Accurately communicating thousands of Medicare options to millions of people is complicated. Plus, it is getting more complicated as Baby Boomers age into the program, adding millions of new participants yearly.
In this blog we look at the big picture data points that drive Medicare AEP complexity and examine how direct mail can help payers reach and convert prospects.
Why Medicare AEP marketing is so complex
Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) marketing is, and always has been, a numbers game.
65 — the age Medicare eligibility starts
4 — Medicare types (A, B, C, D)
51 — regulating entities (50 states plus the District of Columbia) with their own rules and regulations
43* — Medicare Advantage Plan Options (an 8% increase over 2022)
3,998 — available plan options (a 6% increase over 2022)
1,284 — Special Needs Plans (more then double since 2018)
54 — enrollment days in 2023 (October 15-December 7)
Then there’s…
65 million+
… the number of Medicare beneficiaries that plan providers engage with to market their coverage products to. Put another way, it’s nearly 19% of the entire U.S. population.
So, the mission for Medicare AEP marketing is: Speak knowingly, accurately, AND securely, to 65 million people about their 4,000 healthcare options as legislated by 51 separate authorities.
That’s a whole lot of rules governing a whole lot of choices to present to a whole lot of people. And did we mention, you need to have your offer stand out amidst all the competing offers your audience is receiving? That’s a lot to manage, especially within the extra-tight governmental approval windows of the AEP. Fortunately for AEP Marketers, direct mail is up to the task.
Direct mail is a double dose of marketing medicine
Direct mail does two things simultaneously.
- It offers a near limitless capacity for personalization.
- Its physicality makes it more memorable than digital marketing.
We have written before about the advantages physical marketing pieces have over digital, and why using direct mail retargeting with AEP marketing should be part of your campaign strategy, and what we said then has not changed in the least. Why not?
Modern direct mail capabilities empower you to deploy illuminating audience insights and state-of-the-art print capabilities to identify and engage in-market consumers one-to-one with:
- Customizable copy and imagery
- Relevant, individually tailored offers
- Terms and conditions specific to their circumstances
- A cadence that reaches them while they are still in decision-making mode
All of it presented in a physical package designed to increase engagement, brand recall, and keep your offers top of mind, leading to increased conversions and growing ROI.
Best of all, your newest target audience likes direct mail and is compelled to act by it.
Inoculate your AEP marketing against digital fatigue
Baby Boomers use online tools like Google as much or more than other generations.* That interaction, though, leads inexorably to feeling overwhelmed by the amount of digital advertising they see daily. Brand emails, when read, are averaging 10 seconds of interaction. Meanwhile, Boomers are spending nearly 7 minutes a day sorting and reading their physical mail.
That said, digital channels are useful. When you pair direct mail with digital, performance improves.
In fact, 85% of English-speaking consumers the world over agree that their ideal form of marketing communication is a blend of digital and physical.
Personalization expertise delivers peace of mind
If the prospect of planning and executing AEP marketing campaigns with hundreds of variable assets has you feeling like David facing Goliath, relax. At SG360°, we call that Tuesday morning.
We maintain a massive in-house trove of the freshest consumer data on 99.9% of aging-in and active Medicare members. The illuminating audience insights gleaned from our expert analysis help us advise clients on the development of customized 1:1 communications that drive higher conversions and lower the cost to acquire new customers.
Our healthcare clients choose us specifically for our expertise at programming and executing large, multi-component campaigns that deliver on time and get results.
For Medicare mailers, they leverage our:
- Expertise in finding the seniors most likely to act on your plan offers
- Insights into the channels those 65 and older are most responsive to
- Expertise planning & executing omnichannel campaign strategies within AEP’s tight enrollment window
- Creative acumen from decades of knowing what entices older audiences
- Customized performance reporting that measures results of specific age groups against your specific KPIs to build scenarios for future AEP performance improvements
All of it backed by a flexible, versatile production platform and postal and logistics strategies that save precious marketing dollars.
De-stress your 2023 Medicare AEP communications by contacting Jeff Melton, Senior Vice President, Sales, at 816-500-9645, or jmelton@sg360.com.
