Case study in scalable growth: CL Life and Annuity Insurance Company

“CL Life had strong leadership and a quality product—but limited visibility and no marketing engine to match their ambition.”

Overview

CL Life, backed by Crestline Investors, launched its first annuity product with a solid foundation—strong leadership, defined branding, and a basic website. However, to grow broker engagement and brand recognition, the company needed more than assets; it needed a robust marketing engine.

The Hi Hat Approach: Partnership First

From day one, Hi Hat Marketing acted as CL Life’s embedded marketing department. Rather than just executing deliverables, we aligned around shared goals: build brand visibility, broker trust, and value proposition.

Step One: Laying the Foundation

We began with a full audit of the CL Life website and refined messaging, brand tone, and calls to action. We also reinforced credibility through strong validation signals that emphasized Crestline’s backing and CL Life’s commitment to stability and trust.

Channel Strategy: Cost-Effective & Broker-Focused

To maximize ROI and agility, we focused on two high-impact channels:

• Email Marketing – Personalized, segmented campaigns to warm and cold agent lists

• LinkedIn – Organic content strategy to build brand awareness and Company competency

Creative That Doesn’t Feel Like Insurance

Together with CL Life, we launched standout brand moments like “Have You Hugged Your Insurance Agent Day?” during Annuity Awareness Month. This playful campaign drove CL Life’s highest LinkedIn engagement to date and proved that great messaging—not just great rates—drives action.

Hi Hat’s Unique Strengths

Hi Hat became more than a vendor—we acted as a full-service marketing team without the overhead. From branding to execution, we delivered fast, scalable marketing tailored to a broker-driven model. As a lean startup, CL Life needed to look and perform like a much larger brand. With Hi Hat’s support, they were able to punch above their weight and earn broker trust and market attention.

Results at a Glance

Metric	Before Hi Hat	After Hi Hat
LinkedIn Followers	64	618
Monthly Website Sessions	1,000	3,000
Product Page Views (Annual)	1,175	8,600
Email Open Rate	18%	31%
Email Click Rate	1.5%	2.72%
File Downloads (Annual)	N/A	2,500+

Broker Enablement Wins

• Downloadable, fillable PDFs (postcards, newspaper advertising)

• Broker-friendly rate announcements and print-ready ads

• Coordinated digital and print campaigns to support sales

Scaling Responsibly

By late 2024, CL Life’s growth was so strong they paused marketing to avoid overselling. When marketing resumed in early 2025, momentum returned quickly—proving the strength of the foundation we built.

What’s Next for CL Life

• Maintain open rates above 30%

• Achieve >5% click rates on key campaigns

• Grow LinkedIn followers by 20+ per month

• Post three times weekly on LinkedIn

• Increase product page downloads by 15%

• Expand social and referral traffic by 20%

• Boost engagement time to 1 minute 30 seconds

The Takeaway

Hi Hat Marketing doesn’t just build campaigns—we build partnerships. CL Life’s success shows what happens when deep collaboration meets smart execution and shared ambition. Together, we built a brand that looks bigger, reaches farther, and delivers more.