Reaching African-American Prospects

The easiest way for an insurer to reach affluent African-American prospects is to assume they'll see the same newspaper and TV commercials everyone else sees.

The best way is sending advisers out into the community to meet the people.

The third way, marketing experts say, is to supplement general advertising campaigns and grassroots efforts with media campaigns focusing on the niche radio stations, television channels and print publications that African-Americans really care about.

The Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association, New York, addresses this topic in a long, detailed report on its website at www.sifma.org, that could serve as a starting point for any financial services company wanting to do more to sell to African-Americans.