The open enrollment period (OEP) and annual enrollment period (AEP) are essential times for health insurance advertisers looking to create interest, drive sales and sign new policyholders. Preparation is key for agencies, and should include a range of internal checks and balances, compelling creative and personalized targeting strategies. Implementing the right marketing practices can help insurance advertisers and publishers make sure they’re getting their messages to high-intent insurance shoppers to encourage immediate action. Ensure your AEP/OEP campaigns are set up to be successful this season with these strategies:
Make Sure You Have A Healthy Infrastructure Before Launching Your OEP/AEP Campaign
There are many factors that go into having a successful OEP/AEP season for advertisers, but starting off on the right foot with a strong infrastructure can set you up for growth and conversions from the very beginning. These considerations should be buttoned up before you kick off your OEP/AEP campaign:
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Sharpened Operations: Make sure your dialers are working, that your CRM is up to date and that your agents understand how to properly connect with prospects. These seemingly basic items are essential to a strong launch.
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Strong Compliance Partners: Ensure your campaign strategy aligns with all relevant regulations by working with partners who prioritize compliance and stay ahead of evolving requirements. Digital Media Solutions offers industry-leading compliance processes, backed by dedicated in-house legal and compliance teams that understand the nuances of regulatory standards.
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Optimize Your Tracking: Make sure that all campaign tracking is properly implemented and that your tracking parameters are aligned with your campaign objectives and overall KPIs. Accurate tracking is essential for measuring performance, optimizing strategies and achieving meaningful results.
Leverage Your Creative To Optimize Success During OEP/AEP
As with any campaign, creative assets are an essential component. With AEP and OEP campaigns, compliance is an additional consideration and must be a part of your creative plan from the start. Chelsea Malcolm, VP, Health Marketplaces
at Digital Media Solutions (DMS), notes that the requirement of creative approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) can cause delays with creative launch. To avoid setbacks, she advises advertisers have “a really good, solid and clear view of their copy and creative guidelines [that are compliant].” By leveraging creatives that are both compelling and compliant, advertisers can create successful OEP/AEP campaigns and drive conversions.
Additionally, it can be helpful to see what creative assets competitors are putting into the marketplace to reach insurance shoppers across different channels. A well-rounded, multichannel outreach strategy that incorporates tactics like inbound call campaigns, social media engagement and retargeting ads can help broaden your brand's reach and connect you with high-intent prospects wherever they are in their journey.
How To Personalize Your Sales Approach To Drive Conversions
With ongoing developments in the health insurance industry and major decisions shaping consumer healthcare needs, today’s insurance shoppers are more informed and selective than ever. These changes mean that consultations must become more personalized to reach prospects. Advertisers should take the time to understand each consumer’s unique circumstances and listen actively, instead of speeding through calls trying to drive conversions. This approach allows advertisers to match potential customers with the perfect coverage for them, which can drive loyalty, retention and positive reviews. It also sets you apart from competitors who aren’t making qualitative assessments of their prospects, and are instead taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
Personalization and listening are also reflected in matching the right creative to the right channel to reach your intended audience. The rise of video as a creative asset resonates with younger consumers on social platforms like TikTok, while email can help drive high-intent prospects at every stage of the process. Choosing the right partner, like Digital Media Solutions, can also help advertisers reach channels they wouldn’t normally have access to, offering unique creative opportunities and more access to high-intent prospects.
Are You Looking To Maximize Your AEP & OEP Campaigns?
Digital Media Solutions (DMS) connects many of the nation’s leading health insurance providers and agents with high-intent consumers. Our AEP and OEP campaigns are designed to maximize results by matching interested health insurance shoppers with the health insurance providers and agents that meet their needs. Contact DMS today to learn how our first-party data asset, proprietary technology, and expansive digital media reach can help you maximize your health insurance campaigns.
