Want to make the most of your leads this AEP? Then the time to order them is now. July is nearly over, and you’ll need to be ready to mail your lead drops in mid to late August. Find out why the timeline is so important and how to make the most of your lead mailers this AEP.
Why Now?
Simply put, you don’t want your competition to beat you to the punch. If you don’t purchase your leads and have your mailers going out early enough, prospects will have already been contacted by someone else. By September, chances are your leads have already received something in the mail, filled it out, and returned it. They’re expecting to hear from that person, so this new communication from you will likely be ignored.
If you wait to order your leads mid-September or later, your best bet will be internet leads for those who are live shopping once AEP hits.
Making the Most of Your Leads
During the months leading to AEP, your biggest priority is to court, nurture, and generate leads. This includes both new leads and your current book of business.
Printing: Lead Mailers, Business Cards, and More
If you’re looking to send a customized postcard or a letter to current clients saying, “it’s that time of year again,” now is the time to start designing and ordering those materials.
- You’ll find plenty of options out there, but Vistaprint is a popular service among agents. They offer a package that covers design, printing, and mailing all in one.
- You might also consider working with a local printer as an alternative to online services. This can give you more hands-on involvement in your mailers, not to mention that building relationships with local businesses is a very effective lead generation technique.
Wherever you get your printing done, make sure your order includes a fresh, full order of business cards going into AEP.
Internet Leads
If you choose to go the internet lead route, it’s imperative that you call these leads the instant they come in. Just because the leads are exclusive to you as an agent, that doesn’t mean your prospects haven’t already gone to multiple websites to request information.
This is important year-round when using internet leads, but even more so during AEP, when prospects are getting hit with information from every direction.
More Ways to Generate and Nurture AEP Leads
NCC’s in-house lead guru Samantha Reece provided most of the information shared here, and she has a few more tips to really take your AEP leads to the next level.
- Schedule your social media posts in advance so you have one less thing to worry about in the middle of an already hectic season. Don’t forget that CMS provides high-quality content with images and text for your social media platforms/advertising closer to AEP, including educational and informational posts, as well as countdowns. This year’s posts aren’t up yet, but they’ll be added closer to AEP. Once they’re live, you’ll find them under the Social Media heading on this page.
- If you are going to be at a Walmart or another location, be sure to post about that on your social channels and share the info with your community. Invite followers to stop by and see you.
- Ask for referrals. “Do you have any friends or family that may want to do a coverage review?” is a great way to bring up the topic.
We're Here to Help!
Have questions about ordering leads and mailers, or anything else related to preparing for AEP? Give us a call at 800-695-0280. We’re invested in your success!
