Monday Motivation | 3

#mondaymotivation

Good Design Principles Meet Durable Medical Equipment

Today I was reading about Dieter Rams: a legendary industrial designer who has inspired countless creative professionals. Though his body of work focuses mainly on consumer electronics, his messages of functionality, organization and simplicity certainly apply to modern day branding and customer service in the HME world.  Take a look at Dieter's 10 Principles for Good Design above. Now replace the words "good design" with "a successful DME provider." Kind of makes sense doesn't it? Get more inspiration from Dieter; read his speech here.

Spring Has Sprung

 I have a confession: Once the New Year is celebrated, I could do without snow again until December. 

From about January to March, the wake-up light that simulates daylight on dark, cold Michigan mornings is my best friend – which is why I love today. Today is a sure sign that warmer temps, sunshine, backyard BBQs and camping trips to Northern Michigan are not far behind!

Signs of Spring: buds on my cherry tree, daffodils on my desk, tennis courts calling my name!

It's the First Day of Spring... also called the Vernal Equinox; "vernal" means "spring" and "equinox" means "equal night." The date notes when there are equal hours of light and dark in one day. (The other Equinox happens in September and marks the first day of autumn.) Did you also know:

• If you were standing on the equator during either the vernal or autumnal equinox, you would see the sun pass directly overhead, the only two times in the year when that is true.
• The two equinoxes are also the only times during the year when the sun rises due east and sets due west. 
• In spring, the Earth’s axis is tilted toward the sun, increasing the number of daylight hours and bringing warmer weather that causes plants to bring forth new growth.

So what are your plans with a few extra hours of daylight?

Celebrate the New Year with a... Marketing Calendar?

I get the impression that most people view marketing plans as something they know they are supposed to have but probably gets pushed aside until very last minute... or until never. I'm willing to bet that most small businesses don't have have one that they actually use.
(If your company still doesn't have a working marketing plan, please send me an email. I will send you an easy, 5-step guide for creating a marketing plan!)


Today, I'd like to focus on a very under-used part of a marketing plan: the marketing calendar. Even if you're still struggling with the details of your marketing plan, a marketing calendar can help you turn talk into action.


Start by gathering your marketing team to talk about what you need to accomplish in the upcoming year and be sure to include talk about how your year is structured. For example, we know that patient deductibles are renewed in January and (usually) met by December, which means Q4 is a great time to focus on accessories and follow up with patients. We know holidays like Mother's Day, Father's Day and Grandparent's Day are great times for gift giving and may be a good time to target cash sales to caregivers/families. Also think about how your company operates: are there times of the year when certain products sell more? Are there any big events taking place this year that may require marketing? Take advantage of that information in your marketing!


Once this discussion gets going and ideas are flowing, start plugging details into the calendar. Put the important and non-flexible dates in first so you can work around them. Be sure to note holidays, marketing themes, product focuses and sales. List the marketing materials you will need, including how much production time you will need to execute them. (For example, if you are running an ad in the newspaper be sure to find out when the ad is due to the publication and how much time you need to put it together.) This will be a living document for you to use as a tool - don't be afraid to move things around and change your mind a few times in the process!


Your marketing calendar can be nothing more than a theme for each month or detailed enough to contain the whole year's media buy. The important part is to include enough information to keep your team on task and make sure it keeps you on top of your marketing. And if you have any questions, call me: 248.227.6930

Element #4 - Don't Get Bullied By Your Budget

It's the six-letter word that can feel like a four-letter word: BUDGET! Planning a marketing budget can be difficult, especially if you're just getting your feet wet. But don't let your budget bully you into making poor strategy decisions for your marketing plan. Below are a few tips to help you be boss of your budget:

1. Set a budget early in the process. Once you start spending money on marketing, it's easy for expenses to snowball. Make sure you (and your team) are on the same page about your budget. Is it annual? Quarterly? Is it solely for marketing costs? Who approves expenses?

2. Shop around. Once you have an overall budget in mind, it's important to research the cost of materials. (You may want to do with while creating your initial budget figure...) Remember that design, printing and advertising costs will vary greatly. Keep in mind that many of the vendors you work with for your marketing materials could have extra fees for revisions, design work or proofreading. Try to contact at least 3 vendors for each new project to compare pricing and services.

3. Your budget is not too small. Don't get me wrong... there will be times when your budget will limit what you can do, however, doing zero marketing because of a small budget is no excuse! From social media to online printing, technology has been great for marketing; it means you have many tools available with cost-effective solutions. Don't let your budget keep you from greatness.

4. Ask a lot of questions. Marketing is a very diverse and creative field which means there are a lot of ways to do the "right" thing for your business. If you have questions, ask. There are no dumb questions! VGM is a great resource and, as always, you can contact Anna at Laboratory Marketing.

The Devil in the Details: Keep Marketing Pieces Focused

"I don't have a lot of money to advertise so I'm just sending out this one flyer."

"That's ok," I replied to this small business owner, "What are you trying to accomplish with this flyer?"

It seems like a simple question with a simple answer: get more business! Yes... and no. 'Yes' because growing your business is the entire point of marketing in the first place. 'No' because "getting more business" is much too general for the outlined goal of a specific marketing piece. Let's use football as an example. Much like each play on the field is part of a strategy to win the game, each marketing piece is a tool to reach your marketing goals. One play won't accomplish enough to win an entire game. One flyer won't communicate everything about your business at once.

Though it is tempting to "get more bang for your buck" by cramming every piece of information possible onto the postcard or flyer you are sending out, the reality is that a cluttered or unclear marketing piece can fizzle out fast. Remember that you are trying to carefully lead people to your business, not ambush them! When it is time for you to develop a new marketing piece it is important to define its purpose:

1. Who will be receiving this?

2. How will they be reading it? (email, in your office, online, mailed to their home?)

3. What do you want them to do with it?

Questions 1 and 2 are easy. Question 3 requires a bit more effort. The best rule of thumb is to decide on a singular purpose for the marketing piece. The are 4 basic categories I recommend using for HME or Home Care companies:

- Brand Awareness: Who you are, What you do, What sets you apart

- Promotional: Sale, Raffle, New Patient Offer

- Event Planning: Grand Opening, Open House, Fundraiser

- Educational: Condition Specific Products, Product Awareness, Accessories

Putting out more focused marketing pieces will provide more effective communication to customers as well as force your marketing team to be clear about their goals. If you need some help jump-starting your marketing materials or have some questions about streamlining, please let me know! I'm always happy to talk with you...