The importance of marketing your employee benefits programs
Aug 29, 2023
In this blog, we will explore strategic marketing techniques to create effective campaigns, establish key performance indicators (KPIs), and ensure a return on investment (ROI) for employee benefits programs.
Marketing plays a crucial role in creating awareness and increasing engagement of employee benefits’ programs. Employing thoughtful marketing strategies can effectively communicate the value of benefits offerings, ensuring that employees fully understand, appreciate and take advantage of all the benefits available to them.
Here are three strategies to help market your employee benefits:
When it comes to communicating employee benefits, one size does not fit all. Different employees have different preferences and communication styles. To reach a diverse workforce, mix communication channels that support employee needs and preferences.
For example, tech-savvy Millennials and Gen Z rely heavily on social media and instant messaging, whereas Gen Xers prefer a mix of social media and traditional channels. Using various channels such as newsletters, social media, videos, and even interactive workshops, organizations ensure employees receive regular and compelling information in a format digestible for them.
To capture employees’ attention and communicate the breadth and value of benefits available to them, craft compelling messaging. Further segmenting employees by life stage and other factors can make the stories more real, relevant and personalized.
Instead of simply listing benefits, create engaging stories and visuals that showcase real-life scenarios where specific benefits contribute to an employee’s work-life balance, happiness, or professional development. For example, sharing stories of employees who have used their benefits to save time, freeing up after work hours to spend time with their loved ones, can inspire others to take advantage of that same benefit.
Benefits programs can be complex, and difficult for employees to navigate. When this happens, employees are often unaware of all the resources available to them, and how they can use them to improve their lives.
To address this, provide ongoing education and support via tabling events, workshops, webinars, or lunch-and-learn sessions. These activities can address common questions, provide updates on benefit offerings, and demonstrate how employees can make the most of their benefits. In addition, offering a digital portal, accessible 24/7, can empower employees to explore their benefits when it’s convenient for them.
Partnering with an experienced employee benefits provider can provide the actionable insights and resources needed to develop compelling campaigns that resonate with employees. To start, identify the pain points of your employees. Are they struggling with work-life balance? Are they worried about retirement or healthcare costs? By understanding the specific concerns of your workforce and highlighting the direct impact each benefit has on their well-being and work-life balance, messages can highlight the benefits that address those pain points.
Personalization also makes employees feel valued and understood. Using employee data and insights can help create targeted messaging that resonates with each employee segment. For instance, employees experiencing different life events – like marriage, moving to a new home or empty nesting – may have different priorities, so customize messaging accordingly. Language plays a critical role in engaging employees with their benefits program. Warm, inclusive, and solution-oriented language helps employees feel valued and heard. Words like “partner,” “support,” and “community” convey a sense of empathy and connection, which can boost employee engagement and build a sense of community within the workplace.
A successful benefits program is one that drives tangible outcomes for both employers and employees. To measure the effectiveness of their marketing efforts, organizations must establish clear KPIs tailored to their specific goals.
KPIs should align with the organization’s objectives, such as increasing specific program enrollment, improving overall employee satisfaction, or reducing turnover rates. For example, an organization may set a KPI to increase usage of a particular benefit by 15% within six months. Harvesting valuable data on performance allows organizations to assess their marketing efforts’ impact and make data-informed decisions on how they optimize their program moving forward.
Ultimately, organizations invest significant resources in their employee benefits programs, aiming for maximum impact and ROI. By strategically marketing the value of benefits, establishing measurable goals, and by partnering with an expert, organizations can make their benefits program a game-changer in attracting and retaining top talent.
