Personal Advertising: A Guide to Independent Insurance Agent Marketing

Personal Advertising: A Guide to Independent Insurance Agent Marketing

If you're an independent insurance agent, you need to advertise yourself effectively. Learn some valuable insurance agent marketing tips that can't miss.

Keyword(s): insurance agent marketing

As of 2018, there were approximately 1.2 million insurance agents throughout the country. As the industry continues to grow, you need to ensure you stand out as an individual agent. Otherwise, what reason do prospective clients have to choose you over someone else?

By using the latest insurance agent marketing trends, you can stand out from the crowd!

At the same time, you can improve your lead generation strategies to bring in more clients.

Here are the eight insurance agent marketing tips you need to succeed. With these tips, you can advertise yourself and attract more clients than ever before!

1. Know Your Audience

Before you can start marketing to new clients, you need to know who those people are. Otherwise, you'll fail to make a lasting connection—or strong first impression.

Who do you consider your ideal client? Are they looking for a specific type of insurance? What age range do they fall in?

What works for a 20-year-old client won't necessarily match the needs of an 80-year-old client.

If you have clients that fall into multiple categories, separate them by buyer personas. Determining the demographics (age, gender, household income) and purchasing behavior that sets your clients apart can help you market to each one.

As you determine your audience, take a look at your brand. Does your brand as an insurance agent attract this specific audience? Updating your branding can also help give your insurance lead gen strategies a boost.

That way, you're standing out from other agents while attracting the right clients.

Once you specify your ideal audience, you can avoid leads that will waste your time. Instead, you can optimize your time with people more likely to become long-term, loyal customers.

2. Improve Your Site

The foundation for effective insurance agent marketing is a strong website.

When was the last time you updated your site? It's possible the design and functionality are out-of-date with current trends and standards. This can make your personal brand look old and disconnected, too.

Whether you use digital ads or post on social media, people are bound to visit your website. Make sure it looks relevant and properly displays your brand. You'll also want a site that loads quickly and is easy-to-read.

Updating your site based on the user experience will help you attract new clients.

Once you've updated your website, make sure it's mobile-optimized as well. Otherwise, people will have trouble exploring your site on smaller screens. Our society is always on-the-go, so we often check our phones for information.

By optimizing your site for mobile devices, you can make it easier for people to travel between social media apps and your site, too.

3. Advertise Online

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is an effective way to generate new leads. You can advertise on search engines like Google and Bing or use social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

When advertising online, make sure you have a clear, concise message.

You can target your clients based on:

  • Location
  • Behaviors
  • Interests
  • Connections
  • Demographics

Once you start advertising using PPC, make sure to review the data. You'll need to optimize your campaigns regularly to avoid wasting money.

Using PPC can help you increase brand awareness by boosting your visibility.

4. Stay Social

People want to work with people they trust and connect with. In order to market yourself as an insurance agent, you'll want to show clients you're a real person. One of the easiest ways to build this connection is through social media.

First, determine which platforms your clients are using. For example, older generations use Facebook more often, while younger individuals spend more time on Snapchat. You don't need to use every platform.

Then, post high-quality images and content. Try to appeal to your audience's interests and concerns. Spark a conversation whenever you can.

Using social media will allow you to build and nurture relationships.

Make sure to sound conversational and approachable, so people will start coming to you.

5. Rock Online Reviews

Do you have a lot of happy clients? Give them the chance to speak up.

Adding reviews and testimonials to your website will allow you to leverage social proof. Reviews from happy clients speak to your expertise and their experience. That way, new clients are more likely to trust you above a competitor.

6. Start Rolling with Video

People spend 2.6 more time on websites that include videos. For insurance agent marketing that draws people in, consider adding video content to your website and social media.

Video content gives people a face and voice to associate with your brand.

Videos will also keep people on your site longer, improving your dwell time and clickthrough rate. Improving these stats will give your search engine rankings a boost. When you rank higher on search engines like Google, people will see your site before a competitor's.

A higher ranking speaks to your credibility, too.

7. Strengthen Your SEO

You can also improve website traffic, lead generation, and your search engine rankings using SEO. SEO, or search engine optimization, involves improving your website content based on the phrases your clients are searching for.

Using Google Trends and Keyword Planner to determine your audience's interests.

What terms are they searching for right now? Then, start creating helpful blog posts that review those topics. Writing blog posts will help you attract site traffic and show clients you know your stuff.

As a result, you're increasing leads and becoming a go-to resource in your field.

8. Increase Open Rates

Email marketing can help you nurture your leads. For effective email marketing, you need strong email subject lines that entice people to open your emails.

How can you spark their interest? Try to write a subject line that will generate curiosity. However, you need to make sure your subject line remains professional and aligned with your brand as well.

Improving your email open rate will help you encourage continuous communication with your clients.

Make Your Mark: 8 Tips for More Effective Insurance Agent Marketing

Stand out as one of the top insurance agents in your industry! Start using these insurance agent marketing tips to make your mark today.

Growing your insurance lead gen list? Explore our data plans today to keep your list up-to-date!

Leads That Matter: How to Improve the Quality of Your Internet Leads

Leads That Matter: How to Improve the Quality of Your Internet Leads

Leads That Matter: How to Improve the Quality of Your Internet Leads

When generating internet leads, you need to take measures to make sure they're high quality. Learn how to generate better leads online.

Keyword(s): internet leads

What if you could improve your sales directly from the source?

Solid internet sales come down to quality internet leads. If you want to take your sales to the next level, you need to find ways to improve the quality of those leads.

You don't have to figure everything out on your own. Keep reading to discover our comprehensive guide!

Weed Them Out

Most businesses focus a lot on their ideal customers. In fact, your website probably talks a lot about who will benefit from your services.

However, too much of that can make your company sound like everyone else. Eventually, everything is a hot mess of buzzwords, leaving customers confused and frustrated.

One solution is to "think outside the box" and discuss who your business will NOT be good for. Customers will respond positively to your honesty, and you'll definitely stand out from the competition.

Balance Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing are not simply different departments. Instead, they are two parts of a balanced whole...right up until they aren't.

Generally speaking, the marketing department works on market-qualified leads and sales works on sales-qualified leads. But the more we think of these as separate measures, the more we encourage these departments to focus only on their own efforts.

Ideally, each division should work closely with the other to refine MQLs and SQLs simultaneously. When done right, this means that both teams are constantly improving the sales funnel for your customers.

And as the funnel improves, your lead generation also improves. And you can even explore other avenues such as aged internet leads.

Optimize Your Site

It's easy to dismiss SEO as just another buzzword. But make no mistake: good SEO is the difference between high customer visibility and virtual customer invisibility.

That's why you need to focus on improving SEO as soon as possible. You should revamp every page to improve the SEO and help your site jump up in the Google Search rankings.

Make sure keywords are featured in your title tags, headers, descriptions, and alt-tags. This isn't overkill. Instead, it's "just enough kill" to help interested customers find your site.

Such customers are already highly interested in your products, making them very solid leads.

Be a Problem Solver

In the eyes of customers, every product is a solution. Before they will buy any of your products, customers must know exactly which problems your problems help solve.

It's worth creating a page that focuses on the problems your products and services can solve. That page should also describe exactly how you solve these things using clear and direct language.

Customers will appreciate this transparency about what your company does (and does not) do. Furthermore, such a page makes it easy for customers to visualize how your company can improve their lives.

Buyer Personas

How well do your sales and marketing teams understand your customers? For most people, simple demographic data is very abstract. It's difficult to look at a series of numbers and descriptions and think of them as living, feeling beings.

This is why your business should create in-depth buyer personas. The purpose of such personas is to put a face on the demographic data while helping your employees understand their customers on a truly granular level.

The best personas will incorporate both demographic and psychographic data. This mixture of customer identity and motivation can lead to breakthroughs in terms of online marketing.

And such improved marketing helps to create the kind of qualified leads you are looking for.

Improve Conversion Rates

Want a really simple tip to improve the quality of your leads? Here it is: you should focus on improving your existing conversion rates.

Sometimes, the problem with leads isn't in your marketing approach. Instead, it's the simple fact that not enough prospective leads convert into customers after they interact with your business.

To improve these rates, you should focus on Conversion Rate Optimization. Conduct a series of A/B testing for different revisions of each online page until you discover what is most effective for your customers.

All In On Video

Let's face it — video is more than a passing trend. Right now, video is the primary way that many demographics such as Millennials and Zoomers consume content.

We're not just talking about video as entertainment, either. Prospective customers are increasingly fascinated by video product reviews, unboxing videos, and other streaming content that helps inform their purchases.

You can take advantage of this by creating your own high-quality video content. Such content helps to improve leads on its own and also gives you content that you can share across various social media channels.

Better Positioning

Sometimes, getting better leads just comes down to better marketing. And the best marketing is a matter of improving your company's position in the eyes of your customers.

This means honestly assessing who your primary customers are and which rival companies they are likeliest to turn to. Now, the big question: what separates your business from your rivals?

When you have an angle on your position and value proposition, you can integrate this into dynamic new marketing campaigns. Every new lead gained from this improved positioning will be of a higher quality than what you gained before.

The Power of PPC

Ever wonder why so many businesses rely on Pay-Per-Click advertising? Simple — because it works!

When done right, PPC helps you really stretch your marketing budget while putting your company in front of more eyes than ever before. And platforms such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads have built-in features that help you target your exact demographic rather than advertising to the masses.

With PPC, you can focus on exact phrases to help lure in customers searching via that phrase. If a campaign isn't working, you can instantly retire it; and if you want to bring a classic ad back, you can do so with a single click.

Finally, PPC has the analytics you need to monitor your campaign progress and improve your advertising from month to month.

Better Internet Leads: Achievement Unlocked

Now you know how to access better internet leads. But do you know who can help you improve every lead?

We focus on improving leads for businesses just like yours. To see what we can do for your business, contact us today!


Salesperson Mistakes: 5 Sales Tactics You Need to Avoid

Salesperson Mistakes: 5 Sales Tactics You Need to Avoid

Salesperson Mistakes: 5 Sales Tactics You Need to Avoid

Some sales approaches haven't stood the test of time and need to be done away with. Learn seven sales tactics you should avoid at all costs.

Keyword(s): sales tactics

We all know it: salespeople get a bad rap. We get the reputation for being pushy, dishonest, and self-serving. To be honest, we also have each dealt with a salesperson ourselves who fit that stereotype.

Hope is not lost. Your personality and reputation is a powerful part of your success in sales. You can start earning your customers' trust and repeat business by setting rules for yourself.

In fact, success is as much about learning what not to do as it is about learning what to do. Start by steering clear of these outdated and ineffective sales tactics.

1. Keeping Customers in Front of You

There is an old sales strategy that tells salespeople to keep the conversation going with a customer for as long as possible. The theory is that the more time a customer spends with you, the more likely they are to buy.

That doesn't work anymore. Your customers are busy people and if they feel stuck in a conversation they don't want to be in, all it will do is turn them off.

For cold calls and meetings alike, start off your conversations with a quick summary and elevator pitch. Only give customers as much information as they need and want.

From there, let them set the tone for how long the conversation goes. If they seem engaged, you can ask more questions and go into more detail. If it looks like they're ready to end the conversation, bring it to a close.

No matter how the conversation ends, always set up a "next step." If the customer hasn't made a purchase yet, let them know when you'll be reaching back out.

2. Pursuing Whales Only

Have you ever contacted a salesperson to buy a product or service, only to get a clear message that your business was too small for them to care about?

Most of us have, and it's a terrible feeling. That's the last thing you want to do to your customers. Not only does it burn your bridge to them, but it means that you lose out on a sale even if it's a small one.

At the same time, you don't want to invest too much time pursuing small-time customers.

It's all about finding a middle ground. When you first come into contact with a customer, qualify them. Get a sense of their interest level and their buying power.

While you want to focus most of your energy courting big customers, don't ignore the little guys. Be responsive to them and make them feel heard. You can do this in a surprisingly small amount of time, earning new business without a large investment of your time.

3. Spending Extensive Amounts of Time (Or No Time at All) on Small Talk

Small talk is a necessary part of sales. It's a path to earning your customers' trust. The challenge is finding the right balance.

Some salespeople believe that the more time they spend on small talk, the more their customers will know and trust them. Others cut out the small talk entirely and expect to get in and out with fast deals.

Most salespeople lean toward too much small talk and too much talking in general. In fact, in the average sales meeting, the salesperson is talking 81% of the time.

There is no single magical amount of time to spend chatting before you "get down to business." Instead, learn how to read your customers and notice the difference between them being engaged and impatient.

A helpful way to do this is by focusing more on asking them questions and learning about their needs.

Not only does this help you meet those needs but it helps you read them. Someone giving one-word answers wants out of the conversation. Someone who goes more in-depth is engaged and interested.

4. Saying "Yes" Now and Figuring It Out Later

Another of those outdated sales tactics is to agree to whatever the customer wants and figure out later how to make it happen.

All it takes is one experience with this strategy to see why it doesn't work. You make promises to customers, then you can't deliver. You find out later that what you agreed to is either impractical or impossible.

On rare occasions, you might find a way to deliver on your promises. More often, though, you'll wind up with unhappy customers who feel duped. You could even get into legal trouble.

There is no shame in telling a customer, "Let me get an answer on that and I'll get back to you within 24 hours."

This shows the customer that you're genuine. They've dealt with those "yes" salespeople before, and they'll be grateful to know that if you promise something, it's because you can make it happen.

5. Pushing, Pushing, and Pushing Some More

This one shouldn't come as a surprise, but in our own experiences, plenty of salespeople are still using it.

The era of the pushy salesperson "winning over customers with their persistence" is over. Today's customers are wary of being "sold to." The more you push, the less they'll trust you.

In addition to making your customers feel irritated, this strategy also makes you look desperate. Customers will start to think that if you're desperate for customers, your product or service must not be very good.

Instead of using repetition and continuing to push, give customers a deadline. For example, tell them the product will only be available until a certain date or that you only have a select amount of the product in stock.

This helps your product look more in-demand, and their reaction will tell you whether or not they're serious about the product.

Bringing Your Sales Tactics Up to Date

Selling is a complex job, and a large part of it comes down to psychology. As our world changes, so do the thought patterns our customers have. For this reason, it's important to get rid of your old sales tactics based on outdated theories.

Before you can put these tips to work, though, you need great leads. Learn more about our sales data plans to kick off your new, more successful strategy.


7 Effective Insurance Agency Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Client Base

7 Effective Insurance Agency Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Client Base

7 Effective Insurance Agency Marketing Strategies

When open enrollment approaches, your agency needs to be ready to advertise. Learn seven effective insurance agency marketing strategies to grow your business.

Keyword(s): insurance agency marketing

Need help with your insurance agency marketing? In an ever-competitive world, it’s not surprising you do. Insurance is a vast market, and in some cases, like health insurance, it is required by law.

Your insurance agency needs to stand out from the rest, and entice people to choose your company over another. It could also mean offering better deals to sway people from their existing agency to yours.

Why Effective Insurance Agency Marketing is Important

It may seem like a no-brainer, but breaking through the noise of advertising and marketing to reach potential customers is no easy feat. Maintaining and keeping those customers is another difficulty too.

But keeping customers means you’re keeping them happy, and if you keep them satisfied, then they're far more likely to recommend you to friends, family, and acquaintances. Thereby growing your client base.

One of the difficulties nowadays is that people don’t like being sold to. They want to do their own research, comparison shop and come up with their own unpressurized conclusions.

They also are naturally inclined to be skeptical of insurance companies, so building trust is critical.

But how can you effectively market your insurance agency? Here are seven ways to effectively grow your client base. Let’s take a look.

1. Make Your Website Appealing and Accessible

Your agency’s website is often your potential customer’s first experience of the company, so it needs to be a good one.

Studies show that websites have less than 15 seconds to leave an impression, and if the visitor can’t see what they want at that time, they go.

Shopping for insurance is stressful, so if your website isn’t seamless or easy-to-use, then they won’t hang around long enough to get a policy with you.

Customers nowadays, like instant, seamless, and sophisticated shopping. It’s no different from insurance shopping.

2. Brand Consistency

You need to ensure that the company’s information is consistent across each platform and channel- website, review sites, social media, etc.

Make sure this is monitored regularly, so there aren't any cross-information or brand inconsistencies.

Alongside this, make sure the customer’s experience is consistent too. This means each client or prospect is given the same experience and info regardless of where, how, or when they found the agency.

Be sure that you have a team that can respond to questions, messages, emails, and phone calls. If people see that your brand cares and is diligent, they will be more trusting.

3. Blog

Consider creating a blog for your website. Blogs not only generate more traffic for your site, but it also shows customers that you have authority on topics.

This helps build trust and makes prospects feel reassured that the company knows its stuff.

Having a blog also allows space for clients or potential clients to have their say and open up a discussion. By actively engaging with people, you can build trust and a positive reputation.

4. Everyone’s on Their Phone

Everyone is on their phone, so utilize that. To have the best chance of growing your client base, you need a mobile-friendly website.

If potential clients try to access your company website on their mobile phone and find it a hassle to use, or incompatible, then chances are they will give up and look elsewhere.

Don’t miss out on potential customers- improve their mobile experience. In fact, according to research, searching the internet with mobile phones has now overtaken using a desktop.

Facebook is the most-used social media platform, with 1,149 billion users only using their mobile phones.

5. Social Media for the Win

As mentioned above, Facebook is the most-used social media platform. This means a lot of potential customers if you advertise on there!

To broaden your reach, your insurance agency should advertise on several search engines and social media platforms.

Of course, Google is the most popular search engine, but this doesn’t mean other platforms should be neglected.

You want your insurance to appeal to a wide demographic. By using different search engines and social media platforms, you are more willing to reach people of all ages and lifestyles. Test out different ads and styles to see how they perform.

6. Don’t Be Boring

A big mistake many insurance agencies make is that they only post boring posts or information about insurance. Create content that is engaging, valuable, and can prompt interaction with potential clients or existing customers.

You could post prompting or interesting questions and request people to leave their comments. Showing interest in people’s opinions shows that you care about people, which instantly boosts trust.

As noted above, having a blog where customers can read up on specific topics, comment, and discuss these subjects is a great way to engage with people. Having employees to respond to their comments is also invaluable- be sure to respond!

Being creative, sharing content, and engaging with people is invaluable, regardless of whether they are looking for a policy now or not.

Creating a good reputation is a must, and word spreads fast if a company is diligent and friendly with their interactions.

7. Reviews Matter

Reviews matter, a lot. In fact, they have the power to make or break your company. How so? Here are some quick statistics, according to research:

  • Consumers read roughly ten online reviews before trusting a company
  • 57% of people will only choose a company that has four stars or more
  • 89% of people look at a company’s response to reviews
  • 91% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

This clearly shows that getting good reviews is essential to growing your client base. How to get good reviews? The simple answer is- provide excellent service, be diligent, and make your customers happy.

Also, let your customers know that their reviews are valuable to you. Reach out and ask them to take the time to leave a review. Be proactive in addressing any negativity and monitor these review sites regularly.

Are You Ready to Up Your Marketing Game?

Insurance agency marketing doesn’t have to be super tricky. If you want to grow your client base, remember that website appearance is vital, mobile-friendly access is crucial, and interaction with people is invaluable.

Show people that your company is professional, trustworthy, and friendly. Want more information? Click here to contact us.