With more and more companies working with a remote and decentralized workforce, strong benefits marketing plans have never been more important. Especially when considering that remote work may continue beyond the current global crisis, companies should consider how to shift their benefits marketing to a digital offering. This shift will likely take a great deal of planning since creating a benefits marketing plan for a remote workforce is probably a new activity for benefits teams.

Bring the Key Stakeholders to the Table

Since there are a number of stakeholders involved in benefits offerings, be sure to identify key parties before the planning process begins. Brokers, HR teams, and Agents/Enrollers should work together to define an effective rollout strategy. Before beginning to plan a launch strategy, stakeholders should first identify the desired outcomes of the benefits marketing plan. The number of enrollments and the level of engagement with the benefits team are good place to start. Those types of metrics can help set the foundation for an effective benefits marketing plan.

Tailor Benefits Marketing Plans

Because each company is different, benefits teams should tailor rollout plans by taking a company’s unique characteristics into account. For example, teams should consider things like company policies, systems, and corporate culture when developing a benefits marketing strategy.

A company’s HR department should be able to provide insight on how initiatives are typically launched. When creating a plan to roll out benefits offerings, discuss how much employee data can be shared and what type of access to employees the Agent or Enroller will have.

Identify a Benefits Marketing Launch Strategy

Initially, benefits teams should work together to identify the most strategic activities or combination of activities and then set a date to start the rollout. For example, discuss whether the company has past success with:

  • Conference Calls
  • Webinars
  • Benefits Fairs
  • In-person presentations during meetings or video calls

Outline and Schedule Communications

Working back from the identified rollout date, consider what types and how many communication pieces the team will distribute. Work together to draft a communication campaign that includes emails and text messages. Next, determine which stakeholder should send out which communication. You can use tools like the bulk text messaging capabilities of Benefits Zone to communicate:

  • Event Reminders
  • Important Milestones
  • Enrollment Deadlines
  • Case-specific Details

With a solution like Benefits Zone, it’s easy to distribute a digital version of your benefits offerings and resources. Consider developing flyers, posters, enrollment packet inserts, and intranet posts to help promote the app. For a remote workforce, convert paper collateral to a digital format and share via email, text, internal company sites, or communication forums.

Make Benefits Information Accessible and Convenient

Finally, be sure to give employees easy access to benefits offerings and resources. The easier information is to access, the more likely employees are to use it. Sharing a digital app with benefits resources  is a great way for benefits teams to incorporate a digital component into your benefits marking plan. Benefits Zone has an easy-to-share keyword process that makes it easy for companies to distribute benefits information to large groups. This also allows employees to download and review information when it’s convenient for them.