There are plenty of false expectations when it comes to direct response marketing on television.  The general consensus among non-professionals is the “You put an ad on TV…man the phones…and put the money in the bank.”

If this were true there would be more millionaires coming out of the direct response television industry than any other.  Unfortunately it’s not that easy, but direct response can be the method to expose a product or service to a mass audience effectively, efficiently and profitably.

Before beginning such an effort however, a number of questions will need to be answered.  It is the answers to these questions that provide the basis for your strategic plan and insure your offer gets a fair and valid test.

Let’s start with the question “Is my product or service suitable for direct response television marketing?”

This is one of those instances where you can answer a question with a question. There are certain generally accepted criteria that you can apply to your product or service to see if it would have potential as a DRTV offer.

1. Does the product or promotion have mass appeal?
2. Can the benefits be effectively demonstrated?
3. Is the offer attractively priced?
4. Does it have at least a 4:1 cost-to-sales ratio?
5. Is the offer hard to fulfill?
6. Can you enhance revenues by adding complementary products or promotions?
7. Does it have a trademark, or celebrity to tie in to the advertising message or retail?

One not of caution, however --  answering “yes” to these questions does not guarantee success. It only shows that your product or service qualifies as a direct response television promotion.