The easiest (and most effective) Medicare marketing practice? Staying in touch!
Last week I wrote that referrals maximize your hard-earned Medicare book of business and shared just five of the best ways to stay in touch with your clients as part of your Medicare marketing. This week I’m sharing five more tips that should get you thinking about marketing your Medicare business the way big companies think about their campaigns.
Why do you think big companies spend millions of dollars on TV commercials, newspaper inserts and other promotions? They know that building a successful brand requires a consistent approach to reaching consumers. In our world of information overload, you may not notice most of the ads on the sides of your favorite web sites, print magazine pages or even the ads before the latest viral YouTube video, but some of them are bound to capture your attention. My wife just bought a 20 oz. Coke simply because it had my name on the bottle — part of Coca-Cola’s instantly effective Share A Coke campaign.
Balancing innovation with consistency in messaging is vital to any brand’s success, and that includes your senior insurance business. Having a great product for sale is only a beginning — you have to reach out to consumers with advertising to succeed. It also takes continuous messaging to enter consumers’ consciousness. What if a big brand like Coca-Cola stopped its marketing efforts after the first try? It would have wasted precious time, energy and money. So will you if you don’t commit to marketing your Medicare business!
It’s possible your clients have forgotten you just three weeks after giving you apple pie and ice cream at the kitchen table when you went over Medicare Supplements with them. It’s much more likely they have forgotten about you if the last time you contacted them was your initial appointment last AEP. That’s why you have to conduct your business like the big corporations do — stay in touch!
Think of your business, your products and your clients. What types of ongoing communications yield greater client satisfaction, repeat business and referrals? Here are the next five in My top 10 ways to stay in touch with clients:
7. Connect with social media. OK, so your clients probably shouldn’t be adding you as a friend on Facebook, but they can follow your business and “Like” it. There When used effectively, social media can help you reach clients in innovative new ways. Of course, make sure to keep these outreaches strictly business!
8. Video messages. YouTube, Vimeo and other services make it possible for anyone to present relevant information to a worldwide audience. You can make a message or series of messages that provide greater insight into your products and your services. You can even create your own channel that your clients can watch and refer people to. I know a life insurance agent that does short, information-packed videos to teach his clients about the different forms of insurance. This establishes his credibility and allows new clients a way to get to know him prior to calling.
9. Send emails. We all get more emails than we can read each day. You could use form emails to send to your entire client base through a CRM, but a personal email is more effective. You could send a “thinking of you” email that contains an interesting article. You can also send new product information that attaches all the company bells and whistles to make it compelling and interesting.
10. Conduct a survey. Do you really want to know what your clients think or what they want? You should, because that’s the key to determining how to get them to buy more or refer more people to you. Several online survey platforms like Survey Monkey will allow you to send a simple, short survey and even offer an incentive for their feedback.
As you stay in contact with your clients, not everything you do will be a hit. Some things will miss. What matters is being consistent and being motivated to serve. The effort is worth it, so stay in touch!
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