If Digital Postcards and their print counterparts have anything in common, it’s that they both can do so much with just a few words and images.
A well-chosen print postcard — the kind you might send friends back home from a vacation destination — can convey the essence of a place with just a single picture and a few lines of text. A well-designed Digital Postcard can communicate even more.
Why Digital Postcards Work So Well for HR Messaging
Digital Postcards are effective HR-communication tools because of their compact efficiency. The typical employee spends hours each day reading and responding to lengthy, all-text emails and chat messages. Against this stark, black and white backdrop, a content form built for visual appeal and digestibility can feel like a breath of fresh air.
So, it’s no surprise that we consistently see engagement rates around 70% or more for Digital Postcards used in HR-communication campaigns (such as introducing new benefits or announcing the start of open enrollment).
Other reasons Digital Postcards excel at communicating HR information include:
- They can be sent through multiple channels: email, text messages, corporate intranets, and even QR codes.
- They centralize information. A well-made Digital Postcard functions essentially as an HR “microsite,” providing a jumping-off point for all your employees’ benefit-related questions, deadlines, and decisions.
- Engagement rates, response rates, and other vital metrics are all trackable.
Tips for Creating an HR Digital Postcard that Stands Out
Here’s another similarity between digital and print postcards: Some postcards get more attention than others. For example, a printed postcard featuring a quirky local landmark will likely be more memorable than the same old skyline shot.
The same goes for Digital Postcards. The right features and design elements can mean the difference between high employee engagement with your Digital Postcards and a quick trip to the trash folder.
Having contributed to hundreds of communications campaigns targeting hundreds of thousands of employees last year alone, we have a pretty-good idea about what works when it comes to Digital Postcards. The most impactful ones almost always include these six elements:
1. A Custom Background Featuring Your Company’s Logo, Colors, and Style
Generic design feels inessential, while a Digital Postcard with your company’s unique branding tells employees that this is something relevant to them. It also shows that your company is willing to put its weight and reputation behind your messaging.
2. An Introductory Message Highlighting Crucial Information
By design, Digital Postcards don’t provide much real estate for written information. It’s important to make the most of your space (and spare your audience unnecessary reading) by sharing all the necessary details, like enrollment deadlines, clearly and up front. A brief opening statement followed by bullet points works well.
3. An Introductory Video and Additional Educational Videos on Relevant Topics
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth — well, a lot more engagement. Three-quarters of employees say they prefer video over text-focused communication.
A short, focused video is an engaging way to kick off your open enrollment campaign. You can provide additional videos that go deeper into complex topics, such as the connection between an HSA and an HDHP.
If you don’t have any video production experience, don’t worry. We offer a comprehensive and expanding library of professionally produced videos covering everything from financial wellness to demystifying health-insurance jargon.
4. A Link to a Detailed Benefits Overview Presentation
Brevity is critical to creating an effective Digital Postcard. But employees should have the option to go deeper on the subjects that matter to them.
By including a link to a detailed benefits presentation, you can ensure your employees have a place to find the answers to their questions. We recommend chaptering your presentation for ease of navigation.
5. Access to a Benefits Decision-Support Tool
During the 2021 open enrollment season, Digital Postcards linked to decision-support tools saw an average engagement rate of 77%.
Decision-support tools are interactive guides that help your employees choose the best benefits for their needs. (It’s the same level of support you’d offer if you could meet with each employee one on one.) The most effective decision-support tools employ precision algorithms and extensive databases.
For example, Flimp’s PLANselect decision-support tool draws from a claimant database of over 230 million data points to make accurate estimates and plan recommendations in less than five minutes.
6. Links to Your Enrollment Portal, Additional Resources, Websites, and PDFs
Anything your employees need to understand and choose their benefits should only be one or two clicks away from your Digital Postcard.
And, don’t forget to include HR contact information (and perhaps a link to a scheduling tool) just in case employees have questions that your videos, explainers, and interactive tools haven’t answered.
See the Anatomy of a High-Performing Digital Postcard
This article has revealed six elements of the most effective HR Digital Postcards. But, if you’ve taken one thing away, it might be that sometimes it’s better to show than to tell. So, we would be remiss if we didn’t offer you an opportunity to view a high-performing Digital Postcard for yourself.
