It's mid-October, and your phone isn't ringing. Meanwhile, every TV commercial break features three different Medicare Advantage plans, billboards tout "zero premium" coverage on every major highway, and consumers are drowning in a sea of identical-sounding messages. And there you are, wondering how you’ll cut through the noise.
Here's the uncomfortable truth it takes early-career agents a while to learn: by the time Annual Enrollment Period arrives, you're not competing for attention—you're fighting for scraps.
The agents who consistently win during AEP and the Open Enrollment Period start their marketing months earlier. They understand that consumers need time to know, trust, and remember you before they're ready to make coverage decisions.
Every year, the marketing landscape grows more crowded. National carriers dump millions into advertising campaigns that launch precisely when consumers start thinking about their coverage options. Call centers ramp up their lead generation efforts. Even your local competition increases their marketing spend right before the fall enrollment periods.
This creates message saturation—a point where additional advertising actually becomes less effective because consumers can't distinguish between options anymore. When everyone is shouting their message at the same time, nobody gets heard clearly.
The most successful agents recognize this pattern and take a different approach.
Coca-Cola doesn’t wait for a hot summer day to start advertising. They build consistent awareness so when you’re thirsty, your first thought is a Coke. Or Diet, if you’re counting calories.
Your insurance practice needs the same strategic approach. When you start marketing in July, August, and early September, you're speaking to consumers during their quiet moments—when they're not overwhelmed by Jimmy Walker and Joe Namath, and can actually absorb your message.
One of our successful agents took this lesson to heart. He started placing advertisements on shopping carts at his local supermarket, combined with targeted social media ads within a five-mile radius of that same store. When shoppers were waiting in line at the deli counter or at their favorite in-store Starbucks, they also came across his name and face. Each exposure helped build brand recognition.
The results were clear. When enrollment season arrived last fall, prospects were calling him directly—not because they saw his latest ad, but because they'd been seeing his consistent presence for months. He'd become the recognized local expert before they even realized they needed help.
Consumer behavior research shows it takes multiple exposures to a brand before people feel comfortable making a purchase decision. In insurance, where trust is paramount, this timeline extends even further. Starting your marketing in July gives you the exposure frequency needed to move from unknown to trusted advisor.
Single-channel marketing – advertising on just social media, for example -- limits your reach and impact to just that channel. Multi-channel marketing helps you reach prospects at multiple touchpoints, building stronger recognition and trust.
Your marketing mix might include a few channels that reinforce each other. Social media advertising builds awareness among nearly any age group, and can be targeted to fit your business needs. Direct mail reaches those who need to see and feel a flyer to believe a business exists. Local newspaper ads and advertorials establish credibility within your community, while consistent community presence—through educational seminars, health fairs, or sponsoring local events—builds the personal relationships that drive referrals.
Each channel amplifies the others. When someone sees your direct mail piece after encountering your social media ad, your message carries more weight. When they meet you at a community event after reading your newspaper column, you're no longer a stranger—you're the expert they've been hearing about.
Most agents wait until September to launch their marketing efforts, right when consumer attention fractures and advertising costs increase. Early birds can pick off a few worms before the going gets tough.
Starting now gives you roughly twelve weeks before AEP begins. That's enough time to plan and execute a multi-channel strategy, build meaningful brand recognition, and establish the trust that converts prospects into clients. Importantly, it also allows you to develop more and better referral relationships.
Clients you acquire in the summer months have an opportunity to experience your service quality before their friends start asking for recommendations during enrollment season. These early clients can become your most effective advocates, providing warm introductions rather than cold leads.
The most successful agents we support know that summer marketing isn't just preparation for enrollment season—it's a key element of business growth. Your success depends on getting ahead of the noise, not trying to shout over it.