is to perform. People must buy, and sales must be made. The buzz has to be created. Well, startup entrepreneurs have the same priorities. Yet, like infomercials, they too must realize that in order to get a response, specific steps (like the ones mentioned above) must be followed. As a startup, your goal should include measuring the response of your ad, presentation, proposals, etc. Did it work? Can it be done differently? Does it make sense?

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Note: this page contains paid content.

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