Keep Advertising in a slow economy

SO the obvious topic on most people's minds as we hit the halfway pooint of 2010 is STILL the poor econmy. And while it does show signs of recovery small business are still struggling and the weak ones are being weeded out as we speak. I have talked in the past about the importance of advertising to people with disabilities and the buying peotential that this market has. Unfortunatley in a slow economy the first thing that businesses often do is cut their adveritsing budget. I can tell you from experience that the businesses that continue to advertise or even increase thier advertising budgets are the ones that come out on top when the econmy bounces back. So get your ad budget in order and make sure to include people with disaiblities in those ads too!
Questions about advtertising to people with disabilities? Email me at craigkennedy@ckconsultingonline.com anytime!

Continental Airlines Leads way for Customers with Disabilities

With several airline companies still struggling to stay afloat and desparately trying to figure out ways to save money, Continental Airlines has learned the value of marketing to customers with disabilities and is considered the leader in today's disability market. The reason for this is the recent creation of the Customers with Disabilities Advisory Board (CDAB). In 2008, with the help and dedication of Bill Burnell, the manager of Customer First & Regulatory Programs for Continental Arlines in Houston, the CDAB was born with a goal of improving the overall airport/airline expereince for its guests with disabilities. By taking better care of these special needs travelers and catering to thier needs, Continental hopes to attract more of these cutomers. The CDAB has met three times since its inception and has already made great progress, attracting the interest and praise of airport managers, airline administrators, and federal agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The entire board, made up of people with a variety of disabilities from vision impairment to paraplegia, is excited about the future of airline travel and the prgress made at Continental. With any luck, other airlines will follow suit in the near future. And with Continental, now the top rated airline in customer service for people with disabilities, leading the way, they hope to see the progress spread thorughout the entire airline industry.

Brag About Your Access

So we have talked about a lot of things pertaining to people with disabilities and marketing to PWD, but we have not talked about businesses that are already accessibile and maybe are not seeing the benfit of it. The number one reason for this to happen is because people will spend a lot of time and money on being sure they are up to code but then they don't tell anyone. If your business is accessible or you have recently made the effort to be accessible, the first thing you should do is start bragging about your great access. IF you donlt tell anyone, how will they know? You can even start advertising as such. It's as simple as adding a wheelchair symbol or a few extra words to your current print advertising. Remember that PWD spend about $35 billion annually on dining out.

For more on how to market to people with disabilities contact me anytime (970) 846-9859
craigkennedy@ckconsultingonline.com

Consumers with Disabilities - Did you know?

So i have given you a lot of information on how and why to market to people with disabilities over the past fewe months and i would just like to remind everyone a few important things about this consumer market that is the fastest growing and largest untapped consumer makret in the world today.

1. People with Disabilities (PWD) spend $35 billion annually dining out and dine out at least once per week
2. PWD (55 million in the US) are very brand loyal customers
3. 69% of adults with disabilities (21+ million people) have traveled at least once in the past two years
4. PWD = over 18% of our population. That's 5% more than our Hispanic population which is our largest ethnic, racial, or minority group
5. The total travel market in the United States amounts to more than $1.2 trillion. PWD spend $13.6 billion per year on travel. That's almost 10% of the entire travle industry!

If you already know these things and are not marketing to PWD we need to talk!

CK Consulting offers a FREE accessibility quiz, affordable accessibility planning & ADA Inspections, and disability marketing development http://www.ckconsultingonline.com

Website Accessibility

Today i want to talk about Website Accessibility and why it is good business to be accessible. But first, there are a few important statistics out there about people with disabilities and the internet that I would like to share with you all:

1. People with Disabilities purchase 95% of their goods and services ONLINE!
2. 4 out of 10 people with disabilities spend an average of 20 hours per week conducting business online
3. Even people who cannot move their arms or legs and are paralysed from the neck down can operate a computer

With that said, let's think about Website Accessibility. When i ask you if your Web site is accessible to people with disabilities, I am asking two different types of questions.

1. Can a blind person or someone with low vision use your site? An accessible site will offer larger font options and will work hand in hand with a screen reader program. This type of program allows a blind person to hear what is on the page in front of them.
2. If your business is accessible and you have information about your building's access (ramps, parking, wide doors, etc...) online, is this information easy to find?

And what do you do about this if you answered "no" to these questions? The first thing to do is tell your Web master that you want to make your site accessible to blind people. They will know what to do. And then you should create a separate page with all of your access information and create an icon (the universal blue/white wheelchair symbol works great) on your main page that people can click on that takes them directly there. Too often this information is buried somewhere in the sight and people will often leave your site frustrated before they even find it.

Top Ten Ways to Market to People with Disabilities

10. The disability community, although considered a very tight knit group of consumers (yeah, we are like one big family), is very diverse. Always be sure that your new product ideas, accommodations, and marketing efforts reflect the diverse needs of the disability community. Don't assume that one modification will work for everyone.

To get started on your new marketing plan or to get a closer look at how to more accessible, while attracting more business, please email me at craigkennedy@ckconsulitngonline.com or visit me at www.ckconsultingonline.com

Top Ten Ways to Market to People with Disabilities

9. Reach out to customers with disabilities through main stream advertising. One in five people in the United States has a disability. And their "Entourage" is ever bigger. The Entourage is made up of friends, family members, souses, care givers, and even acquaintences. These people support disability issues and are sensitive to the needs to people with disabilites in general. Every time a member of the Entourage sees an opportunity for the person they know with a disability, they tell them about it. It's that simple! For more information on the Entourage and how you can tap into this market, email me at craigkennedy@ckconsultingonline.com