Marketing is one of the most challenging aspects of the healthcare industry as insurance providers and
health care providers both struggle to distinguish themselves from the competition and advertise their
products and services to the right target audience. Because this matter has to do with the health and
well-being of people including their personal privacy and information, oftentimes there are restrictions
that make marketing even more difficult in this industry.
For many the biggest challenge of marketing for new clients who are seeking health insurance is to get
people to sign up throughout the year, rather than just at the end of the year or the beginning of it.
Everyday thousands of people sign up for new coverage so obviously there is still a market to go after
throughout the year. The right platforms can help you get business regardless of what time of year it is.
Where Should Insurance Advisors Market
If you were to focus your energy on a variety of platforms that promise to bring your content in front of
a targeted audience, the first question you need to ask is how is that audience targeted? If you are
offering them the service of health insurance, then you need to target an audience that is obviously in
need for better coverage. However, in some cases that person may not need your assistance now but
introducing them to your name and brand could offer you benefits the next time they are interested in
finding coverage. As an advisor you should start marketing on these platforms:
1. Google my business: One of the best advantages of being able to market online is the ability to
have a free listing with googles directory and map section. This allows you to list your business
in your area so the thousands of locals can see the services you offer and how to contact you.
You can easily create an account and begin to track how many online visitors and phone calls
the listing generates for you each month.
2. Google organic rankings: If you have a website, you may consider going after some organic
rankings. Studies have shown that experienced consumers who know how to use search engines
will sometimes bypass the maps and paid ads and focus on organic rankings to determine which
vendor they will go with for the service or product they need.
3. Facebook: The largest social media platform in the world is still one of the strongest to advertise
on if you are offering a variety of services including health insurance. Facebook's audience is a
bit older, but they are also more focused on the content they are viewing, especially written
content. This is where a strong headline and a well put together article or blog can grab
somebody's attention.
4. YouTube: The second largest search engine in the world offers you an opportunity to showcase
your personality and knowledge on the subject directly to the viewer by creating and posting
videos. The advantage is that you can add descriptions to the videos that allow you to come up
in searches that are relevant to important topics including health insurance and Medicare.
5. Email: More than likely you are gathering the contact information of your current clients and possible leads. Add every single person to your mailing list and make sure that you are sending emails out at least once a month but try to stay away from promotional content. Offer advice on staying healthy, lowering your health care costs and changes that they need to be aware of.
6. Mailers: Audiences do respond to more traditional methods which includes direct mail pieces to
the person's home or place of work. This type of content should have some type of promotion
or incentive to get people to either call or visit the office if you want it to be successful.
7. Webinars: A great way to connect with an audience and get them interested immediately is to
host a webinar. People can join these webinars and unlike the videos on YouTube they can ask
you direct questions to get important information that they need from a professional. It's easy
to promote a webinar and this might be something you want to do closer to enrollment season.
8. PPC: If you have a budget and can afford pay per click advertising you may want to consider it as
it still generates immediate traffic and potential sales. People who are getting health insurance
on their own for the first time are more likely to click on these ads because it's the first thing
they see, and they want to find affordable coverage as quickly as possible.
9. Instagram: Another popular social media platform is now climbing up the charts as a place
where health insurance advisors and providers can start to advertise. While Instagram has not
been seen as an ideal platform because it usually focuses on content directed towards a
younger audience, because younger people are becoming entrepreneurs or going into work for
themselves as independent contractors, they are needing to find their own source of health
coverage much earlier than usual
10. Display ads: If you can create quality video content you might want to consider using it on
display ads that will show up on a variety of areas including when people are streaming video
content, reading blogs, playing games on their phone or browsing the web.
Ideally, you should invest a large amount of your time and marketing budget into creating the best type
of content you can. You should also dedicate a large amount of your time to developing the content
routinely every week. For example, if you are writing blogs or doing online videos you need to make sure
that you have new content to post every week so you may want to start with creating a batch to begin
with.
If you are producing high quality content and showing people the value of working with an insurance
advisor, these platforms will be great for displaying that content and reaching audiences everywhere.
Some platforms might require a bit of a budget to get going and some may benefit from simply adding
quality content each week. Be patient with this strategy as it will pay off, but it may take some time,
especially if you are working with a smaller budget.