Finding The Best Affinity Group Prospects
The best target for affinity marketing of employee benefits is the small business market, experts agree.
Small affinity groups tend to attract small employers, and these are companies that generally can't afford much in the way of employee benefits. That makes them excellent candidates for voluntary worksite benefits. But what kind of small business groups should a producer target?
"When looking at a new group, look for a strong affinity relationship," says Clelland Green, executive vice president, USI Affinity Group, Philadelphia. "Not all groups have the same type of relationship. Local bar associations, for example, may have a strong relationship with members, while others will not be as strong."
"Local bar associations are good, because when attorneys graduate, that is the first organization they get in touch with," agrees Samuel H. Fleet, president and chief executive officer of National Employee Benefits Companies, Warwick, R.I.
Green also points out that the number of members an affinity group has is a good indication of the strength of its relationship with those members. USI Affinity tries to target groups with 1,500 to 2,000 members as a rule of thumb, he says.
"Second, look for groups with an established affinity marketing program, with significant blocks of business but who are not satisfied with their current administrator," he says.
Green's company also looks at the group's "footprint": the geographic region it covers. If the area's relatively small, it's easier to service the members of that group.
==Trevor Thomas
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