THE OPEN ENROLLMENT ENGAGEMENT PLAYBOOK. Your simple, all-in-one guide to Open Enrollment communications, resources, and planning

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1 THE OPEN ENROLLMENT ENGAGEMENT PLAYBOOK Your simple, all-in-one guide to Open Enrollment communications, resources, and planning

2 CONTENTS OE TIMELINE 4 Think Like a Marketer 8 Enrollment Timeline 11 Sample 5 Types of Communication 9 Pre-OE Checklist 12 Sample Poster 6 Communication Tips Sample Direct Mail Common Mistakes 2

3 Think Like a Marketer Types of Communication Communication Tips TOOLS & TIPS 3 3

4 Think Like a Marketer Types of Communication Communication Tips THINK LIKE A MARKETER We know, you re a benefits person, not a marketing exec. Your team probably isn t set up to run like an ad agency. But with increased globalization, dispersed workforces, and shorter attention spans, you ll need to think like a marketer to cut through the noise and make it onto your employees radars. 4 Learn and repeat Never stop learning. Ask your employees for feedback, look at the analytics, adjust your approach, and iterate to optimize employee engagement. 1 Put yourself in their shoes Start from your employees perspective. Ask them how they like to receive communications. What s important to them in their benefits decision? 2 to Set meaningful goals Sit down with your team and figure out what problems you re trying to solve, and what success looks like you. Create a plan. 3 confusing Keep it interesting Make sure your content is short, meaningful, and relevant to your employees. Boring content or messaging is a killer. 4

5 GUIDESPARK FINANCIAL OPEN ENROLLMENT WELLNESS: PLAYBOOK INTRO TO REACH LAUNCH TOOLS OE & TIPS SCHEDULE YEAR-ROUND SAMPLE CALENDAR CONTENT Think Like a Marketer Think Like a Marketer Types of Communication Communication Tips Types of Communication TYPES OF COMMUNICATION Different strokes for different folks. Employees often need to see a message multiple times for it to sink in, so don t be afraid to leverage a variety of marketing methods as part of your strategy.! INTRANET TEXT DIRECT MAIL PRINT SOCIAL MEDIA IN-PERSON SEMINAR WEBINAR QUICK TIP! Five is the magic number. Use at least 5 of these communication channels to get the word out. 5

6 Think Like a Marketer Types of Communication Communication Tips 5 TIPS FOR BETTER ENGAGEMENT Whether it s the middle of Open Enrollment or the start of a brand new year, there are general best practices when it comes to communicating benefits. Follow these tried-and-true rules, and engage your employees like a rockstar. 1. TARGET SPECIFIC AUDIENCES To make messaging more relevant, target user groups. Did they have a baby? Buy a house? Tie it to real-life situations. 2. REACH THEM AT HOME Big decisions are usually made at home. Think about sending postcards directly to employees mail boxes. Getting the family involved is key to health care consumerism. 3. OFFER AN INCENTIVE Give employees an incentive to make their elections early by entering them into a raffle for a chance to win prizes. Try a gift card, or the newest tech gadget! 4. KEEP IT SHORT Overwhelming people with information makes it hard for them to prioritize. Don t bury the point. Try to keep it to one message per communication. 5. AVOID INDUSTRY JARGON Keep it simple. Don t assume your employees know what HSA or HRA stands for, or what a deductible is. Use plain language, and keep the tone conversational. 6

7 OE Timeline Pre-OE Checklist OPEN ENROLLMENT SCHEDULE 7 7

8 INTRO TO REACH LAUNCH TOOLS OE & TIPS SCHEDULE YEAR-ROUND SAMPLE CALENDAR CONTENT Launch Timeline Launch Checklist OE Timeline Pre-OE Checklist OE TIMELINE SET THE SCOPE PREPARE ASSETS SCHEDULE MEETINGS EXECUTE Define goals and prepare a solid marketing plan Identify materials that will require changes Create print and assets Update existing materials that require changes Schedule any live meetings or webinars (if necessary) Roll out communication plan Send reminders to employees through appropriate channels 12 WEEKS 8 WEEKS 4 WEEKS OE LAUNCH TEST & CONFIRM Approve all content Send test messages LIST CHANGES SEND TEASERS PRINT ASSETS MEASURE & ITERATE Provide vendors with a list of what s changing this OE Send out short teasers about OE to get people excited and informed Put up posters in common areas Mail out postcards Monitor analytics for text/ Discuss feedback and learnings Continue to send communications empowering employees to use their benefts effectively 8

9 OE Timeline Pre-OE Checklist PRE-OE CHECKLIST 12 Weeks Before Open Enrollment Define goals, themes, and tie-ins to other programs Identify materials that will require updates or changes Review OE plans with communications department Train your team on the GuideSpark solution 8 Weeks Before Create your print and assets Update existing OE materials Provide vendors with a list of what s changing 4 Weeks Before Finalize your changes Schedule any live meetings or webinars (if any) Start sending out short teasers about OE 1 Week Before Approve all OE content and messaging Send test and text messages Put up posters in common areas Mail postcards to employees homes OE Start Date Send OE Announcement Post content to company intranet (if applicable) Post notifications on social media (if applicable) Change signature to add an OE reminder Middle of OE Send OE reminder Send Text2Engage messages (if applicable) Hold OE FAQ sessions (if applicable) Monitor analytics for text and Get employee feedback Emphasize content based on learnings End of OE Send OE Final Update content on company intranet or other channels Ongoing Send regular, focused communications Ask for employee feedback Iterate to optimize engagement 9

10 Sample Sample Poster Sample Direct Mail Common Mistakes SAMPLE CONTENT 10

Sample Email Sample Poster Sample Direct Mail Common Mistakes SAMPLE EMAIL When it comes to sending emails to your employees, short and simple is always better.

11 Sample Sample Poster Sample Direct Mail Common Mistakes SAMPLE When it comes to sending s to your employees, short and simple is always better. Here are a few suggestions for engaging your reader while keeping your message on point. Optimize for mobile 68% of s are opened on a mobile device. And most only show the first 38 characters of your subject line, so keep it short. From: Rachel Henke Make it personal Personalize each with the employee s name. It s also good to use you or your throughout the message, to make it feel exclusive. Hi Sarah, Make the call-to-action obvious Keep it simple, large, and easy to see. Also, avoid having too many competing calls-to-action or the reader may ignore them all. Send from a person, not an alias People are more likely to open s from real people, especially supervisors. Try to get your CEO or CHRO to send the first . Get started Fun Fact: The worldwide number of s that are sent and received every day totals over 215 billion. Sincerely, Rachel Henke VP of HR, Acme Industries rhenke@acmeindustries.com 11

Sample Email Sample Poster Sample Direct Mail Common Mistakes SAMPLE POSTER Whether your employees are waiting for the elevator or for coffee to brew, they re constantly looking around -- especially

12 Sample Sample Poster Sample Direct Mail Common Mistakes SAMPLE POSTER Whether your employees are waiting for the elevator or for coffee to brew, they re constantly looking around -- especially at anything new. Posters and print materials are a great addition to your engagement campaign. Display your logo prominently Let employees know the materials are coming directly from the company, and not from an outside firm or advertising agency. Keep it conversational Keep the tone upbeat and simple or employees may not take the time to read the messaging. Make the visual enticing The image or illustration you choose is important. It s usually the first thing to grab someone s attention, so avoid the usual stock photo. Keep the call-to-action simple Use an easy-to-remember URL address. If you can, try a keyword text. Fun Fact: Posters are most effective in high-traffic locations, such as break-rooms, kitchens, or near eleators. 12

Sample Email Sample Poster Sample Direct Mail Common Mistakes SAMPLE DIRECT MAIL Many big decisions are made at home with a spouse or other family members, so sending physical communications directly

13 Sample Sample Poster Sample Direct Mail Common Mistakes SAMPLE DIRECT MAIL Many big decisions are made at home with a spouse or other family members, so sending physical communications directly to employees mail boxes is a great addition to your marketing campaign! Create a sense of urgency and exclusivity Urgency implies importance. Use phrases like there s still time so that the user feels they must act quickly. Avoid the trash bin Put your logo on both sides. Employees, and their families, are more likely to read your mail if they know it s from the company. Don t forget design Separate your main point from the rest of the content. Keep the message focused and simple, with a clear next step. Ditch the stock photo Make the front image a surprise. Think of it as a hook to get your employee to read the back message. Fun Fact: Direct mail is highly effective because your message is seen the moment it is received. 13

Sample Email Sample Poster Sample Direct Mail Common Mistakes WHOOPS! COMMON MISTAKES Even if you re a poet, writing a clear and concise email is harder than it looks.

Send from a person, not an alias People are less likely to open emails from a corporate alias. Try using someone from the company as the sender, preferably the CEO. The higher the title, the better.

Keep it short and sweet We know there s a lot of info you want to include in your email, but don t. Seriously. The less text there is, the more people will read.

14 Sample Sample Poster Sample Direct Mail Common Mistakes WHOOPS! COMMON MISTAKES Even if you re a poet, writing a clear and concise is harder than it looks. Read our four tips below then, to prove our point, read the example on the right. We bet you won t even make it halfway down before shaking your head and giving up. Send from a person, not an alias People are less likely to open s from a corporate alias. Try using someone from the company as the sender, preferably the CEO. The higher the title, the better. Ditch the HR header Employees can become conditioned to ignore s based on how they look, no matter how important the message. You ve got to lure them in a little. Keep it short and sweet We know there s a lot of info you want to include in your , but don t. Seriously. The less text there is, the more people will read. Keep the call-to-action visible Your call-to-action ( Act now! Get started here! ) is what you want your employee to take away from your , above all else. Keep it simple, large, and easy to spot. Fun Fact: Americans spend 92 minutes each and every day reading or writing s. Plan Update: Introducing the Cigna Health... From: Acme HR Department We are happy to announce Open Enrollment is now available, and it s that time of year when you can enroll or make any necessary changes to your benefits (outside of a qualified life event, of course.) Be sure to click on the Enroll Here button at the bottom of the page which will take you to the enrollment form. OE goes from October 15th to November 1st, and you need to take action during this 2 week window if you want to make changes or enroll in new benefits. Take a few minutes and put on your headphones. We have a short video for you to watch and get up to speed on what you need to know. Additional videos are available on the same page for more detail on specific topics and changes for this plan year. Find out what s changing, what it means for you, and what you need to do to make sure you have the right benefits for the coming plan year that starts January 1st. Next year s cost-sharing and premium rates are attached. Plan documents and summaries are available here. 14

15 THE END? Not even close! The employee lifecycle doesn t end at Open Enrollment. Explore even more ways GuideSpark can help you engage your workforce. RECRUITING & ONBOARDING BENEFITS RETIREMENT & OFFBOARDING WORKPLACE BEHAVIOR WELLNESS CAREER DEVELOPMENT COMPENSATION PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

16 THANK YOU!

7/11/14. Presented by: Overview. Writing effective subject lines Creating good body copy Choosing HTML vs. Plain Text s

7/11/14. Presented by: Overview. Writing effective subject lines Creating good body copy Choosing HTML vs. Plain Text s Overview Writing effective subject lines Creating good body copy Choosing HTML vs. Plain Text emails Presented by: SurveyGizmo Online Academy Reducing spam complaints Managing email lists Testing emails