Every day, millions of Americans go without health insurance. In fact, according to the latest statistics from the CDC, over 31 million people in the United States are uninsured.
For many people, the only way to get health insurance is through their employer. However, this isn’t always an option.
This is where health insurance leads come in, particularly for insurance providers and agents. Basically, they’re people who need health insurance. You offer health insurance. Seems logical that you would connect with them, right? Right!
Usually, a company or brokerage that works with multiple carriers, or in most cases, an agency that helps generate insurance leads, contacts prospects. They’ll evaluate them as a lead, pre-sell them on the insurance packages, and then pass them off to you.
Likewise, Medicare insurance leads are a type of health insurance lead that specifically targets those who are over the age of 65 or have a disability. The process is the same and so is the outcome: you do little to no work and simply enjoy pre-qualified leads.
Sounds like a great deal, right? If you’re an agent or broker looking for health insurance leads, there are a few things you need to know.
What Are Health Insurance Leads?
Health insurance leads are potential customers who have shown an interest in purchasing health insurance. This can be done through a number of channels, such as filling out an online form or requesting more information from an insurance company.
In order to generate health insurance leads, insurers typically use marketing campaigns and targeted advertising. These efforts aim to reach individuals who are likely to be interested in health insurance products and convince them to provide their contact information.
Once a lead has been generated, whoever qualifies them can then turn around and sell that lead to an insurance agent or broker who will attempt to convert them into a paying customer.
Likewise, if you’re working with an agency that offers lead generation for insurance providers and agents, the process will be similar. They’ll do the work in finding the leads for you and then hand them off for you to convert into full sales.
Regardless, the leads are just as crucial to your business.
Health insurance leads are an important part of the sales process for many insurers, and they can result in substantial profits for those who are able to generate them effectively.
Why Leads Are Crucial for Businesses
For all businesses, leads are potential customers who have shown interest in what they have to offer. By nurturing these leads and turning them into paying customers, businesses can grow and succeed.
Health insurance providers particularly rely on leads in order to grow their business. These leads come from individuals who are interested in learning more about the health insurance products that the provider offers.
Why are they so crucial for businesses in the health and insurance industries? Potential customers don’t organically “find” your products and services when they’re out and about.
Think about it. If you go to Target to do some shopping you’re naturally introduced to a variety of new food and clothing brands. It’s the same when you’re driving down the highway and see a new restaurant you’d like to check out next to the off-ramp.
Unless you pay for a big billboard on the freeway or massive online advertising campaigns, those looking for health insurance aren’t likely to “organically’ find you like they might other brands.
This is why generating leads for health insurance providers is so crucial. By following up with these leads and providing them with the information they need, health insurance providers can improve their chances of making a sale.
What Defines a High-Intent Prospect?
Okay, so you know what a lead is now. But what is a high-intent prospect and why should you be more focused on those types of leads?
High-intent prospects are health insurance leads that have indicated a strong interest in purchasing health insurance.
These leads are often generated by online quote forms, exclusive health insurance offers, or phone calls to Medicare insurance carriers.
High-intent prospects are one of the most valuable types of health insurance leads. They are much more likely to convert into paying customers than other types of health insurance leads.
For this reason, it is important for health insurance carriers to focus their marketing efforts on generating high-intent prospects. By doing so, they can maximize their chances of making sales and achieving their desired business results.
Not sure how to do that? Just keep on reading!
Preparing Campaigns for Medicare Annual Enrollment Period Leads
We’re going to dive into the process of lead generation for regular health insurance leads. First, let’s take a second to consider how you should target Medicare annual enrollment period leads.
Why? Because there’s a smaller window of time within which you can market to these types of prospects.
The Medicare annual enrollment period is the time of year when seniors can sign up for health insurance or make changes to their existing coverage. This year it is between October 15th and December 7th.
For health insurance companies, this period is a critical time to generate new leads and sales. Here are a few tips for preparing your campaigns for the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period:
- Know Your Audience: It’s important to understand who your target audience is and what their needs are. This will help you create targeted campaigns that resonate with them.
- Be Prepared: Make sure you have all the necessary materials ready ahead of time so that you can hit the ground running when the enrollment period begins.
- Timing is Everything: Make sure your campaigns are timed correctly so that they reach your target audience when they’re making their health insurance decisions.
- Incentivize: Having a clear and concise plan will help you execute your campaigns effectively and maximize your chances of success. This includes creating an enticing offer that beats that of your competitors.
By following these tips, you can set your company up for success during the Medicare annual enrollment period.
Strategies for Generating Health Insurance Leads
Whether you’re marketing to those interested in Medicare or traditional insurance, it’s important to understand the various strategies and platforms available to you with this type of lead generation.
Search Engine Marketing
Search engine marketing (SEM) is a type of internet marketing that promotes websites by increasing their visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs).
SEM involves paying for or otherwise securing placement in the sponsored results section of SERPs. The goal of SEM is to generate traffic to a website, typically through paid advertising.
Paid search marketing is the most common form of SEM. Yeah, we’re talking mostly about Google Ads.
Overall, Google Ads are an effective way to target health insurance leads, as people who are actively searching for health insurance are more likely to be in the market for a new policy.
Another massive pro is that SEM can also be used to target specific demographics, such as people living in a certain zip code or people who have searched for health insurance in the past.
By targeting these groups, insurers can increase the chances that their ads will be seen by people who are most likely to be interested in buying a health insurance policy.
However, the biggest drawback with SEM is that it can get quite expensive. In fact, ads in the insurance industry have the highest cost per click at over $54 per click.
This is why we suggest working with a qualified lead generation company that knows how to lower these costs for you. An experienced agency will be able to do this for you through targeted ads that users see at the right point in their customer journey.
Social Media Marketing
There’s no doubt that social media marketing can be a great way to connect with potential customers and generate leads. But what about health insurance? Is social media a good place to market health insurance products?
The answer is yes, social media can be an effective channel for health insurance marketing. Why? Data shows that more and more people are using social media to research health insurance options.
Additionally, social media provides an opportunity to build trust and relationships with potential customers. When people see that you’re responsive to their questions and concerns, they’re more likely to do business with you.
However, the biggest drawback here is the time and money investment. If you’re not interested in building a strong brand presence and simply need leads, investing in social media is a bit of a waste of time and money.
Likewise, Medicare Advantage leads and Medicare supplement leads are going to be people that fall into an age group not likely to be present much on social media platforms.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is the process of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience.
What’s the goal there? Ultimately, the goal is to drive profitable customer action.
When it comes to health insurance lead generation, content marketing can be an extremely effective strategy.
By creating targeted content that speaks directly to your audience’s needs and pain points, you can:
- Build trust and credibility
- Establish yourself as a thought leader in the industry
- Inspire people to take action
No matter what your goals may be, if you’re not using content marketing, you’re missing out on a powerful opportunity to connect with your audience and achieve success.
However, our opinion on content marketing as a lead generation strategy is similar to that of social media marketing.
If all you’re looking for are high-intent, qualified leads that you want to convert to customers now then investing in the long-term game that is content marketing might not be right for you.
Call Generation Services
This is a type of lead generation that leads straight to potential insurance customers calling you directly. How do you acquire these leads?
A specialized agency works to pre-qualify health insurance customers according to what you need. How does that work? Usually, they’ll answer questions about their needs, their location, their income, and more.
Once they’re pre-qualified, they’re sent to you via a phone call where a member of your team can speak with them one-on-one. Usually, these potential customers are looking to either switch their existing plan or take out all-new coverage.
For health insurance companies and agents interested in closing a sale over the phone, this is a great lead generation strategy that can pay off immensely.
How to Get the Most Out Of Your Health Insurance Leads Campaign
Regardless of the type of lead generation strategy you use, you’ll still need to ensure you’re nurturing that lead and closing the sale.
A great marketing agency can bring qualified leads to your doorstep. However, after they’ve brought them to you, it’s your job to ensure they become paying customers.
There are a few key things you can do to nurture your health insurance leads and keep them engaged. First, make sure you have their contact information and that you’re regularly reaching out to them.
It’s also helpful to provide them with useful information. The goal is to help them make a decision about their health insurance coverage. This could include articles, blog posts, infographics, or even just simple tips.
Lastly, be available to answer any questions they have so that they feel comfortable making a decision.
Ready to Attract More Health Insurance Leads?
Need more health insurance leads? Whether you sell regular health insurance or are in need of Medicare insurance leads, Real Performance Marketing can help.
We offer superior lead quality and quantity for insurance providers and agents. From pay-per-click ad campaigns to call generation services, we will bring high-intent prospects straight to your business.
Get in touch today to engage your audience at scale.