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Medicare Pulse: Insurers Take a Localized Approach

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Localism has become a pillar of omnichannel marketing across categories over the past year, and health insurers are taking on a geo-targeted approach in order to connect customers to local agents and resources.

Trends in Health Insurer’s Direct Mail

Humana and UnitedHealthcare used mailers to spotlight convenient locations nearby so customers could take advantage of local experts.

Humana emphasized “making healthcare more human” and encouraged person-to-person contact by including care centers located nearby.

UnitedHealthcare used imagery to showcase that local agents were “just around the corner” and spoke in first-person from the perspective of an agent to solidify that agents were there to help find the right Medicare Supplement plan.

Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealthcare used the upcoming Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) to encourage customers to attend online meetings hosted by local Medicare specialists and agents.

Banner Health informed customers of its partnership with Advise, a company that offers free Medicare education by connecting customers to local agents. Advise offers services like direct patient consultations (in person or by phone), year-round Medicare education, and local community events and engagement.

Banner Health leveraged its new partnership in conjunction with the approaching AEP as a way to connect customers with local agents and help them “make a clear, comfortable decision about your Medicare coverage this fall.”

Keeping Customers Connected and Engaged

Insurers are looking to keep customers connected and engaged through the convenience and value of local services.

Insurers’ ventures into local targeting follow an omnichannel trend to more easily connect customers to support in their surrounding areas. Insurers can use a local approach to improve overall engagement by:

  • Making local agents more accessible. We continue to see that human interaction is still a must-have across industries. Insurers should look to put local agents at the forefront so that customers have a personal point of contact for any questions regarding their Medicare coverage.
  • Finding unique ways to incorporate localized messaging in ads. In order to do this, brands can look to other insurance categories like P&C. For instance, GEICO has incorporated a simple “Hey, Neighbor!” message as a way to address local communities and make communication feel more customized and friendly.

Comperemedia, a Mintel company, is an industry-leading competitive marketing intelligence agency. To find out more about Comperemedia’s products and services, please get in touch.


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