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15 to 20 years ago, if you wanted to promote your insurance agency to a large audience (local or national), you probably used print, billboards, or direct mail send outs. Mailing marketing material was simple. As an insurance agent, all you had to do was send out as much material as you could to as many prospects you could find, then you’d wait for them to call in hopes they want your business. However, the sit back and wait strategy is no longer effective. Today, consumers show very little interest in mailed flyers and newspaper adverts.
This decline in interest is due to our now fast paced culture and influence of the smart device. Media, news, and other types of information can be delivered in a matter of seconds on devices we wake up and go to sleep with. Therefore, it makes sense for independent insurance agencies to shift their focus on becoming more digital.
How can you give your insurance agency the digital presence it needs to be successful in today’s ever changing world?
Create a brand guide.
Every independent insurance agent needs a brand guide to make their agency successful, and without one, your insurance agency lacks the opportunity to build a positive ROI on social media. My agency’s marketing strategy relies on our brand guide to create content and ensure that we speak to the correct audience.
Update your website.
Not only should your website fit your brand guide, but it should also have a call to action strategy to help bring in more profit. Additionally, your website and domain name should be owned, not leased. When you lease a website, you don’t actually own any of the content you put on it. This lack of ownership can become a huge problem if you’re looking to transfer or move content on your website.
Track your numbers.
Make sure your insurance agency has a way to track your sales and marketing numbers. It’s important to understand and measure who is visiting your website, for how long, what they’re engaging with, and what on your website is bringing in new leads. They key here is to understand what is working for potential prospects and what is not.
Be active on Facebook.
Whether you love or hate Facebook, it’s not going anywhere, and with millions of active users on the platform it’s important for your insurance agency to have some sort of presence there. If you’re uncertain how to get started on Facebook, check out this article we put together for independent agents just like you. Facebook is where a majority of our customers are the most active. Therefore, it makes sense to have a budget and marketing strategy that is focused around Facebook.
Get your own agency app.
I hear it time and time again, “why don’t I just use the carrier’s app?”, because we are independent insurance agents. We are not captive, and therefore, it’s a bad idea to push your current clients and prospects towards a carrier’s app. If a client is switched to a different carrier on their insurance policy, having that app becomes an inconvenience for them. This is because they will have to uninstall and download a whole brand new app to use, rather than one they can use for multiple carries. You don’t need to be a coding expert to create your own agency app either, currently I use the Insurance Agent app created by my good friend Matt Aaron. It’s an affordable and easy way for independent insurance agencies to compete with bigger carriers, while also providing convenience to our costumers. Having an agency app is a must in today’s ever expanding digital world.
I wanted to outline these 5 steps to help you with a starting point on promoting yourself and your agency. I wish you and your insurance agency much success! Happy marketing.
