TV Order Slates

Whether you are using infomercials 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 your 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 are 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:

1. Give you your own unique 800 number.
2. Give you call reports on a daily basis.
3. Give you a copy of the itemized call statement from the phone company at the end of each month.

If you decide to hire your 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.