Whether or not you have a role in the durable medical equipment (DME) industry, the question begs to be asked: “Why aren’t more medical equipment companies considering direct-to-consumer sales using multiple media channels?
While it’s hard to point at one definite reason, many DME companies today have yet to explore D2C sales or the benefits of omni-channel marketing because of some major misconceptions about their effectiveness and manageability.
As the company that not only reinvented the walking cane but made it the No. 1 selling cane in America (learn about the HurryCane story), Marketing Architects is in no better position to address some of those misunderstandings:
“Print is the ONLY media channel to sell medical equipment.”
Newspaper ads, catalogues, direct mail…these are all types of print collateral you might have used to market your medical devices. If so, has it increased your sales? Likely. Is it the only way—or the best way—to drive sales? No.
During our development and marketing endeavors with the HurryCane, Marketing Architects found that by leveraging our proprietary TV and radio networks, we were able to reach more audiences.
“Senior customers don’t use the Internet to make purchases.”
Don’t underestimate seniors’ technology savvy! We discovered that our older target demographic was actually going online to make purchases, with 80 percent of sales attributed from the web versus only 20 percent in call response. This information was key in optimizing our media strategy and helped us make a 100 percent CPO improvement!
“Omni-channel marketing doesn’t apply to the DME industry.”
As we learned with our HurryCane customers, omni-channel marketing is, in fact, very applicable to medical equipment business. All customers want a great product experience, from learning about the medical device they are considering purchasing all the way to when they place their orders.
By reaching out to potential customers through multiple media channels and offering them a consistent marketing message throughout, you’re clearing the path for a smooth sales experience.
“It’s too expensive to market medical devices on radio or TV.”
This isn’t necessarily true. Yes, the cost of radio and TV production is typically expensive, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up on testing your medical device on those media channels.
At Marketing Architects, we cover the cost of creative production for our clients, not just during the testing phase—all the way through the life of your campaign. That means you’ll not only get to test different creative ideas for marketing your product, but you’ll also have the opportunity to see how omni-channel marketing can benefit your bottom line. Offering your customers a seamless product and purchasing experience will only help your growth.
“DME customers want sensible, practical, no-frills products.”
Wrong—sort of. People buying medical devices do want practical products that will solve their problems and help them live better, but they also want to feel alive while they’re using the products. Often DME companies don’t take into consideration how their products can inspire and invigorate their customers.
A lot of factors played into the immense success of the HurryCane, but one of the key elements that truly set it apart was our ability to show our customers that it wasn’t just a cane, it was a genuine chance at being mobile again—a new lease on life. Omni-channel marketing can help you spread your product’s inspirational message.
“Branding doesn’t matter with medical devices.”
You might be thinking this because, well, it seems true. However, it’s not that branding doesn’t matter, it’s that very few DME companies actually invest in branding. This fact definitely played a role in the success of the HurryCane. We invested in building a brand for our cane and it paid off; HurryCane is the only recognizable cane brand based on two unaided recall studies over the last three years.
This may be one of your greatest opportunities.
Are you excited to learn more about how omni-channel marketing could boost your DME sales? Marketing Architects would be happy to help you figure it out. Contact us today!
