This Saturday's Video

I've discovered a very sweet treat for gummy bear lovers the world over.

Would you partake of this confectionery behemoth?

Ringing Up Sales with Long-Form Advertising (Part 1)

There are many options when it comes to advertising.  But here's one I bet you haven't thought much about, long-form advertising.  Long-form advertising, also known as an infomercial, has helped to make many entrepreneurs wildly successful.  Of course, they are still many others who have gone bust while attempting to sell a new product with an infomercial,  Personally, I like long form advertising.  It gives the advertiser a lot more time to talk about the benefits of the product. And depending on the medium, consumers can ask questions and get an immediate response.  Compared with a :30 or :60 second spot, consumers benefits more from an infomercial by having access to more information, seeing how a product works, being able to ask questions and hearing testimonials.  In terms of cost, it comes down to content vs. frequency.  I'll talk more about this in the next post or two.

However there are a couple of  non-negotiable factors that must be in place in order for an infomercial to work. First, the product or service should be something that people will want to buy.  Sounds obvious right?  Well it's not.  Do you remember the Slumber Sleeper or the Beer Burglar Alarm?  Exactly.  Next, you need a pitch person that is both knowledgeable and passionate about your product or service.  Although it's your product/service, it doesn't mean that you're the best person to front your infomercial.  You might want to consider a paid spokesperson.  This is someone you'll compensate to represent your product or service.  The late Billy Mays is a great example of a very successful paid pitchman.  He was best known for his association with OxiClean, but he also represented several other products.

If  however, you embody the passion and presence for tv, then hosting your own infomercial is the way to go.  The one person that personifies a successful television infomercial salesman is none other than Ron Popeil. In fact, I consider him to be the king of the television infomercial, a marketing/infomercial genius.  Mr. Popeil's inventions have been bought by millions, but that never would have happened without his incredible talent to sell in the long-form advertising format.  I encourage you to read his bio.  He learned a great deal at his father's knee, but Popeil mastered the art of selling in an infomercial.   Popiel took his father's inventions, the Chop-O-matic and the Veg-o-matic and made them household names.

 Popiel also introduced us to the Popeil Pocket Fisherman (I really wanted one of these),  Mr. Microphone (I really, really wanted one of these),  and the Showtime Rotisserie (not that I needed it, but I wanted to be able to just "set it and forget it").  There are about a dozen other products from his company Ronco, that Popeil has successfully sold using infomercials.



But wait...there's more. In part two of this post, we'll take a look at radio infomericals, including one in which I co-hosted.

Have you ever purchased a product that was advertised in an infomercial?

Another Way Technology is Leveling the Playing Field

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, in business, technology is really the great equalizer. Small and mid-sized businesses can compete in ways they never would have been able to just a few years ago. They can pretty sell anywhere they choose, tapping into previously unapproachable markets. If you sell soap, the Internet allows for a global client base. No longer do the mom and pops of the world have to sit back and dream about expansion. Anyone with a well-designed website that has quality shopping cart software, and the appropriate fulfillment and distribution systems can have the same web presence as a multinational corporation.

Marketing and advertising options have also greatly improved for SMBs thanks to technology. And the one device that I believe holds the most promise going forward is your cell phone. A great example is text marketing or Short Message Service (SMS). In fact, SMS marketing is one of the fastest growing marketing channels, and for good reason too. Mobile phones are everywhere; audience measures on mobiles are 9 times more accurate than the Internet, and 90 times more so than tv.

The benefits are quite significant; when a mobile user texts your business, it's to request information or participate in your offer, so that's even better than permission marketing; you can get started for well under $100; you can create promotionals that require a quick response--and get it; you can develop creative promotionals that require an action such as forwarding your text to a friend, and of course the mobility factor can greatly increase traffic into your place of business.

Are you currently using text marketing? If you haven't thought much about using text messaging in your marketing plan, then perhaps it's time to consider it. Send me your feedback.

This Saturday's Video

I'm still here, but according to California preacher Harold Camping, not for long.  Today's video features a report on Rev. Camping's prediction of the rapture, but more importantly (far more importantly) is the fact that Rev. Camping seems to see all the hoopla as a good thing to give his church more attention, and at the end of the report, you'll also see they've made arrangements to collect more money on the heals of this publicity.  So the question is, "Is any publicity really good publicity"?  Let me know what you think.