When it comes to marketing yourself as an insurance agent, it is not what it used to be.
Once upon a time, buyers come agents come to the agents to buy every kind of insurance they want. But times were changed now and how people select & buy their insurance is changed a lot. Most insurance buyers look out for their insurance Online or simply get referrals from close friends or family member who is already getting a great deal from an Agent.
Today, part of being an insurance broker is a virtual, online experience, at least at the beginning before a client ever knows about you. In fact, today's business in general is an online experience.
So here are 20 effective ideas to Market yourself or your Agency as an Insurence Agent (Both offline & Online methods)-
1. Get a Professional Website
With the technology available today, every insurance agent should have a website that looks professional and lets them easily publish and edit their own content. 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? Check out this link for the most user-friendly insurance agent websites available.
2. Internet Leads
leads are frustrating because the information can be inaccurate, people aren't always excited to talk to you and there's always competition. But it's hard to find an easier source of people in your market that want insurance right now. Unfortunately, there isn't one company with the best leads for every agent - it varies depending on your market. I recommend using several lead providers while tracking ROI on your leads before committing to just one provider.
3. Get in Their Cell Phone
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 and referrals should be considered one of your most important insurance marketing strategies.
4. Agency Mascot
You can buy a decent mascot costume on eBay or Amazon for a few hundred dollars. Throw an agency T-shirt on it and walk around at public places and community events. Don't forget to get some video of all your character's appearances and post them to your social media accounts. It's a fun yet effective idea.
5. Great Email Signature
If you don’t 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.
6. Use Sales Videos
Sales videos are great because you make it once and it can sell insurance a million times! Imagine giving the best pitch you've ever delivered to every single prospect! Record your sales explanation of each product you sell, publish it to your website, and send prospects the link.
or If you have a budget hire a media production team & record your pitch in high-quality video with a good script. It's just a one-time thing, so it's worth the investment.
7. Customer Video Testimonials
No one can sell the benefits of doing business with your agency to a customer better than another customer. I'm sure your agency has a client or two that are bananas about your agency, ask them a few questions and film it with your iPhone. Don't shoot the video testimonial with the client standing in front of a wall - make the whole agency be their background. It will have a more candid appearance and the lower quality will be less noticeable.
8. Local Networking Events
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.
Chambers of commerce and professional organizations host networking events all the time and you won't miss them if you signup for their email newsletters and pay attention.
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9. Door-to-door Relationship Building
First of all, It’s not easy, but it might be one of the cheapest and most effective insurance marketing strategies. To be successful with face-to-face insurance marketing, all conversations should be around how you can help the organization or the person. 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 x-dates and follow up with the decision-makers before renewals. You will be surprised how many non-commercial insurances leads you get.
10. Bundle Your Online Presence
Most new insurance buyers search online to buy their first insurance. So an online presence is a must. A successful online marketing strategy requires several different elements like SMM. SEO, PPC, email, etc. It's hard to manage all those pieces through separate vendors so you can hire a marketing agency specializing in insurance agents or agencies.
11. Guerrilla Marketing Kit
Create a kit of marketing materials to keep in your car so you'll always be prepared for a promotional opportunity. Your kit should contain a wide array of materials and mediums. Here are some ideas for what to include in your kit: business cards, pens, brochures, postcards, 8"x11" flyers, tear-off flyers, safety information, signs, stickers, t-shirts etc. If you suddenly get any marketing opportunity you should be prepared to embrace and capitalize on it.
12. Reach Out to Contacts Every Day
Reach out to your professional contacts and ask them questions as much as possible in order to strengthen relationships and boost referrals without looking like a salesperson. Strong relationships within the community are perhaps the most powerful marketing tool an agent can possess. You can ask things you already know! Over time relationships will develop and they will send you referrals.
13. Sponsor a Car Show
This is a good marketing idea for any agent, but also a fantastic idea for any agent interested and knowledgeable about cars. Like most of the advice on this post, building relationships is the key ingredient in your agency marketing strategy and this will be a fantastic way to do so.
14. Live Quotes on Your Website
live quoting on agent websites works best for products that don't need to ask tons of questions for a quote like life and health. The most popular tool for this isNinjaQuoter. So you should check them out if you're interested to put a Live price quote on your insurance plans.
15. Donations for Quotes
Offer to donate a certain amount of money to a charity for every quote you get. Some of the big carriers get this one wrong by donating to a national cause. Donate to local charities and get your quotes from people that are actively engaged with the charity. Get them to post it to their Facebook page and let them do all the marketing for you.
16. Advertise on Pizza Boxes
Many pizza shops need to cut expenses and will make a deal with you to promote your insurance service. But Make sure they don't cover up your message with a flyer or a sticker. Boxes are about 50 cents each. Another option is to buy a bunch of plastic pizza cutters with your agency info on them and ask the pizzaria to distribute them. They are more expensive but people keep them.
17. Consumer Review Websites
Websites like Yelp.com and MerchantCircle allow you to set up a profile about your agency where people can write reviews. Insurance shoppers use these sites to decide who to call or whether or not to do business with you. You might also consider using a reputation management service for insurance agents that can generate lots of 5-star reviews for your agency.
18. Facebook Advertising
Ever notice those sponsored posts in your Facebook newsfeed and wonder if they could work for you as well? If done correctly you can generate a massive amount of high-quality & highly-interested leads.
19. Google Alerts
Google Alerts is a free service from Google that sends you an email anytime they find a new website with information you're interested in. You can set it up to notify you anytime someone mentions your agency or to make sure you're in the loop about all local insurance and business networking news.
20. TV Advertising
If you get an opportunity for some cheap exposure it may be worthwhile. The best television marketing opportunities would be during programs specifically aimed at your target prospects while they are thinking about your services - like during a program about home improvement or cars.
