Cross promoting employee benefits extends reach and increases usage
Mar 5, 2024
Organizations invest a lot in employee benefits. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), wages and salaries averaged $30.35 per hour in September 2023, with benefits adding an additional $13.58 per hour. With such a significant investment, companies need to ensure they’re getting an ROI on their spend, and that employees are making use of all they have at their fingertips. This can only happen when organizations have committed benefits partners who are willing — and experienced — to cross promote and champion those benefits.
This blog dives into strategies to optimize your employee benefit packages, using Circles services and its team, as real-life examples.
One way to reach your employees more often without adding additional resources, is to add an additional communications channel — your benefits partners! For example, because our work-life balance programs complement our clients’ existing benefits, we can naturally act as an extension of their HR team. By fully understanding our clients’ benefit offerings, we can help their employees navigate their benefits and make the choices that best fit their needs.
The outcome for employees: they are happier and more satisfied because they are able to have a “go-to resource” immediately available to answer their questions and work through all of their benefits to find a solution that meets their needs. The outcome for employers: increased communication channels and additional opportunities to reach their valued workforce.
Train your benefits partners in your full benefits offerings so they are familiar with them and can help promote them to your workforce. The Circles’ team is trained using comprehensive guides and training modules so they understand what benefits each client offers, which employees are eligible, how to access benefits, and any other key points that can help boost both understanding and usage.
Schedule periodic training updates to keep your benefit partners in the know about changes to your benefits. Circles conducts frequent refresher training sessions with our clients to ensure our teams are well equipped to suggest and promote the appropriate benefits when addressing the employees’ needs.
Life events can trigger the need for various benefits, so use technology and automation to personalize the employee experience. What if employees could automatically be “pinged” when they have a need with information about the specific benefits you offer that could serve that need? Circles’ life events request triggers do just that. Whether getting married, buying a home, celebrating a birthday, planning a big trip, or dealing with their own or loved ones’ aging needs, triggers make sure employees know what they need to know — when they need to know it.
The more messages your employees receive through a variety of channels the greater the likelihood that they will remain informed of the benefits available to them. Repetition and cross-promotion are key. That can be challenging to achieve, of course, without the support of technology and a concerted effort by your benefits partners.
As an example, Circles promotes our clients’ benefits on our member portal and mobile app, to complement their communications strategy. This additional communication channel means employees can find information or updates from sources where they are most comfortable or most familiar. Consistency matters — engage and inform employees frequently and often to ensure they can take maximum advantage of the valuable benefits available to them.
Omni-channel marketing ensures that the messages your employees receive are consistent across all the communication channels that touch them — internal or external.
An omni-channel approach ensures employees have a holistic view of their benefits offering, and that those benefits are maximized to support them throughout their employee journey. Circles uses new hire orientation, flyers, brochures, monthly newsletters, automated emails, lunch & learns, and benefit fairs to make sure our clients — and their employees — are covered.
Action without analysis is, potentially, a waste of time. But how would you know unless you’re monitoring the impact of your benefit communication activities? Capture, track and report on employee usage of benefits so that you have valuable information to make smart decisions about both your benefits and how they’re communicated to your workforce.
Digital communication is great, but it’s even better when it’s coupled with a high touch approach that allows employees to interact 1:1 with your staff.
Benefit Fairs provide employees with an opportunity to ask questions and get answers geared to their individual needs and interests. Benefit events can also be fun and energizing. They’re a great way to make the meaning of your benefit offerings really come to life creating “a-ha” moments for employees as they realize how they can reap the most value from the benefits available to them. Circles helps our clients run engaging, memorable benefits events, with participation and usage getting a noted uptick afterwards, validating their importance.
Don’t miss out on key opportunities to regularly communicate about your employee benefits so that employees are kept up-to-date and informed. Leverage your benefits partners to be your marketing arm and demand ROI from your employee benefits programs. Your benefits providers should be creating value for your organization, just as they are adding value to the employee experience.
