In part one of our open enrollment communicationsseries, we examined the importance of having a thorough planand how treating employee communications like a full-scalemarketing campaign can lead to a successful open enrollment.

In this article, we’ll look at the next step: informingemployees about the details of open enrollment and creatingawareness around the benefits options that will be available tothem.

Break through the chatter

Everyone in your organization is busy doing his or her job, andas shocking as it may sound, open enrollment is not top of mind forthe vast majority of employees.

So your first objective is to break through all the noise andget your message heard.

A few ways you can do this: choose a memorable theme for yourcommunications; use multiple communication methods; and keep yourmessaging clear, concise and consistent.

Timing is also important. Keep communications close enough toopen enrollment so that there is a sense of urgency, but still giveemployees time to prepare and process information.

With this in mind, we recommend starting your communicationscampaign about two weeks before open enrollment. Start bycommunicating the most important facts, including the dates of openenrollment and benefit meetings, and what type of enrollment theycan expect (passive or active).

During this period, you should hold benefits meetings if youchoose to do so, prominently display any posters or other printedmaterials, and send links to benefits materials and educationalresources.

As you get closer to open enrollment, your communications shouldbe more detailed, with messaging on the specifics in your benefitsofferings, and login instructions.

And you will definitely want to send a message to all employeesthe day before open enrollment announcing that the fun is about tobegin and reminding them of how to get started.

Use a theme

An effective way to make your communications stand out is to usea memorable theme. You can integrate the theme in all yourcommunications much like marketers use a theme in their adcampaigns (think the Allstate Mayhem Man or Geico Caveman). Thetheme can be based on your company’s culture, style and values, orcan draw from pop culture or societal issues.

There is no reason open enrollment communications have to beboring, so have fun with this! We have seen companies usesuccessful themes that have centered around movie posters, rockbands, presidential elections and peer testimonials. A few examplescan be found here.

One thing to keep in mind is to avoid making your theme toocomplex. Or as our favorite marketer, Don Draper, put it: “Make itsimple, but significant.”

Use multiple communication methods

A cornerstone for any successful marketing campaign is usingseveral different communication methods. The same holds true foryour open enrollment communications campaign, so do not put allyour eggs in one basket.

Email is a great way to reach employees, and is probably yourfirst choice for getting the word out about open enrollment, as itshould be. You can include important dates, links to your onlinebenefits enrollment site, educational materials and many otherresources.

It would be the ideal way to communicate … if people actuallyread their emails. However, all the advantages of email (ease ofuse, ability to reach a mass audience, ability to be forwarded,etc.) are also its downfall.

Because it is so easy to use, people are bombarded with email.The average office worker receives 121 emails per day, sounfortunately, your emails may go unread. In addition, your emailsmay not get to a household’s benefits decision maker if it is notthe employee.

So, long story short, do not rely on email as your onlycommunication method! And when you do use email follow these bestpractices:

• Use a catchy subject line

• Keep the body text brief with short paragraphs and links to getmore info

• Focus on the most important details, such as OE dates and logincredentials

• Use bulleted lists if you include lots of information

• Include a clear call to action with deadlines to create a senseof urgency

Aside from email, you have a lot a choices in yourcommunications arsenal. No matter what you may have heard, print isnot dead. Posters, postcards, flyers, brochures and other handoutsare extremely effective tools.

Many people are visual learners, so a poster in your breakroomwill help your message sink in. And a postcard sent to youremployees’ home address will have a good chance of being seen by aspouse or other family members who may have a big say in benefitsmatters.

Do remember to keep your message simple, however, and onlyinclude the most important information on print materials, such asopen enrollment dates and a web address for your online benefitsenrollment platform. And don’t forget good old face-to-facemeetings.

Benefits fairs or one-on-one meetings with employees may taketime, but they are a sure way to make sure employees’ questions areanswered and they get the information they need.

Back in the digital realm, text messaging is a remarkablyeffective way to reach a younger audience, remote workers oremployees without consistent access to a computer.

Also, make sure to utilize any virtual communication hubs youremployees frequent. If Slack or Chatter are popular, for example,be sure to post something there.

Video is another great way to communicate. You can pack a lot ofinformation in a short video and people are usually more likely towatch a video than read a long email.

By linking to videos, you will be able to keep email short,increasing the chances they will be read.

Regardless of the communication method be used, one rule issupreme: be clear and consistent.

Benefits are confusing enough on their own, so your messagingshould not send mixed signals. Proof your texts thoroughly and ifyou are in doubt about the clarity of your communications, havesomeone who is not familiar with benefits read them through beforeyou send them out and give feedback.

Stay tuned for part three of our series: Energize! DriveEmployees to Action, which will guide you through the meat ofyour open enrollment communications.