Marketing insurance and financial products to the senior market can be a challenge for newcomers.  While the older generations are certainly warming up to technology, it is important to utilize traditional and comfortable outlets to reach a broad section of the market.

To do this I like to utilize marketing lists which can be used for both direct mail and cold calling (if scrubbed against the DNC).  Mail and phone are both channels that perform well with seniors due in large part because they have more time to read the mail, talk on the phone and take in-person appointments.

Regardless of how a marketing sales list is used I wanted to write this short guide for those of you looking to buy list for a specific senior product.

For starters I suggest testing multiple list providers.  Some will have rigid filters and fields and others will offer a lot more flexibility.  Most of them will have similar data from various sources, much of which is aggregated public data and data from credit reporting agencies.

What is important is the accuracy of the data which is most often related to when it was collected.  Look for an accuracy guarantee of at least 90% or higher.

When buying a list I like to get as many fields as possible for cross promoting, custom filtering and for informational talking points.  Most list providers will offer the primary filtered fields along with name, gender, postal info and carrier route at a minimum.  Additional non-filtered fields that may or may not be offered can include age, date of birth, homeowner/renter, length at residence, marital status, children (age), dwelling size, home value, income, net worth, number of vehicles,  and household size.  There are actually many other fields that vary across list providers but these are all typically in the service’s master file.

Senior Product Filters for Sales Lists

This list offers some of my preferred filters for senior market products.  I created it as a base starting point to narrow the audience.  You can filter additional fields to narrow down your ideal prospect even more.

Final Expense

Age: 60-80
Income: Under $75,000

Medicare

Age: 64-80
Income: $20,000 to $90,000

Notes: Marketing regulations prohibit cold calling for Medicare Advantage products so if you can get a lower cost for a list without phone numbers go for it.  If you plan to sell Medicare supplement products or promote alternative products first you may want to elect to keep the phone numbers.

T65

Date of Birth: Turning 65 birth date ranging 3 months before and after your send data (Tight Targeting)
Age: 64-65 (Broad Targeting)
Income: Less Than $100,000

Annuity

Age: 45-70
Income: More Than $50,000

Long Term Care

Age: 45-70
Income: More Than $40,000
Marital Status: Married

Again, these are just personal suggestions.  Feel free to tweak or add your own filters to meet your preferences.  I hope it helps you.

For those of you that might need a bit more info before jumping into senior products and marketing sources you can find some good info to get you on your way here, here, here and here.