Proposing health cover to an existing client on WhatsApp

WhatsApp category : Marketing

When to send this message

This is a promotional message. It goes out as a Meta marketing template and only to clients who agreed to receive offers; in ORIS a "Cover review / upsell" campaign automatically skips anyone flagged marketing_opt_out.

The trigger is a signal, not a date: a motor or household client who has just thanked you for a well-handled claim, a new parent, a self-employed client who mentioned a planned operation, an employee leaving a company scheme. In South Africa the broker's toolkit is gap cover, hospital cash plans and, for brokers accredited with the Council for Medical Schemes, medical scheme advice. In Kenya, Zambia or Ghana the sale is usually a hospital cash plan or a family medical plan with premiums paid by mobile money. In the UK it is private medical insurance or a cash plan, most often for self-employed clients or small employers.

Do not send this in the same week as an unpaid-premium notice or while a claim is open; it reads as opportunism. Keep it descriptive, with no price before you have the client's details. The channel rules are set out in POPIA and WhatsApp for brokers.

Variants

Plain (South Africa, motor client, gap cover)

Warm (family, East Africa, mobile money)

Short (question with buttons)

Formal (SME owner, group scheme)

UK (self-employed client, private medical insurance)

Writing tips

• Open with a fact the client gave you (occupation, children, a recent claim) and say it in the first sentence: that is what separates advice from advertising.
• Ask for a tiny action ("reply GAP", three questions) rather than an hour-long meeting: on WhatsApp conversion happens in small steps.
• Segment before sending: in Customers & Segments filter clients with no health policy on record and a valid marketing opt-in, and keep the daily limit low enough to read every reply.
• In South Africa, keep the message within your licence categories and remember that medical scheme advice requires CMS accreditation; in the UK, Consumer Duty expects the offer to be suitable for the target client, not merely permitted.
• Prepare the follow-through: a positive reply should create a cross_sell opportunity in ORIS and lead to a call within the 24-hour window.

Common mistakes

• Quoting a price ("from R150 a month") without age, plan or health details: the real quote will contradict it and regulators dislike such hooks.
• Blasting the whole book, including clients already covered by an employer scheme or clients who declined marketing.
• Using a utility template to dodge marketing opt-in: Meta reclassifies these and can restrict the number.
• Chasing three times with no reply: an unanswered marketing message is a signal, not an invitation to push harder.

Frequently asked questions

Why is this message marketing rather than utility?

Because it proposes a new policy. Meta treats messages about an existing transaction or policy as utility; anything that sells, promotes or suggests a product is marketing, which requires marketing consent and carries a higher conversation charge.

Can I mention an indicative premium?

Better not. Health cover depends on age, plan and sometimes medical history, and a teaser price creates an expectation the real quote will break. Offer a short comparison instead.

How do I pick the clients to send this to?

Cross three criteria: no health policy on the record, marketing opt-in active, and a recent signal such as a settled claim, a life event or a high engagement score. ORIS builds that segment with its filters or by manual selection.

What if the client says they are already covered?

Thank them, note the insurer and renewal date on the record if they share it, and do not raise health cover again before that date. It becomes useful information for a proper comparison the following year.