The ABCs of Marketing ADLs

• By Nikolay Voutchkov, Melissa Jackson
• Apr 01, 2003

The aids to daily living market is a broad market with new products frequently added to the mix. From a special bowl with a lip to prevent spills, to voice-activated light switches, aids to daily living products help people with physical limitations lead independent lives. Products are designed to help people have more comfort, safety and ease while participating in typical daily activities. The following tips will help home medical equipment providers (HMEs) and manufacturers to more effectively market and sell aids to daily living products in their stores.

1. Send Newsletters to Referral Sources

One of the challenges of this market is consumer awareness. With such a variety of products that fall under the umbrella of aids to daily living, making potential customers aware that these products exist is step number one. Many of the products are unique and consumer awareness may be low. An effective way to improve consumer awareness is to send newsletters to referral sources. Let your referral sources know of new product introductions and how these products can assist their patients. Send your newsletter to referral sources explaining your products to nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, hospitals or assisted living facilities for exposure. Include personal stories in the newsletter from satisfied customers. In addition to newsletters, product brochures or fliers are additional marketing tools that your referral sources can use.

2. Send Out Samples of Your Products

In addition to product literature, sending a free sample of your product to referral sources allows that contact to test your product first hand. Having a product in hand and understanding its usage and benefits, is more likely to leave a lasting impression in the hands of a referral source than product literature alone. Referral sources also can use they products to demonstrate their effectiveness and usefulness to your potential customers.

3. Make Products and Product Displays Look Fun

Aids to daily living products are innovative such as a frozen gel pack for headaches; a portable handle that helps people get in and out of their vehicles; an adjustable book holder; a dinner tray with a cushioned-bottom to conform to your lap; and a sunlight lamp to assist users in waking up. Use photos of people using the products as a display or have products out of the packaging so customers can test out the product in your store. Since many aids to daily living products fall into categories such as bathroom products or kitchen aids, arrange a part of your store to have a room theme and display those products as they would be used in that room. For example, kitchen display with trays, non-spill cups and special easy to hold spoons can showcase kitchen aids to daily living items in a fun way.

4. Participate in Trade Shows

For manufacturers of aids to daily living products, participation in trade shows is a marketing opportunity that should not be missed. Products should be showcased at trade shows to make more HMEs aware of their product line. Trade shows are ideal for new product introductions, effective marketing and for selling products. National shows like Medtrade put more than 20,000 HMEs in front of your product line in a two or three-day timeframe. This concentrated selling and marketing opportunity should not be missed. In addition, your company will be listed in Medtrade literature as well as on its Web site, more ways to increase your exposure.

5. Get to Know Your Customers

By taking the time to get to know each customer and understanding what a typical day is like in their life, you can more effectively recommend and sell products to that customer. With knowledge of a customer's needs, you can inform that customer of the types of products that would provide assistance on a day-to-day basis. Just listening to your customers talk about the limitations or difficulties they may have in their daily routines, may lead you to recommend a particular product to that customer. The customer is also more likely to come back knowing the personal service that he or she received.

6. Educate Sales People to Market Add-on Items

Every customer that walks into your store is a potential sales opportunity for add-on items. A customer may come in looking for a special commode chair with handles, and you can recommend bed rails for support in getting in and out of bed. A customer who may need assistive dining devices may benefit from a special non-slip table mat, and a customer who needs a reacher to retrieve items high up or too low, may benefit from voice-activated products. Knowing your customers and their limitations is the most effective way to sell add-on items. Some customers may not be looking for an aid to daily living product at all, but if they are in need of a wheelchair, there may be several aids to daily living products that could assist them as well.

7. Sponsor a Health Fair

To generate more business at a local level, coordinate a health fair in your area. With effective publicity through direct mail or small advertisements in a local newspaper, you will increase your visibility at a local level.

8. Know the Companies Who Make ADLs

Some of the companies in the industry include: 6 Ideas Inc., American Occupational Therapy Association, Anew, Apothecary Products Inc., Arcoa Industries Inc., Barrier Free Lifts Inc., Becker Solutions Inc., Complete Medical Supplies Inc., Dana Douglas Inc., Danmar Products Inc., Dedicated Distribution Inc., Duro Med Industries, Guan Hong Enterprise Company Ltd., HealthCraft Products Inc., Homecare Products Inc., Independent Needs Centre, Interact Plus, Izumi Products Company, James Consolidated Inc., Kinsman Enterprises Inc., Links Medical Products Inc., Maddak Inc., Marpac Corp., McKesson Corp., Milliken Medical, Morfam Inc., Multi-Reach Inc., Otto Bock Health Care, Parsons ADL Inc., Power Access Corp., Principle Business Enterprises Inc., Reha Partner GMBH, Rehab Innovation Srl, Richard Wagner Health International, Royal Flush, Sammons Preston/Roylan, Sport Seats International, Sportime International, Sunrise Medical, Surehands Lift & Care Systems, TDH Company, Therafin Corp., Unicare Medical Inc., VOS Systems Inc. and Wheelchairs of Kansas.

9. Use the World Wide Web

The immediacy and effectiveness of the Internet is without question. You can use the Web to market directly to your customers and make them aware of your product line. Additionally, you can ask that your referral sources establish a link from their Web site to yours. Establishing such links will allow you to reach more people quickly and at low cost. In addition, the Internet is an excellent marketing venue for a start-up company.

10. Advertise in Trade Publications

Like trade shows, trade publications put you in front of the exact people you are trying to reach. In addition to paid advertising, many publications will run press releases of your products free of charge. Send press releases of any new product introductions to the editorial staff of trade publications and obtain an editorial calendar to find out when that publication will be running the types of products that you offer. Having high resolution photos of your products available for the editors to use in their trade show publications.

The aids to daily living market is undoubtedly growing. With baby boomers, a longer life expectancy and more people wanting to remain at home, there is a definite need for products that assist in independence and improve quality of life.

This article originally appeared in the April 2003 issue of HME Business.