Some bedrock agency values and practices should never change: Service. Integrity. Expertise. Responsiveness. But marketing isn’t one of those immutable things, it’s highly dynamic. The way that we reach out to and communicate with our clients and prospects is ever evolving as technologies and lifestyles change. We need to anticipate, meet, and embrace the changes, being inventive to grow our business.
Check out these 17 foolproof marketing ideas for insurance agents:
- Use video quotes and proposals. Record yourself introducing your agency and then pop in the quote and explain it. Talk about the insurer and the key coverage points. Avoid insurance jargon, explain in simple terms. Be friendly and enthusiastic. Create a branded intro with your logo that you can use for these quotes. This approach is unique, engaging, and memorable.
- Create branded content. You can post directly on your site via easy-to-use blog software. Leverage your proprietary blog content on social media. What kind of content? Explainers. Videos. Product news. Property and business risk mitigation tips. Interviews with insurers. Answer common questions that your clients ask so that the next time you are asked, you can send a link to the blog. Demonstrate your expertise and your agency’s capabilities. Maximize the uses of every piece of content you create. Remember, in marketing, repetition is a good thing.
- Conduct a social media blitz. If you have a local business you want to write, follow them on social media. Have your team all follow them. Comment on, like, and repost their content. Create a blog post about their services, Do a review of their products or services and post it on Google. Demonstrate your interest in being a partner to their business.
- Monitor the insurance industry to stay up on trends and news. Use a news aggregator app or an RSS news reader to subscribe to syndicated headlines so that you can scan news from multiple sources quickly and efficiently. Staying up on trends will give you news and items to post on your blog and share on social media. It will also ensure you can keep your clients informed on new trends and developments.
- Monitor your prospects and your competitors. Follow their social media accounts. Use RSS feeds and apps to monitor their web page updates. And engage in social media listening to monitor your brand’s social mentions and theirs.
- Invest in a good Search Engine Optimization (SEO) pro. Audit your agency’s site. This will give you a clear path to improve your search engine standings by identifying any barriers your site may have and pointing out opportunities for improvement.
- Shift more of your web efforts to mobile. Many of us who work out of offices are still tethered to our agency management systems via desktops and laptops, but our clients are increasingly abandoning hardware and relying on mobile devices. Build your site and your content for mobile.
- Conduct monthly or quarterly “grow the agency” challenges for your staff. One of the best and most effective marketing ideas for insurance agents is to conduct “grow the agency” challenges for your staff. Each challenge should have a different targeted focus, such as producing the most leads, securing the most x-dates, the most referrals, the most testimonials, the most upselling or cross selling volume. Supply the tools, the scripts, the training, the rules, and promote the prizes in advance.
- Hold online lunchtime webinars. Staging webinars used to be an expensive and labor-intensive effort but now that we are all experts in remote online meetings, there are no excuses. Topical webinars can be particularly effective if you serve small businesses or a niche industry segment. Use them to introduce less familiar or newer coverages, to explain complex coverages, or to address common exposures and business threats they face. Partner with an industry expert. Film or record the webinar and then post in on your website as content.
- Leverage automation. Automate repetitive tasks. Deploy chatbots on your site to engage with visitors. Use social media automation tools with calendars to plan, schedule and monitor social media content posting.
- Send out press releases on newsworthy items. Send releases on agency news to your local news outlets, or issue online media releases. Posting online generally requires a fee, but online releases can help with your search engine standing. Either hire a PR pro to write them for you or Google for press release templates and best practices. You might also check to see if your local paper or an online forum is open to a weekly or monthly column that you can author on risk and insurance matters.
- Network with other agencies on social media and at events. Not all agents are competitors. And even if they are, today’s competitor might be tomorrow’s acquisition. Look for ways to collaborate – you may sell some products or represent a niche they don’t and vice versa. Plus, agents in other states may have leads but no licenses in your state.
- Conduct lead-nurturing email campaigns. Keep in communication with prospects that you want to write and prior clients that you want to win back. Email regularly about your agency news and services and keep a calendar about their renewal dates so you can conduct a targeted approach in advance. Build landing pages that pay off the subject of your email with more detail and a call to action.
- Use multiple communication channels. Get emails. Get mobile numbers and permission to text. Get chat on your site while the office is open and a chatbot to catch the night owls. Learn your clients’ communication preferences and communicate in their preferred form.
- Add calls to action to everything. Your website. Your emails. Your newsletters. Your phone calls. Calls to action don’t have to be hard sell but be sure to give the reader or caller a reason and a path to reach out.
- Build a referral program. Train your team to get comfortable in asking for referrals and start with happy customers. Extend your program through friends and family, your business networks, and your neighboring businesses.
- Show your appreciation. Find creative ways to thank your clients and prospects for their trust in you and their time. Let them know that they are important to you. But don’t stop there – extend your appreciation to your agency team, your partners, and your community.
For more marketing ideas for insurance agents and tips to grow your agency:
Insurance Sales Training: 9 Tips for Success
Insurance Specialties: Finding the Right Niche to Propel Agency Growth
