Digital Marketing Strategies and Life Insurance Uptake: A Case of Liberty and Sanlam Life Insurance Companies in Kampala, Uganda

Abstract

Despite the rapid growth of internet connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa, life insurance penetration in Uganda remains critically low, at less than 1%. As insurance companies pivot from traditional brokerage models to digital platforms, understanding the impact of these technologies on consumer behavior is vital. This study examined the effect of digital marketing strategies specifically email, social media, and mobile marketing on life insurance uptake, focusing on Liberty and Sanlam Life Insurance companies in Kampala. Adopting a mixed-methods case study design, the study collected quantitative data from 88 staff members via self-administered questionnaires and qualitative data from 6 key informants through interviews. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression. Findings revealed that email marketing (r = 0.532), social media marketing (r = 0.622), and mobile marketing (r = 0.477) all have a significant positive relationship with life insurance uptake (p < 0.05). Jointly, the three strategies explain 50.2% of the variance in life insurance uptake (Adjusted R² = 0.502). Notably, social media marketing emerged as the strongest predictor (β = 0.408), followed by email (β = 0.276) and mobile marketing (β = 0.248). The study recommends that insurers adopt behavioral-based email segmentation, tailor content to specific social media platforms, and utilize location-based mobile push notifications to maximize policy uptake and renewals.