Solutions Marketing Group

Providing clients with innovative strategies that position them to understand, penetrate and retain the disability market.

Archives for February 2015

SMG Tip: Communicate Authentically

Companies that are champions of multicultural marketing do their homework to understand how to create resonant messaging that inspires consumers to respond by liking a page on social media or purchasing products in the store or online. Their ads tell consumers how the products can be a solution for avoiding pain or deriving pleasure. Messaging to people with disabilities and their families is no different.

In order to effectively connect with consumers with disabilities and their families, what’s conveyed must be clear, inclusive and highlight relevant feature that address barriers. Most importantly, it must be honest and authentic, as consumers are very discerning at identifying companies that lack a sincere commitment to the market. SMG’s clients, that have been the most successful, have used our recommended approach to developing messaging:

  1. Interest/Inspirational – This creative approach is intended to leverage emotions and generally strongly appeals to the general market.
  2. Integrated – Includes messaging that integrates the individual with a disability as just one of the employees/friends/family members. They aren’t ‘special’ or patronized in any manner.
  3. Feature Focused – This approach to creating messaging highlights valuable features that may appeal to the market. Many of SMG’s clients utilize this approach.

Within the past 2 years there’s been a rising trend to include disability themes in commercials, digital and social media, fashion and in print. Follow the leadership of Duracell, who featured Derrick Coleman of the Seattle Seahawks, the first Deaf player in the NFL who was Super Bowl bound. Guinness Beer’s commercial that included a group of able-bodied athletic men playing wheelchair basketball with their friend who used a wheelchair full-time, received millions of YouTube views and critical acclaim. Retail giant, JC Penney included mannequins that were taken from actual molds of people with disabilities as part of its ‘When it fits, you feel it campaign.’ The company received acclaim from the mainstream and fashion media for being inclusive. The key to success is allowing your brand’s essence to connect with the market.

If you are interested in learning how to communicate your company’s commitment to the disability market in an authentic way, leading to building a strong relationship with consumers, contact the Solutions Marketing Group at info@disability-marketing.com.

SMG Tip: Retaining the Disability Market

Has your company outlined and initiated a formal customer retention strategy for consumers with disabilities?

In a study by Harvard Business School, it was found that increasing customer retention by even 5% can increase profits between 25-95%. And yet…Forrester found that 70% of CMOs did not list retention as a top priority.

There are very few general market companies, that have developed a robust customer retention strategy for the disability market.   That provides an amazing opportunity to make the competition irrelevant and opens a clear path to develop one.

SMG offers the following customer retention strategies that will be a game changer for boosting sales, loyalty and brand equity.

  1. Tell: Companies that are seriously targeting consumers with disabilities tell their story. They weave together the different lines of business – HR, facilities, technology, compliance, product and services, corporate giving, marketing, and advertising around senior level commitment and share their achievements. And, they don’t share this one time during National Disability Employment Awareness Month, but throughout the year and in various forum. Our most successful clients have developed an integrated strategy that showcases the business impact of the disability market.
  2. Capture: In our research, consumers with disabilities have indicated they are willing to provide contact information with a company if they know it will enhance customer service. They’ve also indicated that they want their information to only be used by the company they’ve provided it to.   It’s best to capture contact information at events, inbound/outbound call centers, or on a customer review site. Capturing this information provides your company with a cost-effective and efficient way to target consumers with disabilities. This platform will allow you to obtain feedback, announce special offers or events.
  3. Touch: People with disabilities respond well to companies that consistently reach them. Direct mail, targeted emails with special offers, follow up calls after a purchase, blogs, social media, at events or value-added information, resonant messaging, and exceptional customer service gets their attention. Frequent ‘touches’ not only demonstrate commitment, it keeps your company top of mind.
  4. Research: Lastly, we recommend that research should also be completed at the beginning and end of a project to inform how to best attract customers, why they are buying, and to understand why they are leaving.

If you’re interested in learning more about developing customer retention strategies for the disability market, contact Celeste Beaty at cbeaty@disability-marketing.com.