Providing clients with innovative strategies that position them to understand, penetrate and retain the disability market.
Companies tend to fall into 3 categories when it comes to disability inclusion:
Which category does YOUR company fit in? Watch this video if you want to learn more about how your company can be a ROCK STAR inclusion company.
Download the Just Start Disability Inclusion Discussion Guide
Marketing brings clarity for all customers to hear:
Marketing, when done well, transfers anticipation and enthusiasm to the customer to try a new product or service. Expecting customers to get excited without your brand’s help is expecting a lot. When it comes to disability inclusion, many brands seem satisfied being compliant or checking boxes, rather than focusing on outcomes – increased sales and employment.
If your organization takes steps to create disability inclusive marketing, it’s imperative to communicate two things: 1) Show other customers making the leap; and, 2) Take care to approach different verticals.
Communicate, using social proof or testimonials, outlining the positive impact a product or service has had in the lives of people with disabilities when a purchase has been made. Testimonials are most effective when the journey from before to after is shared.
Customers with disabilities, and their influencers, have different issues, concerns and preferences. It’s really important to understand the distinctions of each. A parent of a child with autism or cerebral palsy may prefer a brand of clothing that doesn’t have tags or seams because they’re an irritant for their child. A person who is Deaf may prefer a specific smartphone because of a text plan, or the quality of the video. A wheelchair user may prefer a specific hotel brand because of the accessibility features in the rooms. Change isn’t the same with each vertical, so you can’t communicate with them the same way. But to start you must understand the preferences of target audiences.
The first step to meaningful disability inclusive marketing is recognizing why it can be difficult for this segment of consumers to change, from what they’ve had experience with, to something new. The second step is knowing that even the most innovative product or service won’t sell itself without the right messaging. You can influence perception by sharing the world of a person with a disability before your product or service, and their world after.
Many organizations have mastered marketing, advertising, customer experience and employment for multicultural segments, but don’t demonstrate high-level insight and expertise that effectively reaches people with disabilities, their families and friends. It is mind-boggling that a market of 56 million people, with over $1 billion in disposable income to spend, isn’t a priority for most organizations.
In the past, executives have shared reasons they’ve not taking a deeper dive to understand, penetrate and retain the market. Any of these sound familiar?
If this sounds like conversations you’ve had, I’d like to talk with you about closing the gaps.
May 9 – 11, 2017, I’m offering 30-minute Disability Market Consultation Calls (DMCC) to discuss and/or answer questions you and your colleagues have about effectively employing, marketing to, or providing an exceptional customer experience to the disability market. My goal is to provide value and actionable steps your organization can implement. And, did I mention there is no cost?
On previous DMCC, I’ve shared insights on a wide variety of topics, ranging from:
This offer is for large and small businesses, as well as non-profits and government agencies. DMCC are no cost to you, and scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign up for your call today! If you have questions, contact Celeste Beaty at cbeaty@disability-marketing.com. I look forward to speaking with you soon!
Warm best,
Carmen
Carmen Daniels Jones
President/CEO
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Companies that successfully reach consumers with disabilities understand it requires commitment, discipline and strategy. The truth is there’s such a barren landscape of companies speaking to them directly, that any company serious about penetrating the market has the opportunity to make the competition irrelevant. These disability inclusive companies know that moving beyond understanding to market penetration requires a well-developed game plan. A few things to consider as your organization takes actionable steps to engage people with disabilities, their families, and influencers are:
If you are interested in developing an year-round, inclusive marketing and outreach game plan for your organization, get in touch to request your free 30-minute consultation.
The reason many organizations indicate why they aren’t targeting consumers with disabilities is because of ‘limited budgets’. Can you imagine if that were said of the African-American, Hispanic, LGBTQ or Tween markets? It’s almost unimaginable for a company to not target these markets, representing millions of dollars spent by countless consumers.
Why hasn’t this same attention been placed on the disability market? There are 56M people in the United States with disabilities, with aggregate disposable income of $544B. It begs the question – why aren’t more companies targeting them as guests, customers and employees?
This week’s video will provide direction and clarity to help learn how you and your team can integrate people with disabilities into your 2017 plans.
Download the Just Start Disability Inclusion Discussion Guide