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Direct Response Media Expert Provides an Overview of Per Inquiry (PI) Media

Contrarian Luddite — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 21:38:00 GMT

Per Inquiry advertising is commonly referred to as "PI." Broadcast stations run PI ads for a fee based on the number of calls that are generated through a dedicated toll-free number that is exclusive to each station or network. An independent telemarketing company tracks the calls and prepares reports to document the call activity for billing and shipping purposes.

Per Inquiry is a desirable advertising alternative for undercapitalized advertisers and those who want to test an ad before risking capital on an expanded advertising schedule.

However, PI campaigns are not without risk. Advertisers can pay up to 50% of their sales revenue to the stations/networks, time brokers, and independent telemarketing firms who are involved in the PI advertising process.

Once PI ads prove their effectiveness, it is usually more cost-efficient to convert the broadcast media buying to a traditional paid direct response schedule.

Most stations and networks do not accept PI advertising, so this is not a widely available option for most direct marketers.

Another similar advertising concept is "guaranteed payout." On guaranteed payout schedules, advertisers pay cash for a direct response media schedule but receive a guaranteed response rate (their breakeven figure) from the media.

Are you a direct marketer who would like to consider per inquiry or guaranteed payout advertising to sell your product or service? Does your broadcast station/network or media property want to consider PI or guaranteed payout advertising as another discount system that you can use to liquidate unsold inventory?

E-mail diana@cypressmedia.net to discuss the PI and guaranteed payout advertising options for your product, service, or broadcast property.

Frequently asked questions about per inquiry, guaranteed payout, and direct response advertising

Is PI and guaranteed payout a good way to test a product when you have a very small ad budget?

Per inquiry advertising is a viable option for those without a large ad budget, but you will still need money to launch a PI campaign. First, it is usually necessary to pay for a test of a new ad in order to prove its viability to stations/networks so they will accept it as a PI offer. It is very difficult to find a station/network to run a totally untested PI ad. There are also startup costs involved with a PI campaign like production costs, telemarketing set-up costs, and other administrative costs that require capital.

If you have a product/service that is tested, and you can provide documented results of the advertising test, it is easier for our company to convince stations/networks to take a chance on your ad. Stations/networks that accept PI would rather do business with an advertiser and product/service with a documented track record.

PI advertising should not be viewed as an option for those without any budget whatsoever.

It is easier to test a product with a guaranteed payout schedule rather than with a PI schedule, but the same principles mentioned for PI also applies to guaranteed payout advertising. You will still need capital to launch a guaranteed payout campaign. Additionally, with a guaranteed payout campaign, you must pay for the guaranteed media schedule in advance.

Is it a good idea to test a product on a local TV station or cable system that can be purchased cheaply to see if it will work before we roll out our spot nationally?

Testing a product on a single local TV station or cable system is not a good way to determine its financial viability for a wider roll-out. We have found it best to test DR products and services in several local markets or on national cable networks and let the marketplace indicate which regions or demographic groups hold the most promise. For local market tests, you need to run enough media to provide statistically valid measurements. If you happen to test in the wrong local market, or on the wrong station, or with the wrong frequency, you may have a "winner," and not know it if your test is too narrow.

What profit margin is necessary for a successful DR TV or radio campaign?

A 6 to 1 profit margin is necessary, at a minimum. Ideally, you should have greater than a 6 to 1 profit margin in your product or service for your campaign to be financially successful.

Granted, these margins are difficult to achieve, but it is better that you face this financial reality rather than lose your money on a campaign that has no mathematical chance of succeeding.

Can a DR campaign open the door to other marketing opportunities?

Many DR campaigns today are considered highly successful even if they are never profitable on their own if they open other sales channels for a product. Often the product/service awareness and brand building that occurs with a broadcast DR advertising campaign opens the doors to selling a product or service into wholesale or retail channels. It is not unusual to use response statistics from a DR campaign to show a buyer for a chain store or catalog that your product appeals to their target audience.

Can we run our ads on just PI to start before spending cash on a paid DR campaign?

You can launch a campaign on a straight PI basis if you can obtain an adequate amount of media time to do so; however, it is difficult. A common challenge is to convince enough stations/networks to take a chance on an untested spot to achieve the critical mass of exposure that you need to be successful.

Is per inquiry and guaranteed payout advertising only available for TV and radio?

Per inquiry and guaranteed payout advertising is most common to TV and radio, but it can be used in any advertising medium, including newspaper, magazine, direct mail, e-mail, outdoor, and Internet ads.

What are the biggest hurdles for an advertiser interested in a broadcast PI campaign?

Having the necessary profit margins in a product or service to allow financial success
Convincing stations/networks to test your product or service instead of continuing to run ads for known money-makers
Finding enough stations/networks where your product or service is profitable for both you and the media to sustain a continuous marketing campaign

What if we already have a commercial made? Can your company still help us get our spot on the air?

We can work with those who already have a spot produced. Ultimately, the stations or networks decide if they will accept the commercials, which in the case of direct response, per inquiry, or guaranteed payout ads, must meet both the production value requirements, station/network policy rules, and also appeal to the sales personnel who must accept the commercial for airing.

If you have a commercial that has already been produced but is untested with the media, it will probably be necessary to test your spot. As stated earlier, PI is not usually available for advertising tests.

What if we have a product but do not have a commercial made to sell it? Can your company help us get a commercial made?

Cypress Media Group, Inc. has over 28 years experience producing all forms of advertising commercials, including direct response TV and radio ads. Our company can either produce your ads or refer you to someone who can produce a spot.

What kinds of products or services is your company looking for to run as per inquiry advertising offers?

Cypress Media Group likes products and services that have a wide appeal. It has also been our experience that products/services that are popular nationally rather than regionally are the most successful with PI advertising. We strongly favor products and services that can be advertised and sold in both the US and Canada.

PI Media Overview

Contrarian Luddite — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 21:27:00 GMT

Per inquiry (PI) advertisng is also called cost per lead (CPL), pay per lead (PPL) or cost per action (CPA)- is a form of direct response marketing in which the advertiser can air his TV creative without paying in advance. Instead, he pays for the results.

Per Inquiry media requires the client to provide a call center that sends daily repoirting of calls and orders. Therefor, the client needs a call center - calls can't be answered by the client at home.

For more info please email info@omgconsulting.com

Need Per Inquiry Media?

Contrarian Luddite — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 21:22:00 GMT

Looking for Per Inquiry TV contacts? We can help.

Omega Marketing Group is a full service media agency with many years of solid TV, Radio and Print placement.

Contact us at info@omgconsultants.com and find out how you can utilize our large and growing network of radio, TV and print contacts to craete a successful paid or per inquiry media campaign.

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Your PI Solution- Omega Marketing Group, Inc

Contrarian Luddite — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 21:03:00 GMT

Omega Marketing Group offers clients expert assistance with paid media buying and per inquiry media placement.

Our PI team is built with team players who have solid media experience of 15 years to 20+ years each. We have built excellent relationships with our network of station contacts and are always looking for new station contacts to add to our group.

Our station contacts enjoy working with us as we have a solid reputation in the industry, provide them with professional reporting every week and pay them on time.

We bring our clients creatives to national and local station contacts. Our media contacts air the creatives as they have open time available. Proven, top producing creatives may receive more air time and stations are always eagerly awaiting our latest list of new creatives.

For more information regarding per inquiry please contact us info@omgconsultants.com

Thinking About Doing Per Inquiry?

Contrarian Luddite — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:48:00 GMT

Are you thinking about doing Per Inquiry advertising?

Omega Marketing Group, Inc. has years of direct response media experience and also per inquiry media experience. Our network of PI stations are always on the lookout for new creatives that pull a response. Recent favorites include:

Pet Products

Business Opportunities

Home Based Business

Vacation /Time Share offers

Health Insurance

IRS Tax Resolution

Education

Mortgage Loan Modification

Mortgage

Reverse Mortgage

Credit Counseling

Tort Litigation

Home Improvement

Auto Warranty

Debt Elimination

Medical Discount Programs

Our Per Inquiry media team is built with seasoned media industry experts with 15 to 20+ years each in the industry. We do not have "newbies" working on our PI campaigns.

For more information about PI and to see if your service or product would be accepted on a PI basis, contact us via info@omgconsultants.com

Need Leads Fast? Is Per Inquiry Your Best Choice?

Contrarian Luddite — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:29:00 GMT

We receive numerous calls every week from people asking if we do lead generation on a PI (per inquiry) basis.

The answer is yes - we are always looking for quality lead gen creatives that pull a response for our PI station network.

Education, tourism, legal, real estate, tax help, debt help, loan mod and more are frequently requested from our PI station contacts.

There are situations where PI may not be the best fit for your lead gen program.

If you need leads to start instantly- you should look at paid media as a supplement to your PI.

If you need leads in a specific market or not in all markets - PI may not be your best fit or it may work well as a supplement to paid media.

If you have a website address on your creative - PI most likely is not going to be an option unless you edit it out.

If you do not have a professional call center in place that is available 24/7 - PI is not an option for you.

If you do not have or are not willing to get multiple toll free numbers - PI is not an option for you.

If you cannot afford to pay out the going rate that stations are receiving for lead gen in your category - PI is not an option for you.

Per Inquiry is a great option but there are times when it is just not the best fit. For an evaluation of your creative to determine if per inquiry is an option please contact us via info@omgconsultants.com

Per Inquiry Media - Definition

Contrarian Luddite — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 19:23:00 GMT

Many people contact us after talking with other companies who claim to offer Per Inquiry media. Unfortunately there are many companies who claim they are offering per inquiry and are, in actuality, running paid media and paying the stations in advance just like a regular paid media campaign.

The client is asked to give them a deposit - which with PI a deposit is normal. However, in this case, the "deposit" is actually being used to buy time on stations and the agency is hoping to get the response needed to generate enough leads.

The agency may also insist upon doing a paid test. There is nothing wrong with testing a creative beforehand to see what response is achieved before taking it to per inquiry stations. In some cases, the creative may not be "PI worthy". If you are asked to do a paid test before PI can be considered, you may want to ask the agency just what percentage of these paid tests result in PI options? Also, exactly where are they testing your creative and why?

True PI (per inquiry) is when an agency has developed a strategic relationship with a TV or radio station and the station agrees to run a client's creative with no money up front. They gamble on the creative pulling a response.

The PI agency and the client agree upon how much will be received per call, per lead or per order. Per order offers are becoming far and few between unless the client has had a proven paid media campaign running and can provide data showing the creative is pulling sales at the volume needed to meet the station's requirement.

The PI agency should be able to tell you what the going payout rate range is for service creatives such as loan modification, debt settlement, legal and others. The per order payouts have a different calculation which your agency will help you determine.

PI stations are savvy. They are bombarded with PI offers daily and are not interested in "special partnerships" or arrangements.

They expect a PI agency to bring them a professionally done spot or long form (28:30) with a payout that meets or beats current campaigns they are running. A quality call center and daily results reporting is a must also. Trying to re-inevent the wheel is not an option with Per Inquiry.

Caution is a must as not every agency has the station contacts that allow them to work with stations on a true PI basis. You want to ensure that you have hired a true PI agency that has the contacts willing to take your creative and run it.

For more information regarding per inquiry or to submit your creative for consideration - please email info@omgconsultants.com

Omega Marketing Group, Inc. is an established Direct Response and Branding media agency. We have a solid team of PI experts on staff with 15 to 20+ years experience each. We place creatives for clients on a per inquiry basis.

Per Inquiry Media - Is It The Right Fit For You?

Contrarian Luddite — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 19:17:00 GMT

Per Inquiry Advertising is where the client pays for the response generated from media after it has ran instead of paying in advance for the media.

This may sound almost too good to be true to someone who may not have the funds available to run a media schedule and take the risk of media nor performing.

There is a lot more to Per Inquiry than just throwing a spot or infomercial at a bunch of stations and hoping they will run it on a PI basis.

A creative (spot or infomercial) needs to be done professionally. You get what you pay for and this is not the time to hire your next door neighbor's high school kid. You need a qualified professional who can create the spot or infomercial and ensure it will be acceptable not only to the FTC but also to the station. We have a list of qualified professionals who know exactly what is needed for PI creatives. Our clients have access to our production contacts if needed.

A call center is needed. Again, this is where professional is a must. You cannot answer the calls yourself nor hire a cut rate group. The call center must be staffed to handle call volume, open 24/7 - even on holidays, and provide quality reporting daily. We have call center contacts and call center consultants available to help clients determine which call center is the best fit for their needs.

The client will also need dubs (tapes) for the PI stations as well as toll free numbers to be placed on the dubs. We go over this subject with clients when discussing PI set up with them.

Stations expect to be paid per call or per lead. Occasionally our network of stations will accept a campaign on a per order basis. This is not for service creatives such as loan mod, tax help etc. but for actual products that are sold such as work out equipment, books, supplements and products such as these.

Stations are looking for creatives that will pull a response. PI is not, ever, a place to test a spot so one can save the money on a paid test.

Stations are not looking for partnerships or other unique payment options - they are looking for creatives that pull response and timely payments each week for the results. They also prefer to work with professionals who know and understand the PI arena and what is required to participate in per inquiry openings.

If you have a product or service that you would like to see is acceptable for our PI station network please contact us via info@omgconsultants.com

Per Inquiry Media

Contrarian Luddite — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 03:40:00 GMT

If you are looking for information and advice on a PI (per inquiry) media campaign, please read the articles below and contact us for a quick consultation.

We work directly with TV and radio stations (not through a broker) to bring clients and stations together. We've been buying media for over twenty years and buying direct response media for over fifteen years.

Over the years we have established great relationships with stations and a great PI system that makes it easy for you.

Many individuals in MLMs have contacted us as trying to place PI media is not an easy job. If you do a search for PI media you will find a hodge podge of information, a lot of it conflicting.

We work with individuals such as those in an MLM, those with a direct response infomercial and groups that want to create a media co-op.

We hope you find the information below about PI media informative.

Please contact us at info@omgconsultants.com if you would like to discuss PI or paid media options.

PI Media Versus Paid Media

Contrarian Luddite — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 03:26:00 GMT

One of the most common questions that we are asked is whether a client should do paid media, PI media or both.

With PI media - you need to keep in mind that your show or spot will run when and if the station wants to run it.

If you are using a call center with minimums, PI may not be ideal for you. We refer clients to a call center that works with PI clients as PI media requires a 24/7 call center with excellent reporting and staffing since they do not know when the calls will come in.

You or your call center will need to provide us with reporting daily so we can provide it to the stations.

If you need to move x amount of your product for week - we can predict the volume with a paid campaign. With a PI campaign, it depends on what inventory the station has open each week. In this case, PI media would not be a good option for you.

Payout per order or lead is another important factor. Stations are running your campaign and taking the risk. The compensation needs to be one that makes it worth their while.

If you need media in specific markets - PI media may not be the best vehicle for you. In this case, paid may be the best option.

If you absolutely need the media to run - for example, if you are advertising a seminar - PI is not the best choice. In that case, paid media is what is needed.

For information and a PI vs paid consultation - email us at info@omgconsultants.com

PI Media and Its Rapid Growth

Contrarian Luddite — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:32:00 GMT

Getting started with PI media can be overwhelming. Do a search for PI media and you will find many options, a lot of promises and some conflicting information including what is really PI.

The words "PI media" have become huge buzz words in 2008 and why not? More and more infomercials fail when they come out of the gate to test. Who wouldn't want a "safe" way to run media? Who wouldb't want to supplement their paid media with some per inquiry? the only people who wouldn't are those that have some sort of misunderstanding regarding per inquiry media.

As someone who has bought media for years, I will assure you that more often than not, you're paying way more for media than needed - many buyers are not negotiating the media as low as they should, if at all - they are paying stations full price or close to it.

We negotiate with stations to get clients the best media rates possible at all times - many buyers do not.

While you think this may help stations - after all aren't they then getting more money? They actually are losing as the media does not stay booked. The client can't make money on the full price media that was bought for him and he cancels. The station is then sitting on media and the client has a show that he thinks has failed. In my opinion, this has created even more unsold media than ever before.

In the past few months, we've watched PI media explode. "Everyone" is doing it. And in a situation like this - you don't know who knows what they are talking about and who does.

Some PI companies want to charge you $10k, $20K, or more to "test" the show to see if it is PI fit. Ideally, you should have a show that has ran and been tested but, in our opinion, not have to run the creative (again) with a PI agency as a condition to see if you "qualify" for their PI media selection.

In our PI world, things are definitely different - We contact stations that we have known for years, we contact new stations and quite often, stations contact us - wanting to know what new clients we have on board. The main thing is - we are in direct contact with people who work at the station. Why is this important? We want to get the most media for each client as possible so each client and each station makes as much money as possible from each airing.

We don't take money from a client, buy media and pass it off as PI - that is paid media. We offer paid media and we explain that it is just that paid media. We also offer PI and it is just that - per inquiry media. media that is available from stations and you pay them per call or lead generated.

TV and radio stations that we work with know that we bring ethical, quality long form (infomercials) and short form (spots) to them for consideration. They also know that our clients pay them promptly for every lead or order generated. They also know we provide the perfect reporting, in a format they can use and we are available to go over the reporting - even on weekends.

Is PI media a good option for you? Maybe. If you have a quality product and are willing to pay stations a fair amount promptly for sales or leads, then most likely we will present you to stations in our network. You will also have to have a way to track calls and orders so the stations can see how the product is performing on their station.

To schedule a quick consultation to see if your product is PI viable - just send us an email info@omgconsultants.com Please include your contact info, basic info about your product including selling price, a web site link and confirm if you have a call center in place for reporting. (If you do not have a call center yet - we have an excellent low cost call center contact that we can discuss with you as an option.)

What is PI Media?

Contrarian Luddite — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:11:00 GMT

We receive calls and emails daily regarding PI media. This article was written by Randy Whatley who is a business associate and will explain PI media and how it works.

Don't be fooled by the scam deals where people say spend $20k or whatever the amount and then they will get you PI.

Randy and I have been working on PI for years - we have the established contacts to get the PI media for you - fast and easy.

Some agencies use brokers (like us) to get the media for clients, like you. You would never know this when you contact someone to get PI media. The one difference is - we have contacts directly with the stations. This makes a big diference in PI media avails and in working to get your product PI advertising.

Read this article and then contact Randy info@cypressmedia.net or Diana info@omgconsultants.com and we will walk you through the process and get you started!

By Randall P. Whatley