The AEP Marketing Checklist Every Medicare Agent Needs

The Quick Take

Prepare now so you can sell later: The more marketing you build, schedule, and automate before AEP, the more time you’ll have for client conversations and sales once the season starts.

Get found, then earn trust: Optimize your Google Business Profile, keep your business information consistent everywhere, and publish educational content that answers prospects’ questions before they ever meet you.

Start with email if you do only one thing: Email is one of the most underutilized, lowest-cost channels available. Build separate journeys for your lead lists and your current clients now.

Why Pre-AEP Preparation Matters

You already know what AEP looks like. Appointments stack up, the phone doesn’t stop ringing, and many agents work long hours and weekends without a single day off.

When your calendar fills up, marketing is usually the first thing to slip. That’s why the weeks leading up to AEP matter so much.

“The more that you can prepare… going into AEP, you can concentrate on what’s going to move the needle the most, which is connecting with your clients and potential clients and getting those sales done,” says Jo Barker of AmeriLife Marketing Mentors.

Preparation doesn’t just mean planning. It means auditing your process now: tightening your online presence, lining up your content, organizing your email lists, and scheduling as much as possible so it’s ready before October.

Here’s an AEP marketing checklist to help you do exactly that.

Make Sure You’re Discoverable

When people start searching for help during AEP, you want to show up. That starts with Google.

*Optimize Your Google Business ProfileOptimize Your Google Business Profile***

Owning your Google Business Profile isn’t enough. Many agents claim their profile but never optimize it, leaving hours, details, and other critical information blank.

Take time to:

Fill in every field completely, including your business hours and contact information.
Double-check your business category. Many agents are surprised to find they’ve categorized themselves incorrectly, which affects what searches they appear in.
Ask past clients for reviews. Reviews help signal to Google that real customers value your service, which can help you rank higher.
Add new photos and updates regularly.

Your profile isn’t something you can set up once and forget. Recency matters. Fresh reviews and updated photos signal that you’re active and engaged, and those are signals the algorithm looks for.

Show Up for “Near Me” Searches

When someone in your area searches “Medicare agent near me,” you want your business to appear. To make that happen, include your city anywhere you can.

Instead of listing your business name alone, add your specialty and location. For example: “Jo Barker Insurance, insurance agent, Seminole.”

Add your city and business address to:

Your Google Business Profile
Your website
Your Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media accounts
Online directories such as Yelp and Apple

Keep Your Information Consistent Everywhere

Your name, phone number, and address should match exactly on every platform. This matters even more now that consumers are using AI to search.

“If AI starts to lose faith that they have correct information because there’s wrong information, it can actually hurt your ranking,” Jo explains.

Before AEP begins, check every listing and correct anything that doesn’t match.

Search for Yourself

One of the simplest audits you can do: search “Medicare agent near me” in your area and see who appears. The results show you who Google is giving credit to.

If a competitor shows up and you don’t, that’s your homework. Look at what they’re doing, such as their reviews, categories, website, and directory listings, and work to close the gap.

Build Trust Before the First Conversation

Once someone finds you, the next step is earning their trust. The most effective way to do that is by sharing educational content that provides real value.

Think about the questions you hear most often, then answer them online.

“You want to answer everything for them so they start building trust before you’ve ever even met them,” Jo says.

When you give helpful information without asking for anything in return, people begin to connect with you. By the time they reach out, they already feel like they know you, and much of the relationship-building work is done.

Focus on Evergreen Content

Answers to basic Medicare questions don’t expire. Content like this keeps working for you long after you publish it.

If you start creating now, you may not see your content ranking by AEP. But you’ll be far ahead going into next year.

Watch Impressions, Not Just Likes

In the beginning, don’t worry too much about likes and followers. Pay attention to impressions instead.

Social platforms now show content to people beyond your followers when it resonates. Impressions give you a better sense of how far your content is reaching.

Don’t Be Afraid to Repeat Yourself

If a question comes up again and again, answer it again and again. Give it a slightly different angle each time. The people asking are still looking for answers.

Stand Out in a Crowded Market

During AEP, many agents are selling the same products to the same audience. That can make it hard to stand out, especially now that AI makes content easier for everyone to produce.

What sets you apart is you: your personality and the way you present information.

Many agents hesitate to create content because they feel a topic has already been covered. Maybe five other agents have made the same video. According to Jo, that doesn’t matter.

“If you grab the attention of somebody and they are asking those type of questions, you want to make sure that you are the one providing the answers,” she says.

If you don’t have content out there, you’re giving prospects a reason to go elsewhere. So create it, even if it covers the basics. Don’t assume your audience already knows what you know. Often, they don’t.

Keep your focus on education rather than selling. As Jo puts it, “The sales will come.”

Segment Your Email Lists and Automate Your Outreach

If you sell multiple products, and Medicare is just one of them, organization is critical heading into AEP.

The last thing you want is to damage the trust you’ve built by sending the wrong message to the wrong people.

Organize by Product

If some contacts don’t need AEP messaging, move them into their own list. Sorting by product type keeps your communication relevant for everyone, including your wealth and life clients.

Separate Leads From Clients

A lead list, meaning people whose contact information you have but who don’t know you yet, needs a very different conversation than someone you’ve already helped.

Build separate journeys for each:

Leads: Create nurture campaigns that provide enough value to move them toward scheduling an appointment.

Current clients: Encourage them to review their plans and reach out with questions. Other agents will be contacting them during AEP, so remind them you’re still there and protect that relationship.

Start With One Email Sequence

If you’re preparing for your first AEP, start with an educational sequence. Ideas include:

“Five things you didn’t know about Medicare”

“Coming into AEP, here’s what you need to know”

An invitation to schedule a plan review and make sure their plan is still the best fit

Write these emails now and schedule them to go out as AEP begins. You’ll be on the phone constantly once the season starts, and having them ready will save you time when you need it most.

Use AI as Your Virtual Assistant

AI can help you prepare content faster, as long as you use it the right way.

Treat AI like a content assistant. Tell it exactly what you’re trying to accomplish, and ask it to account for CMS marketing guidelines and the rules around AEP. It can help build guardrails based on publicly available information.

That said, it’s no substitute for your compliance review. “It obviously is never going to act as compliance,” Jo notes.

Here are a few ways to use AI before AEP:

Brainstorm content ideas and draft social media posts you can schedule in advance.
Use it as a sounding board. Ask it for the pros and cons of an idea and whether it would work during AEP.
Draft email sequences and educational content for you to refine.

The most important rule: don’t copy and paste. Always edit AI-generated content so it sounds like you.

“People are going to know immediately that it’s AI generated and then that trust goes down,” Jo says.

This is especially true for email. Email is a personal form of communication. You’re showing up in someone’s inbox one-to-one, so your voice matters.

Create Anchor Content You Can Use All Season

You don’t need to create every piece of AEP content separately. Instead, start with one substantial piece of anchor content and break it down for every channel.

Here’s what that process can look like:

Use AI to help draft the top 10 frequently asked questions about Medicare.
Edit the draft so it reflects your voice and the way you communicate.
Turn it into a video script and record one long-form video for YouTube.
Cut 10 short videos from it, one for each question.
Publish an article version on your website.
Pull snippets from the article to pair with graphics for social media.

“You can take one piece of content and turn it into 30 pieces,” Jo says.

Spend a little time in front of the camera now, and you could have all of October’s content planned and scheduled. Do it a couple more times, and much of AEP is covered.

WATCH: The Simple Content Strategy Busy Agents Need to Hear

Meet Your Audience on Social Media

Social media is an important touch point in the consumer journey. When someone discovers you on Google, there’s a good chance they’ll look you up on social media next.

For the 65+ community, YouTube and Facebook are the top two platforms. According to Jo, many in this audience spend two to three hours a day on social media. That’s where you need to be.

This audience likes to do their own research, often on YouTube. Once they’ve done their research, they typically want reassurance from an agent. They pick up the phone.

If your content is what they find while researching, you’re more likely to be the agent they call. If it isn’t, your competitor has the advantage.

If you’re comfortable on camera, YouTube is a great place to start.

Build Referrals Into Your Process

Referrals should still be one of your top sources of business. Your digital marketing exists to complement and amplify your referral efforts, not replace them.

The easiest way to generate more referrals is to build the ask into your process from the start:

Ask for a review after a positive experience. Right after a sale, ask the client to leave a Google review. Not everyone has a Gmail account, so offer Facebook reviews as an alternative.
Share testimonials. Post client reviews across your social media channels.
Send a thank-you email. Thank clients for their review, share the services you offer, and invite them to send friends or family your way.
Post a simple invitation. Let your audience know that if anyone they know has questions, you’re here to help.

Host Educational Seminars

Educational webinars and seminars are one of the most effective, low-pressure ways to earn referrals. Whether you host at a local library or online, you can invite clients to share the event with friends and family who have questions.

There’s no commitment beyond showing up to learn. Given how confusing Medicare can be, many people welcome that opportunity.

If You Do Just One Thing Today

If you only have time for one item on this checklist, start with email marketing.

“It’s the most underutilized channel,” Jo says.

You’ve already invested money in lead lists and time in building client relationships. Email helps you stay in touch with all of them at a low cost, which is why it’s one of the highest-ROI channels available.

Start preparing your journeys based on your segments: one for your lead list and one for your current clients.

Your AEP Marketing Checklist

Use this list to audit your marketing before AEP begins:

Complete every field on your Google Business Profile and confirm your business category.
Request fresh reviews and add new photos.
Match your name, address, and phone number across every platform.
Add your city to your profiles, website, and social media accounts.
Search “Medicare agent near me” and study who’s showing up.
Publish evergreen educational content that answers common questions.
Segment your email lists by product and relationship.
Write and schedule your AEP email journeys.
Use AI to draft content, then personalize it and review it for compliance.
Create one or two anchor pieces and repurpose them across channels.
Show up on Facebook and YouTube, where your audience is researching.
Build review and referral requests into your post-sale process.

Need Help Preparing for AEP?

The busiest season of the year is just around the corner. If you want help building a marketing strategy that carries you through it, the AmeriLife Marketing Mentors can help you create a custom plan.

For more tools, explore the AEP Marketing Playbook, which includes a downloadable AEP Marketing Checklist.