In Part 1 of the blog series “Are You Marketing Your Insurance Office The Right Way,” we talked about creating goals, targeting the right people, and making sure you are reaching out to your audience through the right channels. Once you have accomplished those, it’s time to move on to the next steps.
Now, that you know what your targets are, who you’re targeting, and how to reach them, it’s all about creating the right message to attract them, turning them into customers, and then making sure they’re coming back for more. Let’s take a look at the next steps to marketing your insurance office the right way.
Are You Creating Interesting (and Compliant) Content?
Your message is perhaps the most important part of your marketing efforts; after all, this is what you are trying to say to your audience. In traditional marketing, your message usually comes in the form of a slogan, copy for your ad, or a script for a TV or radio ad. You probably have a couple inches of space or maybe 15 to 30 seconds. Plus, insurance agents also have to think about compliance issues. As an agent, you know you have to follow certain rules when doing any type of marketing campaign and there are certain things you can’t do or say.
However, the great thing about using social media and the Internet is that you practically have an unlimited amount of space and resources. Because of this, marketing on the Internet isn’t about creating a snazzy print ad or a memorable slogan. Today, people are much more wary of advertisements. They don’t want to hear a jingle or a catch phrase about your products and services. Rather, they want information. They want to be informed and know about your product. In fact according to recent studies, these days about 70% of the buying process is already complete before a buyer talks to a salesperson. Think about the last people you talked to about your products. Most likely, many of them already know something about home insurance and car insurance, and they’re just asking you for details and other specific advice.
So, what are you supposed to do? Well, this is where you start creating and/or curating compliant content. Instead of telling people what great insurance products you have, you could instead give them advice on how much insurance they need. Or instead of just pushing your car insurance policies, tell them about the instances where they might need additional coverage. Of course, how you present this information depends on what guidelines you have to follow. You might be limited to one type of content you can create or curate if you’re a captive agent, so make sure you read all compliance guidelines from your corporate office. You also have to ensure that your content is in full compliance with the D.O.I. and F.I.N.R.A regulations.
Why bother creating content that’s not all about pushing your products? Well, the answer is simple. While you might not convince people to buy from you right now (and they might not be ready to), you can start planting seeds in their minds. You can also cement your brand and standing in the community, as someone who is knowledgeable and reliable, someone people can turn to when they need help. That way, when they do need to buy insurance products, they will actually come to you.
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How Are You Turning Leads into Clients?
So, people are coming to you, now what? Well, you have to turn those leads into clients! This is actually where you need to take strategic action.
First, you need to make sure you’re getting people’s information when they do contact you. If you’re a captive agent, this might mean a bit more work, as you’re probably limited to how you can make contact and how people can contact you back. So, make sure that you’re using all the channels available to you – whether that’s through forms on your corporate-branded website, your Facebook page, G+ Business account, Twitter handle. or your Linkedin page. Make sure people can contact you through all means possible, and list down all your contact information on your website and social media pages. If you’re a non-captive agent, you probably have more wiggle room. This means you can create more detailed forms on your website or Facebook page.
Whatever way you’re getting people’s contact information, make sure you are also keeping track of them. These days, CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tools are a must. CRM software can help you collect all customer information in one place, and also track down what actions you’ve taken, such as when was the last time you called them or even what stage they are in your sales funnel. CRMs can ensure you don’t drop the ball and keep your propects moving along your sales cycle, so they can eventually become your clients. One of the biggest keys to success is to keep your team’s pipeline full of quality leads at different stages of the “Buyer’s Journey” (Awareness > Consideration > Decision).
Are Customers Coming Back or Recommending You to Their Friends?
Every business owner knows that repeat customers are a goldmine. Not only are they easier to sell to, but it costs less to keep current customers happy than to replace them with new ones. In fact, it’s 5 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than to retain a current one. Plus, happy customers are more likely to recommend you to their family and friends. According to Nielsen, about 92% of consumers will believe recommendations from people they know over advertising. So, what are you doing to keep current customers happy?
Well, first of all, hopefully you’re providing great service! You want to make sure you respond to your clients in a timely manner and answer their questions and concerns thoughtfully. Next, you might also want to ask them to rate your service and how you can improve. You can do this through surveys or simple talking to them and having a conversation. Of course, you can also use the same channels that you use for reaching out to them, but this time, use them to listen in. What are they saying about you on social media, for example? Are they happy or not?
Keeping your current customers happy is an important part of any business, but especially for insurance agencies. After all, insurance for the most part is a service – it doesn’t really have a “physical” component, which is why it’s always tricky. Customers can’t look at it, feel it, taste it, and so they decide who to do business with based on how they feel about the agent or agency. Are they comfortable with that agent? Do they feel like the agency is knowledgeable? Do they feel like they can count on them when they do actually need insurance? These are the things that really matter when marketing your insurance agency.
So, now that you’ve read this blog post and Part 1, have you asked yourself, “Am I marketing my insurance office the right way?” Hopefully, this post has been good food for thought and gives you an idea of some things you can do to help improve and increase your business.
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