TV ORDER SLATES
Whether you are using informercials or regular DRTV spots, you
are limited to a few seconds to give your audience information
on how and where to place their orders.
Order Slates contain information about your name, address and
telephone number as it appears on the TV screen. Here are a few
tips on how to effectively design your order slate:
TOLL-FREE 800 NUMBERS.
If you do not have the capacity to handle multiple simultaneous
calls, you need to hire a service bureau to handle you order taking.
Most infomercial source companies have affiliations with their own
service bureaus to provide order taking service. Because the service
bureaus have special arrangements with your source company, their
rates re usually lower, making them a favorable choice.
If you decide to go with your source company's service bureau, make
sure they are willing to:
- Give you your own unique 800 number.
- Give you call reports on a daily basis.
- Give you a copy of the itemized call statement from the phone
company at the end of each month.
If you decide to hire you own service bureaus, shop around for the
best rates. Avoid bureaus with exorbitant set-up fees, usually more
than $500.00. Make sure the bureau has the capability and the
experience to handle your requirements, and that they operate
24 hours a day.
BUSINESS NAME.
A standard order slate will show your 800 number along with your
business name and mailing address. Remember that a TV viewer will
have to copy all this information in order to write a check and mail
it to the correct address. So make your wording short, clear, and
easy to spell.
If your business name is long or complicated, you may want to open
a new bank account using a different name. Acronyms usually work
best. For example, if your business name is Communicators
International Enterprises, register a new account for C.I.E..
Both you and your customers will benefit from such a change.
YOUR MAILING ADDRESS Since mailing addresses appear on the TV screen for
just a few seconds, post office box numbers or short addresses are
easier to remember and spell.
For example, if your business is in a city named
Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, you might want to drive a few miles south to
get a P.O. box in Miami. Its not only more recognizable, but it is
shorter and easier for viewers to spell.
