When the city of Dublin, Ohio, rolled out the Real Appeal® digital weight-loss program in February, it faced the usual questions from employees: Why should they participate and how would it help them?
Fortunately, the city was able to use e360, our automated marketing tool designed to help employers communicate the value of the weight-loss coaching program.
Dublin tapped the easy-to-use platform to generate excitement and interest in Real Appeal. Now, just nine months after its launch, participants are well on their way to achieving the 3%-5% weight loss that’s considered meaningful for health improvement. Dublin’s members are already averaging a 2.1% weight loss, and the program has a 4.88 satisfaction rating out of 5.
“The promotional posters and campaigns on e360 enabled us to have easy access to professional materials to target our audience,” said Janan Hay, Dublin’s wellness and benefits coordinator. “The e360 quarterly emails provide an excellent reminder of Real Appeal and a quick link to enroll in the program.”
This is how our tool helps employers like Dublin solve the very real — and common — challenges of marketing benefit programs to employees.
Available at engage.realappeal.com, e360 allows employers to upload employee email addresses and create automated e-mail campaigns. You can also download digital and print promotional materials. And there’s a convenient dashboard for managing your campaigns and downloads.
Here’s the awesome part: Employers using e360 for Real Appeal report double-digit employee enrollment. This is really exciting because more engagement leads to more weight loss and better outcomes, reducing the risk of chronic disease and lowering medical expenses for everyone.
On average, employers using e360 to promote Real Appeal see 22% employee enrollment, compared to just 2% for nonusers. That’s a 10x difference! In fact, some of our most active e360 users are posting even better numbers — up to 40%-50% engagement, and even 60% in one case.
It’s not just enrollment that goes up. Organizations using e360 are seeing 3% more class attendance than nonusers, on average. This is key because we know that the more sessions participants attend, the greater their weight loss.
At-risk members who attend just one or more sessions lose an average of 6.9 pounds. But members who make it to four or more sessions lose 8.1 pounds on average. Research shows that shedding as little as 5% of body weight can improve a person’s health, a milestone that 52% of engaged Real Appeal clients achieve.
Here’s another crucial takeaway: The more sessions participants attend, the more money is saved, which can translate into savings for your company. We see cost savings of $254 when people attend at least four sessions, while 26 sessions leads to a $674 savings. That’s real money.
Here’s how to take advantage of e360 and get your employees signed up for Real Appeal.
- Register on e360: It all starts here: https://engage.realappeal.com.
- Deploy a campaign on e360: Select a launch date to automate emails that will be sent to employees with details on how to enroll in Real Appeal. The platform will automatically distribute pre-written email messages, encouraging employees to sign up for or continue engaging with the program.
- Upload as many eligible email addresses as possible: Upload email addresses for all employees enrolled in your company’s medical plan to invite them to enroll. Active e360 users who upload 100% of their employee emails see 10%-20% higher enrollment.
By following these best practices, companies are seeing scalable success. One civic employer in the Atlanta area reported 60% engagement with Real Appeal after uploading 92% of employee email addresses. A large health care provider in Dallas saw 51% of employees enroll after uploading 99% of eligible email addresses.
Getting this kind of engagement makes it easy for you to justify your benefits investments. Just as important, it means more of your employees will be enrolled in a science-backed coaching program that is proven to drive lasting weight loss and a healthier lifestyle. Who wouldn’t want that?
If your organization has a fully insured medical plan with UnitedHealthcare, Oxford Health Plan or Health Plan of Nevada that includes Real Appeal, there’s no better time to get started with e360. Register now.
Eric Mann heads up marketing efforts for our key partners. He has more than 20 years of technology and health care marketing experience, leading browser marketing for Netscape and product marketing for Oracle Health Science.
