INSURANCE MARKETING PART I

Tue, 18 Apr 2017 06:28:01 +0000

By Chungu Katotobwe

GOOD MARKETING means that the marketplace pays for your marketing! One of the reasons why clients do not buy more lines of insurance and refer to your agency minimally is because they do not know what you sell. I

know it seems obvious to you, but if you do not make it crystal clear to clients they will only think of you for the products they already own.

Create an easy-to-read one-pager that shows everything you sell and have your producers review that sheet during your new customer on-boarding process. While you are at it, make a corresponding page on your company website to email existing clients and share on social media.

Encourage clients to program your insurance agency phone number into their cell phone in case they have a claim or billing question. They will be walking around with your contact information everywhere they go. If someone asks them about insurance it will be easier to refer them to you, after all, referrals should be considered one of your most important insurance marketing strategies.

Get a website you can use – this is 2017, and every business owner should have a website that allows them to easily publish and edit their own content online. If there was a local emergency and you needed to get a message out to your clients, would you have to wait for a developer to process the request? Certainly not!

Utilize sales videos. Sales videos are great, because you make it once and it can sell insurance a million times. Imagine giving the best presentation you have ever delivered to every single client. Record your sales explanation of each product you sell, publish it to your website, and send prospective clients the link. If you do not want to do it yourself check out one of the companies with a library of sales videos for insurance companies and start selling with a complimentary video within an hour. Always avoid procrastination; It is one of the biggest killers of progress.

Emergency information wallet cards – Include local emergency numbers like the fire department, police, poison control, etc. Include your contact information and the phone number for claims. Customers will be glad to carry such a valuable card around in their wallet and they will always have your information in their pocket! Referrals are the cheapest and easiest form of insurance agency marketing.

If you do not already have an automated email signature, make one right now. Include every bit of contact information about you like your address, phone numbers, website, twitter, facebook, etc.

Keep a voice recorder in your car – when you are driving and spot a commercial vehicle record some information about the vehicle and the phone number. You can call the owner later and explain where you saw the vehicle and that you would like an opportunity to make a bid on their insurance at the next renewal.

Blessed is the hand that gives, still holds true. There are many opportunities for growing your business while volunteering. You can get great public relations in the local newspaper; meet other local community leaders and business owners. Choose a non-profit organization you have some interest in, and the more passion you have, the more benefits you reap.

If you want to find out what is missing from your agency’s marketing plan, take a few minutes to get a free online marketing analysis. It is built specifically for insurance agents, and after answering 20 or so questions about your agency you will get a detailed report full of ideas, suggestions, and resources to take charge in your agency.

It is common knowledge that, internet leads are frustrating at times, because the information can be inaccurate, people are not always excited to talk to you, and there is always competition. But it is hard to find an easier source of people in your market that want insurance right now.  So the idea is to persevere, until doors begin to open.

You know those thin plastic tags the grocery store, gym, and credit card companies give you? Include your company contact information. Customers will use them, because they want your contact information in an emergency, and you want it on their keys so they can refer to you any time. Landing pages are basic single-page websites built for one purpose: generating customers. While a typical company website showcases all your products to every potential customer, landing pages are narrowly-focused on a specific product and/or market and they are ideal for online customer generation. You do not need to know anything about building websites, because it does not matter; you can build and launch beautiful landing pages simply by hiring an IT technician affordably.

You already know that some people want to shop online for insurance, but can your website provide live quotes? My advice is that, live quoting on your website works best for products that do not need to ask too many questions to generate a fair price. These are products that have obvious costs. For this; products like life assurance and annuities are out of question, as they require personal touch and input.

Chambers of commerce and professional organizations host networking events all the time and you will not miss them if you signup for their email newsletters and pay attention. Make as many connections as possible and follow up with those who can assist your insurance marketing with referrals. Networking events are always loaded with salespeople so focus on how you can be different, help those you meet and have fun.

Promote your website; agents always tell me they would promote their website more if they only knew what to do. Invest some time in learning and understanding how websites and the internet work.

It is not easy to generate a consistent flow of clients to your company through your marketing efforts alone. Capture your clients’ email and develop an insurance electronic newsletter. Email marketing providers can help you produce professional looking newsletters and track those that opened it, what they clicked on, and how long they viewed the message. Just remember that people already get a lot of spam in their email and you have to have something valuable to say. Sending sales emails can be illegal.

Door-to-door relationship building; it is not the easiest approach, but it might be one of the cheapest and most effective insurance marketing strategies. To be successful with face-to-face insurance marketing, orient all conversations around how you can help the organization, with referrals and promotion, not just insurance.

Have a non-sales conversation prepared, like a local community event you are organizing and recruiting help for. Be respectful and make an impression without interfering or coming across as a typical salesperson. Get business dates and follow up with the decision makers before renewals. You will be surprised how many clients you will land yourself.

There are three major reasons insurance agents do not get enough referrals: they do not ask, they do not keep in touch with clients, and they do not deserve them. Solve those three problems and it will rain referrals. The more customers you handle, the more your profits. Look out for part II.