66-69 Medicare Supplement Mailings

[dstrack]

I think I'm pretty good at creating content, just hoping there was an easier route.

Obviously I don't know your talents and abilities. There is a HUGE difference between "I think I am pretty good at creating content" ...and actually "creating good compelling content". Then writing a sales letter or a multi-sequence marketing campaign that compels people to TAKE ACTION.

How many copywriting programs, books, have you gone through? Have you hired a pro to mentor you? If not then you will most likely fail. Not trying to be overly harsh just stating the reality of marketing/copywriting. There is way more to it than common sense.

The other fact is your looking for a custom mailer that works ...for free.

Be very careful with this...

Anybody that has actually spent tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in writing and testing a good DM piece will never hand it over for free.

If you do get something for free I would be very suspect that its actually worth mailing.

 

[GreenSky]

Obviously I don't know your talents and abilities. There is a HUGE difference between "I think I am pretty good at creating content" ...and actually "creating good compelling content". Then writing a sales letter or a multi-sequence marketing campaign that compels people to TAKE ACTION.

How many copywriting programs, books, have you gone through? Have you hired a pro to mentor you? If not then you will most likely fail. Not trying to be overly harsh just stating the reality of marketing/copywriting. There is way more to it than common sense.

The other fact is your looking for a custom mailer that works ...for free.

Be very careful with this...

Anybody that has actually spent tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in writing and testing a good DM piece will never hand it over for free.

If you do get something for free I would be very suspect that its actually worth mailing.

Completely disagree with you. I've written the text for many DM pieces without having a mentor or been published.

It's not rocket surgery to write a piece that says "Many plans have raised their prices. We may be able to save you hundreds of dollars without changing you coverage."

OMG! I just wrote a mailer. Someone needs to pay me $10,000!

The more important answer is DM for Medicare Supplements just doesn't have the ROI that existed 10-15 years ago. Telemarketing is much more profitable as would be paying the same $10K to have a website developed.

Rick

 

[axeman462]

Anyone have any non generic mailings they would be willing to share?

what state you in?

 

[kstein]

Good ole Missouri. St louis area

----------

Obviously I don't know your talents and abilities. There is a HUGE difference between "I think I am pretty good at creating content" ...and actually "creating good compelling content". Then writing a sales letter or a multi-sequence marketing campaign that compels people to TAKE ACTION.

How many copywriting programs, books, have you gone through? Have you hired a pro to mentor you? If not then you will most likely fail. Not trying to be overly harsh just stating the reality of marketing/copywriting. There is way more to it than common sense.

The other fact is your looking for a custom mailer that works ...for free.

Be very careful with this...

Anybody that has actually spent tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in writing and testing a good DM piece will never hand it over for free.

If you do get something for free I would be very suspect that its actually worth mailing.

Hiring a copy writing mentor is on my to do list. I was just gonna rip off what I see in the market already, use that as a template, slap my pretty face on it, and let the sales roll in. In all seriousness, I'm to a point that I would rather have the call to action be ," call me or submit info on my site and I'll help you" rather than the vague postcards that say, congress recently enacted changes to the medicare program, letters A-N now available.....or some other b/s like that. I'd rather have quality than quantity.

 

[dstrack]

Completely disagree with you. I've written the text for many DM pieces without having a mentor or been published.

It's not rocket surgery to write a piece that says "Many plans have raised their prices. We may be able to save you hundreds of dollars without changing you coverage."

OMG! I just wrote a mailer. Someone needs to pay me $10,000!

The more important answer is DM for Medicare Supplements just doesn't have the ROI that existed 10-15 years ago. Telemarketing is much more profitable as would be paying the same $10K to have a website developed.

Rick

Rick you are completely correct. The bigger question is what are the best ways to generate leads with positive ROI. For 66-69 its most likely not DM but someone out there might be doing very well with an outside the box DM approach and a quality list.

That being said... I completely disagree with you about how easy it is to write GOOD copy. Yes, anyone can create marketing insest and get mediocre to crappy results. Sometime mediocre is all thats needed for a positive ROI.

The reason a mailer like... "Many plans have raised their prices. We may be able to save you hundreds of dollars without changing you coverage." worked in the past and not so well now is because of market maturity. Back then the message was fresh.

Now its been used by every agent on the planet. Prospects have seen these same messages countless times. They instantly think... blah blah blah so what!... you're the same as all the other guys salivating for my business.

Now more than ever in this market you need to have good copy for good results.

Why do you think websites, YouTube, and social is taking off in this market? Because you develop a personal connection with the prospect and offer valuable info that they WANT. Do this with DM and it works just as well. But this requires you know how to write copy!

Not mail a rate reduction postcard!

----------

Good ole Missouri. St louis area

----------



Hiring a copy writing mentor is on my to do list. I was just gonna rip off what I see in the market already, use that as a template, slap my pretty face on it, and let the sales roll in. In all seriousness, I'm to a point that I would rather have the call to action be ," call me or submit info on my site and I'll help you" rather than the vague postcards that say, congress recently enacted changes to the medicare program, letters A-N now available.....or some other b/s like that. I'd rather have quality than quantity.

Awesome kstein you get it!

If you wish... PM me and we can talk copy books and programs. I have a **** load and would be more than willing to help in any way I can to help point you in the right direction.

 

[bill3173]

Why do you think websites, YouTube, and social is taking off in this market? Because you develop a personal connection with the prospect and offer valuable info that they WANT. Do this with DM and it works just as well. But this requires you know how to write copy!

Not mail a rate reduction postcard!

Thank you, you've just inspired me to mail a rate reduction postcard. The other stuff is too much trouble and corny as shitt.

 

[Bevo]

Having generated tens of thousands of Medigap leads online I've seen the landscape of marketing (not just online but in general) change dramatically over the last 5 years, for the absolute better IMO.

Companies like Amazon are not only affecting the E-commerce space with goods and electronic downloadable products, they're also conditioning the public to hold companies and sales people in all niches accountable BEFORE they purchase. This helps weed out to people who got in for a quick buck with no real long-term plan in mind.

Another great trend is the massive amount of value being put out pre-revenue by some of the best marketers (and the smart ones), putting the prospect/client first before the sale. People do business with those they know, like, and trust so this works beautifully. To do it properly however, one needs to be patient and likely have deeper pockets than the average agent. Again, a nice weeding out process.

With that said, I don't think DM is a waste of time at all, however yes you need not just great copy but also to realize that it's just the hook. I'm no expert in DM (Yet, if I ever have time, I see massive opportunities that tie into online marketing with it) but I would guess you'd be better off betting on the horses than follow the old approach of sending out X amount of pieces hoping your phone will ring off the hook .YZ amount of times. I do believe the OP of this thread did say he/she wanted the people who got the mailings visit their website which is perfect. The real question is what will you then do that is off the charts with that small percentage of people to somehow get them on the phone at that point?

Seth Godin's Purple Cow book puts it nicely when saying it's actually more dangerous to be normal than to break out of the comfort zone and be a little crazy with marketing. Fear holds most people back. I've found the old saying applies true when it comes to marketing if done correctly:

One-third of the people will love you
One-third of the people will hate you
One-third of the people simply won't care

But if you're normal, with nothing at all that pops out as different to the prospect regardless of your type of marketing, these odds drop dramatically against you. And with the increasing number of tech-savvy seniors, you absolutely have to be able to walk your talk and know your product better than anyone else.

 

[Chris L.]

I've been doing DM for this market for a few years with my own home made postcards.

Are you looking for postcards, or flyers?

Let me know what you're looking for and I can share mine with you. I've had really good success with it.

 

[midwestbroker]

I love the Seth Godin reference...

It today's market, it is no longer about mass marketing, but focused, niche marketing as the internet can now use algorithms to pick things we may be interested in based on our search and website visits.

However, with DM, we are already taking a focused approach as we target certain age and geographical locations.

The magic question of what to send I judge will never be answered. What may attract one senior could be vary different than what will attract another. This is why agents need to blend their marketing and keep their sales pipeline active.

Personally, I used DM, a telemarketer, door to door and referrals as my 4 main marketing campaigns. I would blend seminars here and there when I could.

 

[bill3173]

But if you're normal, with nothing at all that pops out as different to the prospect regardless of your type of marketing, these odds drop dramatically against you.

I agree completely. If a normal guy with normal looks tries to discuss business with me, I generally look the other way.

The abnormal agent has a distinct marketing advantage.