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News and views to improve the strength and vigor of all your direct response marketing activity.

Email has been used in marketing for over 40 years. In that time, it has evolved into a remarkably successful direct response communication channel. Even with the development of newer digital channels that can be used for marketing, such as text messaging and social media, email persists.

In a recent blog post, we focused on how you can effectively use email to nurture leads. In this post, we’ll examine five key reasons to include email in your next omnichannel Medicare campaign.

Spend less

Email is a cost-effective communication solution, with a return on investment (ROI) of 93% for prospects. This surpasses other communication channels — including paid search for generic keywords and general social media advertising, which have ROIs of 88% and 81% respectively.

Recent research shows that 59% of people say email marketing impacts their purchasing decisions — in fact, people are three times more likely to make purchases from email marketing than social media.

The high ROI of email compared to other digital channels may be due, in part, to the relative freedom marketers have with the email platform versus paid search and various social media platforms, which often have character limits, image guidelines, etc. Customizing the design, length, and images in each email — and the flow of each touch in an email campaign — can make a big impact when building and nurturing relationships with prospects and members.

Easily personalize content

Once you create an email stream, you can easily tailor it to meet the demands of your audience. Using the right CRM tools allows you to target specific populations, timeframes, and demographics with less effort.

Whether you’re customizing email content using profiles, modeling, personas, or another strategy, messaging that resonates with your target audience isn’t just nice to do, it’s necessary. You’ve heard it before: Most people expect content to be personalized and get frustrated if it’s not. In terms of email specifically, according to research, marketers can achieve a 26% higher open rate with content that’s tailored to individuals’ preferences and behaviors.

Drive action with just a click or touch

A well-crafted email is engaging and drives prospects right to the call to action (CTA) — quickly converting prospects into members.

According to recent research, the average click-through rate (CTR) of an email campaign is about 3% of all recipients. (Compare this to the average CTR for a lead generation Facebook ad campaign in 2024: 2.53%.)

Acting on a CTA in other marketing channels, such as direct TV, radio, or direct mail, requires more effort — and more time. In fact, people who hear an ad on the radio need an average of 2.4 days to act. Depending on how a CTA is presented in other channels, interested prospects have to remember a phone number (and dial it), use a QR code, manually enter a web address, and/or put something in the mail. A CTA in an email requires only a click or touch.

Build brand loyalty

When you send emails that provide value, you build trust. Prospects who trust you are likely to become members.

So, how do you truly add value by email? Here are a few tips:

  • Address your audience’s pain points. The email should answer the question, “How does this information help me?”
  • Don’t focus on the features of your plan. Focus on how the features of your plan will benefit your audience.
  • Read industry studies (check out Deft Research) and talk to people who fit the profile of your target audience. Ask them questions and see what questions prospects and members are asking your sales team. Use what you learn to help guide the topics of your emails.
  • Share information about Medicare, industry terms and jargon, and your own plan — including how it compares to Original Medicare, Medigap, and other Medicare Advantage plans. Use conversational, easy-to-understand language.
Email is a great communication channel to keep prospects and members informed. Email nurture campaigns are especially effective among the new-to-Medicare population. Before this population is even eligible to enroll in Medicare, start building their trust with educational materials designed to make the sign-up process simple. When their enrollment deadline approaches, they’ll have a strong, positive connection with your brand.

Reach your audience with convenience, speed, and efficiency — wherever they are

“Email me.” According to statista, email is one of the most widely used tools for communication and marketing, with 240 million emails exchanged among global users every minute (as of 2023). That’s five times the number of instant messages (all other factors equal).

With people accessing email on desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, smartwatches, and even car displays (hopefully not while they’re driving), you can easily get your message across, and let the recipient choose when and where to view it. Compared to a phone call that must be answered or sent to voicemail immediately or mail that takes up valuable real estate in someone’s home, email can wait in someone’s inbox until the time is right.

Plus, email enables rapid transmission of content — including images, hyperlinks, and documents (such as Medicare guidebooks and plan materials) — even across time zones, if necessary. (This may sound unimportant for a Medicare-eligible audience, but a recent AARP survey reported that 37% of Americans age 50+ planned on taking at least one international trip in 2024.)

“Subscribe” to customized email solutions with DMW

From lead nurturing to member retention, count on DMW to strategically execute email campaigns and more. The email address for George Price, our VP of Business Development, is also listed on our Contact Us page if you’d prefer to reach out by email. (There’s just something about email, right?)