The Download

Issue 45 March 2014

Shoelaces and burning questions for 2014 and beyondLegendary college basketball coach John Wooden started his seasons emphasizing the importance of the basics: with a lesson on tying shoelaces. In order to prepare for the rest of 2014, it’s important to go back to the basics of the insurance business.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care act is among those basics and a full understanding of it, and the ability to explain it, is crucial — as employers will be looking for advice, especially when it comes to voluntary benefits.

Voluntary benefits are another important basic. Employees are inundated with confusing information about health insurance, so it’s important to anticipate how they will react to voluntary benefits and to explain how these benefits will help their employees.

Source: BenefitsPro • http://tiny.cc/vqnfdx

In This Issue

Shoelaces andburning questions

for 2014 andbeyond

• Voluntarybenefits

confidence indexhits record

• Seven life

insurance mythsthat should die

•Email marketing

beats socialmedia

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Seven life insurance myths that should dieConsumers view life insurance as a necessary evil. The joke among life insurance marketers is that under the term “necessary evil” in the dictionary is a photo of your life insurance policy.

85% of consumers know they need life insurance, and it has never been as inexpensive or easy to buy than it is now. Despite this, life insurance remains one of the most misunderstood areas of insurance. By understanding the myths that cause prospects to hesitate purchasing a life insurance plan, brokers can be better prepared to connect and sell.

Source: thestreet.com • http://tiny.cc/c6nfdx

Email marketing beats social mediaThe results of a new survey by management consulting firm McKinsey & Company may surprise you, especially in the age of social media. This study found that email is a significantly more effective way to acquire customers than social media. In fact, email is nearly 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined.

Social media is still an effective way to market your firm, and it continues to be a great way to generate exposure and convert referrals. But if you’re looking for new clients, social media may not be the best tool available.

The study also shows the importance of mobile-device marketing. Today, nearly 45 percent of all marketing emails are read on a mobile device.

Source: LifeHealthPRO • http://tiny.cc/mbofdx

The DownloadCurrent. Condensed. Convenient.

Issue 45 March 2014

www.reliancestandard.com

Voluntary benefits confidence index hits recordAn index measuring the confidence of insurance carriers, brokers and advisors serving the voluntary benefits industry hit a record of 102.9 at the end of last year, up 3.9 points from year-end 2012, a new survey found. The confidence index found that 94 percent of survey respondents believe sales of voluntary benefits will increase in the next 12 months, up from 90 percent at year-end 2012. In other words, it’s a good time to be in the voluntary benefits business.

Source: insurancenewsnet.com • http://tiny.cc/9znfdx