Dont just tell it - sell it! Marketing Employee Benefits

Don’t Just Tell It – Sell It!Market Your Employee BenefitsPaul Barton, ABC, and Bruce K. Richardson

Marketing vs. Educating

Marketing Rocks!

60%

40%

Why Take This Approach?

+ Attraction+ Retention+ Participation+ Engagement

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4

Perception vs. Reality

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Communication Effectiveness

What It Is Not

Company Picnic!!!!

Open Enrollment!!!!

7 Financial seminar!!!

BELIEV

E ME!!!

!

Underline bold ALL CAPS!!!!

5 Immutable Laws ofMarketing Communication

1. Unless it is believed a message has no worth.

2. What is important isn’t always interesting.

3. Timing is crucial to message effectiveness.

4. There are costs associated with not communicating.

5. It’s more important to win hearts than minds.

Facts cause us to think, but emotion causes us to take action.

Aristotle’s Theory of Persuasion

Communication Steps to Action

ACTION

Communication Steps to Action

ACTION

Facts to Emotion

Communication Steps to Action

ACTION

Facts to Emotion

Text Charts Infographics Video StorytellingPhotos

Stories are Data for the Soul

• Stories trigger emotional responses.

• Engaging the brain makes stories more memorable.

Strategy vs. Tactic

Timeless Strategy: Sneak Attack

2015 1776

Communication vs. Communications

5 Key Communication Strategies

1. Make it personal

2. Include spouses as an audience

3. Leverage vendor resources

4. Make information available on demand

5. Use content experts

6. Tie benefits to corporate strategies

Make It Personal

The WIIFM filter (relatable)

Limit TLA/FLAs and talk to OHBs

Tap into emotion (storytelling)

Make information portable

Package employee discounts

Use modeling

Include Spouses as an Audience

• Speak to them in the content

• Send it home (apps, internet access)

• Invite them to benefits fair, open enrollment meetings

• Collateral (refrigerator magnets)

Leverage Vendor Resources

• Coordinate timing of messages

• Branded look and feel

• Brand language

• Review contracts

• Seek best practices

Make Information Available On Demand

• Online and searchable

• Lifecycle Kits

• Scalable websites / flat design

• Cloud-based Apps

• Global audience

Use Content Experts

Brown bag lunch talks

Blogs and podcasts

Leverage vendor resources

Tie to Corporate Strategies

Mirror language from corporate objectives

Senior business leader support

Corporate Social Responsibility

• Package benefits for impact

• Get credit by branding everything

• Look for emotional value proposition

• Be creative

Benefits Marketing Ideas

The Winning Marketing Trio

EmotionalTouch my heart

NovelSomething New

MemorableGreat Content