In a new assignment, medical insurer ConnectiCare selected Interactive Marketing Group, Allendale, NJ, to offer lead management and direct marketing services for its Chamber Insurance Trust brand.
The agency will replace Chamber's paper-based lead distribution system with an online service that automatically allocates leads on predetermined criteria. Chambers' brokers sell ConnectiCare's products to people older than 65 looking to replace Medicare with private insurance.
“The challenge is to make their lead generation, distribution and management process more efficient,” said Matthew W. Staudt, president/CEO of Interactive Marketing Group.
There was no pitch, as Interactive Marketing Group and ConnectiCare, Framington, CT, had a prior working relationship for three years. The lead generation marketing is expected to have a budget of $1 million to $1.5 million.
The 16-year-old Interactive Marketing Group had billings of $7 million last year. Clients include Sony Diversified Markets, ADP's emerging business segment, Hertz, Minolta and Panasonic.
ConnectiCare, however, is an important account for the agency. This is more so given Chambers' significance to ConnectiCare. Its 1,500 insurance sales agents represent a large chunk of revenue for the parent company. So it is crucial that discretionary and directed funding to the online and offline channels gets due return on investment.
The agency's plan is simple.
When leads are generated, Chambers' system determines their origin, be it from Web sites, telemarketing, billboards, direct mail or e-mail blasts. The standard data capture established by the agency then ranks the leads based on their origin for automatic distribution to all Chambers agents. Agents can log into the online system for access to assigned leads.
“And the interesting thing is, most insurance companies ask the agents to pay for leads,” Staudt said. “Here, ConnectiCare pays for them.”
Plans call for a full rollout Oct. 17 after a pilot conducted in August.
“The system requires the lead to be followed up in 48 hours because it's ConnectiCare's position that since they paid for it, they demand that level of compliance for immediate opportunities,” he said. “So, if it's not followed up in 48 hours, it's redistributed to an agent in the same area.”
Moreover, once the leads are distributed, agents have to report on the sales effort.
“And what that allows us to do is determine the marketing efforts that have the best ROI,” he said.
