The recent launch of the Health Insurance Marketplace as part of the Affordable Care Act (also known as "Obamacare") is leading health insurers to spend more on digital marketing. From Oct. 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014, Americans who don't have health insurance through an employer can enroll in and purchase a plan through a health insurance "exchange" run either by a state or the federal government. Now, consumers can purchase health insurance online like they would a flight or hotel room.
As a result, health insurers are devoting more resources to digital marketing to reach the estimated 7 million Americans that will take advantage of this year's open-enrollment period. Many insurers have created relatively simple websites to educate consumers about their products, such as UnitedHealthcare Group and Wellmark BlueCross BlueShield. Lisa Lough, VP of customer acquisition at Cigna, touted the importance of social media for reaching younger demographics with higher customer lifetime value.
These digital efforts are one facet of what are typically integrated multichannel campaigns. We can expect health insurers' digital marketing efforts to become more sophisticated over time as insurers become more accustomed to operating in our country's changing health care landscape.
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