Infomercials are far from the outdated hard sell that many have made it out to be. They may not hold the glamorous appeal short-form videos do, but here’s the thing: infomercials work. They bring in millions of dollars a year, even though they’re primarily aired in the middle of the night. How is this possible? Infomercials use several tactics that allow them to be the powerhouses they are. These strategies can easily be implemented into other forms of video content to boost success. Here are the six tips infomercials can teach us about video content:

1. Start with your solution. Customers will buy your product for one reason and one reason only: They have to feel they need it. Your product must solve some problem or nuisance in their life. Does your product do this? If it doesn’t, can you find some way to spin it so that it does? Once you have your solution in mind, it’s that much simpler to find the selling points that hook your consumers.
2. Remember the visual element. Once you have your solution, the next step is to show the proof to your consumers. You have to give credible evidence that your product solves the problem you’ve laid out. One of the best ways to give this proof is through the visual element. This means showing while you’re telling. It’s hard to argue when the proof is happening right before your consumers’ eyes. While live demonstrations can be the most persuasive, they’re not always plausible for financial or time reasons. Luckily, there are other visuals that can have just as big of an impact. Testimonials, animations, and or pictures of the product all work to show off your brand. The right visuals are the make or break of success, so make sure to pick those that best compliment your objectives.
3. Recall your brand image. If this is your launch content, then this is the time to pick what kind of brand you want to be. The tone you set from the beginning can be difficult to change once established, so it’s important to nail it the first time. Do you want to be big and loud like Oxiclean? Informative and factual like the Ginsu Knife? Your brand identity sets the tone for the type of visuals you should be incorporating into your content. If you want to change your brand image, find out what elements you can shift in order to begin changing your persona.

4. Match that image with the proper spokesperson. Perhaps the most important aspect of any video is who you’re putting in front of the camera. The charisma (or lack thereof) of your spokesperson can drastically alter how your content comes across to consumers. Based on your desired brand voice, some personalities may instantly stand out as a “fit”. If you’re struggling a bit more finding a face for your brand, consider key aspects like demographics. Who is your target audience? That is essentially who should be in front of the camera. Keep aspects like age, physical build, and gender in the forefront of your mind. Don’t forget to consider celebrities as a spokesperson. It has been shown to that using celebrities can in fact increase sales. The important thing with celebrities is to make it believable that the celebrity would be endorsing this product. Celebrities often come across as forced, which can have the opposite effect on consumers. Believability is key for spokesmen, celebrity or otherwise.
5. Give them a reason to keep watching. Why should your consumers be watching this content right now? Where’s the appeal to them? Why should they care? While this may sound harsh, these are the questions you have to ask yourself when planning out your videos. Every moment should provide some incentive to keep costumers watching. If you’re not entertaining or informing them, what are you doing? While there may be a long time to fill, there’s no excuse for simply filling space when you could be more effectively pitching the product. As you’re concepting what you want throughout the video, make sure to ask yourself “What’s the point?” If you can’t answer, consumers can’t either.
6. Tell a story. One of the most effective ways to keep your consumer hooked is to tell them a story they can relate to. Stories can have several different approaches, and each serves a different purpose. “Day in the life” videos explicitly state just how your product fits into the consumers’ lives. This means generally displaying the struggle that your product is coming in to fix. Another storytelling standpoint is to place the viewer into another’s shoes by playing on their emotions, such as the SPCA commercials. Telling a story means easing the buyer into your content so they don’t immediately dismiss your video as a hard sale. IF you can make them feel at home, this positivity will carry over into calls and sales. 

Would you like to learn more about repurposing video, or about any other video topic? Reach out to IDR for additional information and answers to all your questions. You’ll discover why we’re Orange County’s premier producer of TV commercials, infomercials, and online videos for a wide range of businesses, organizations, and brands.