Good marketing is essential for the success of any business and selling health insurance is no different. If you own a Medicare business and you are looking to grow and expand and reach the thousands of people who become eligible for Medicare every day, then you need to be using marketing to your advantage so that you can speak directly to prospective and current Medicare enrollees.
You have probably noticed in your Medicare agency that you are required to abide by a number of rules and regulations that have been set forth by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This is an extremely important detail to keep in mind.
Have An Impressive Website
You may think that the older generation may be more interested in direct mailings rather than a website or digital outreach, but a lot of them have family members, especially grandkids, who have been helping them to use the Internet during the pandemic. So there’s actually a larger amount of older people now, more than ever, who are able to access a website and get more information on their own.
You can use targeted keywords to generate more traffic to your website, which can also feature videos and blogs (more on that below). Another great reason for having a website is that you can ask visitors to sign up for your email list to receive more information.
Send Mailers
Mailings are a great way to send out approved materials that can help you grow your business and help people get the health insurance that they need. In mailings, you can include information about Medicare and the different types of plans available.
Host an Educational Event
Before March 2020, planning a sales or educational event required a lot of strategic work, but these days you have the option of holding an event virtually. Two of the benefits of holding an event virtually are that you can reach more people who will be happy to tune in from home, and you will be able to reach those who were not able to attend your event when it was live, but can watch it later if it is saved on a social media page or your own website.
Whether you are holding a live event or a virtual event, it is still important that you understand that there are two types: formal and informal Medicare sales events. At formal Medicare sales events, an agent will present specific plan information to the audience, who has been invited. An informal sales event, on the contrary, is when a Medicare agent receives your information only by request when you approach their booth or table, for example, or their kiosk.
Stay Compliant
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issues guidelines and rules on marketing and communications for all Medicare — Medicaid plans including:
- Medicare Advantage
- Medicare Prescription Drug plans
- All original Medicare
Blogging And Videos
Let’s face it: some people just don’t want to read a bunch of text on a website, especially when misunderstanding that text could lead to applying for the wrong plan or at the wrong time. Health insurance is rather complicated for the general public. Watching a video where a person is clearly breaking down the different plans, what the different eligibility requirements are, and answering commonly asked questions is often easier for your prospective enrollees. You can use graphics and text, in combination with actors to convey information clearly and effectively, within five minutes!
Blogs can go into much more detail about special topics that may affect prospective enrollees or current beneficiaries. A blog is a great place to talk about updates to Medicare as they happen, and any changes to the law that are important for them to know. A blog is also a great place to elaborate on common confusing aspects of signing up for health insurance or to address commonly asked questions in thorough detail. When visitors to your blog see how much knowledge you have, they will be impressed and want to come back to your website.
What Not To Do
In addition to staying up-to-date with compliance measures, there are some other things that you should avoid doing. It’s important to know what words you are not allowed to use that could possibly make prospective or current enrollees believe that you are endorsed by Medicare or any government agency. You could face serious consequences that negatively affect your business, or shut it down.
The rules forbid you from sending marketing materials that are advertising the Medicare Open Enrollment Period, or the ability to switch your plan during that time period.
Working With A Professional Medicare Marketing Company
It’s enough work to manage your own Medicare business, so some business owners choose to work with a digital advertising firm that specializes in Medicare Supplement Leads. They will generate leads for you based on the people in your area who may be eligible for Medicare, and take the marketing effort off of you so you can focus on running your business.
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