| Video marketing is a huge opportunity for every insurance agent to be more successful? Why? Video Marketing is Efficient. You can record one perfect message for clients and prospects to be delivered 1000s of times, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. | |
Video Marketing is Consistent
Can every producer in your agency explain the benefits of buying from you in the exact same perfect way? Are they all equally effective? I doubt it.
A video can be.
Video Marketing is Cheap
You don’t need a production crew to create great content.
Your iPhone will record video that’s good enough for the web. You could also get a decent video camera, tripod, and microphone for under $200 if you want higher quality.
Video Marketing is Easy
You don’t need professional software to edit your videos. I do all my video editing on software that came with my computer.
Or your teenage kid can do it in 20 minutes for $20.
Video marketing is Necessary.
Video shows clients and customers the value of buying from your agency better than anything else.
The only thing you probably don’t already have is video marketing ideas. Say goodbye to your excuses. Here’s 31 ideas:
1) Client Testimonials
| I made this #1 for a reason – the best salesman in the world won’t sell better than a few powerful and convincing client testimonials. They don’t have to be super professional. In fact less professional looking videos can appear less scripted and more authentic. | |
If you go the professional route throw a testimonial party. Invite a diverse group of top clients and “wine and dine” them while each steps away to say a few words about your agency for the camera.
Don’t ask people to talk about you. Ask specific questions that, when answered, will overcome the objections your future prospects might have.
2) Agent Mission Statement
Record a few minutes of you at your desk discussing your professional mission.
Explain why you got into insurance, what you love about the business, your commitment to customer service, etc.
One easy format is to act like you’re answering someone’s interview questions. Display each question as text on a slide and then answer it for 30-45 seconds. It breaks up a 3 minute video very well.
3) Record a Seminar
It’s such a large investment of your time to develop and deliver a seminar, why not preserve it on video?
You can post it to YouTube, email it to prospects, share it on LinkedIn, embed it on your website, post it to Facebook, etc.
Even if they don’t watch the whole thing, just seeing you speak in front of a group boosts your professionalism and expertise to new prospects.
4) Personalized Videos for Prospects
Want your emailed quotes to stand out?
Use the webcam on your computer to record a brief video for every prospect. Use the same script but inject the person’s real name.
Not only will you stand out by a mile, the prospect will be more likely to return your phone calls since you went out of your way on their behalf.
5) Frequently Asked Questions
| | Here’s a secret… People ask Google the same questions they ask you. If you answer a question more than once a month in your agency there are thousands of people asking the same question online. Wouldn’t it be nice if all those people got to watch your thoughtful answer on Youtube and could click on a link to your website right below it? |
You already know the answers since you give them every day and you can even send clients a link to your video when they ask you the same question.
6) Get Maximum SEO Benefits
When you post to YouTube there’s two things you must do in the video’s description:
- Include a link to your website at the beginning of the description. YouTube cuts off the text after a couple lines and you want viewers to click through to your site without expanding the description.
- Include your agency name, address, and phone number at the bottom of the description. These additional business citations helps your local rankings. Why do citations help insurance SEO?
7) Interview Local Business Owners
Everyone wants free promotion, start by giving it to someone else.
Interview one of your self-employed clients about their business, their industry, what makes them different from the competition, and what drives them.
You don’t have to be Oprah Winfrey, you can ask the same 5-6 questions to everybody. Call it something like, “6 Questions with ______” and include links to their website when you post it on Facebook and Youtube.
8) Tutorial Screencasts
Do your clients ever have trouble navigating your carriers’ website?
Ha!
It’s easy to create screencast videos that walk people through the process. You could do a bunch of quick ones for the most common things people need to do online.
This saves your staff time by helping clients be more self-sufficient and there’s thousands of other people online that have the same questions.
Develop a library of tutorials over time by creating them for clients on an as-needed basis.
9) Use Fiverr.com
Fiver.com is a website where people do all kinds of things for $5.
You can use fiverr.com to help your agency with all kinds of marketing as I’ve written before, but it is especially useful for creating videos.
Don’t expect an academy award winning production for $5, but it’s great for Facebook and YouTube videos.
Click here to check it out for yourself.
10) Report on Major Catastrophes
| Is there a major weather event like a hurricane, tornado, or wildfire near you? Try to get some captivating video of the property damage and post it to social networks. You never know, your video could get national exposure. You don’t have to be a storm chaser, just interview people in the aftermath. Ask questions about their insurance and wear clothing with your agency brand on it. | |
11) Post-Claim Client Interviews
This is like a client testimonial, except it’s specifically for customers who have just gone through an insurance claim and had a positive experience. (yes, it happens)
Strike while the iron is hot because people may be ecstatic right after a smooth claim experience, but if you wait a month they won’t be nearly as enthusiastic.
Bonus Tip: Send the video to the adjuster who handled the claim. I adjusted claims for a few years and it’s a tough gig. I would have loved a positive video like that and I would have worked harder for your clients in the future.
Did I just admit that claim adjusters work harder for clients of agents they like?
Yes. Absolutely.
12) Welcome Aboard Video
Make a standard video that you send to all new clients a few days after their new policy is issued.
Introduce all the employees in the agency, explain all the products you sell, provide hours of operation, claim procedures, and anything else that will help them feel at home in your agency.
A well done video can set the stage for a lifetime of renewals and you only need to make it once!
13) Sales Video For Prospects
Like the idea above, this is a video about your agency to be emailed to all prospects.
Separate yourself from the competition, explain your why statement, earn their trust, and overcome any objections they may have.
This is a perfect place for client testimonials and post-claim experience videos.
14) Funny Skit About Insurance
What would the crew of Saturday Night Live do if they had to film in your office?
Be creative, have fun, and let loose.
Selling insurance should be fun, here’s a couple examples of agents who made me laugh because they weren’t afraid to be a little silly and have fun: Funny Agents #1 Funny Agents #2
15) Year in Review Slideshow Video
If you take a lot of photos in your agency throughout the year, create a slideshow music video at the end of the year.
It’s great material for your Facebook page and will really build the team atmosphere when you play it for your employees at the office Christmas Party.
If you include clients in the video it’ll remind everyone that your agency is a tight-knit family that includes all your customers. It’s Facebook gold.
16) Safety Education Videos
I see a lot of agents that post safety videos on Facebook, like these from the UL Channel, but there’s no reason you couldn’t create material just like this yourself.
You don’t have to demonstrate it yourself. Ask someone at the local fire department to help you make a public safety video about installing baby car seats for example.
Send the link to every client who just had a baby along with an application for life insurance and a 529 plan ;)
17) Local Resident Interviews
Go out to a popular local place like a public plaza and ask people why they love your town.
Material like this can be passed around among your target customers and if you earn lots of links from local oriented websites will help your local search rankings.
It’s also the kind of video people who just moved to town are likely to see. There’s a sales opportunity, huh?
18) Foreign Language Explanations
If you speak a foreign language you’re probably already aware of how valuable it is when speaking to native speakers.
There may be 100 Youtube videos explaining how variable annuities work in English, but I’d be willing to bet the number of similar videos in Polish or Malay is much smaller.
The smaller pond makes you a bigger fish.
Speak multiple languages within the same video to demonstrate your linguistic prowess.
19) Claims Process Explanation
I wouldn’t go into too much detail because different claims can have very different processes, but creating a video that explains the claim experience can be very helpful for your clients.
Insurance claims are rare and confusing for many people. When clients receive a simple video that explains a few basics about their situation they’ll feel much more at ease.
Again, don’t get too specific here, it’s just about offering reassurance and reminding them you’re a resource to help.
The best referrals come from people who had an good claim experience because it’s not about the money.
20) Narrate Your Powerpoint Presentations
Already have Powerpoint presentations you’ve used for seminars or sales meetings?
Then the hardest part is already done.
Here’s some instructions from Microsoft to convert your Powerpoint presentation into a video with your recorded voice as the audio. They’re from Microsoft, so you’ll probably have to use Google to find something that actually makes sense.
21) Staff Member Interview
Ask new or existing staff members to answer a few questions on video.
It’s a great way to introduce a new staff member to your client base through Facebook and your email newsletter.
It’s also an easy and professional way for your staff members to tell all their Facebook friends what they do and where they work now.
Make it fun, not stiff.
22) Favorite Clients Slideshow
Take pictures of a bunch of your favorite clients and put them together into a slideshow video with some nice music.
You can play a song that shows appreciation in the background.
There’s a good chance those included in the montage will share it on Facebook and if you’re their FB friend you could even tag them so it’ll show up on their wall.
23) Personal Rant Video
Is something about the insurance industry driving you CRAZY?
Fire up the webcam and let everyone know.
Your rant should either be funny, entertaining, or interesting. You have to be really careful not to go negative in a way that people could misinterpret your intentions.
24) Vehicle Monitoring Device Demo
If you sell auto insurance, do any of your carriers have those new devices that plug into the OBD II port and measure your mileage and driving habits?
Why not do one of those “unboxing” videos that are big on YouTube?
Show people what it looks like when it comes to your house, how to install it, and a few tips about getting the best results.
25) Why I Sell for ____ Testimonial
Create a detailed video about why you love working for the carrier(s) that you sell for.
This gives you an opportunity to show your clients and prospects why your products are different in a way that is more believable because the format resembles a client testimonial instead of a sales pitch.
There’s a possibility your carrier(s) may even share this on their social media accounts or reach out to you for a national commercial!
And… you’re going to get tons of brownie points in the home office.
26) 100% Non-Insurance Related Video
If you’re into fishing, motorcycles, paper mache, whatever… make videos about it and post them on YouTube and your agency Facebook page.
Clients like to see that you’re a real person with real interests and they may even share the same interests with you, which can boost retention and x-sales.
If these non-insurance videos can be related to the local region it’s even better. For example, if you’re into motorcycles, make a video at a local bike shop.
27) Interview Claim Adjusters via Skype
You could record a Skype conversation with a claim adjuster and ask the most common reasons teens get in car accidents. Send that video to every client who adds a young driver to their policy.
Or interview a property adjuster about the most common homeowner claims that can be easily prevented.
If there’s too much red tape to get this approved, consider telling your carrier you’ll only use the video privately as a resource for your own clients.
28) Client Video Contest
Why should you be doing all the work yourself?
Have a contest on Facebook for the funniest joke, or the best celebrity impression video.
If you’re afraid you won’t get much response on FB but like the idea, get clients to record a video when they’re in your office and after a year when you have 5-6 videos let people vote then.
29) Use Your iPad
For the ideas in this list that help with sales, (testimonials, etc) use your iPad to show them anywhere.
It might feel a little silly, but I promise you playing a few 2 minute testimonials during a sales call is not as cheesy as you think and it’ll reduce the time you need to close the deal anyway.
And after you get the deal signed you can use the iPad to record your next testimonial!
30) Office Blooper Video
Anytime you’re making one of the videos on this page, create a “B reel” – a compilation of the times you messed up.
It might just be more engaging and entertaining than whatever you were originally recording.
Want to be really funny? When your sweetest employee trips up their lines, add a bunch of “bleeps” to it so it seems like they’re swearing like a sailer!
31) Don’t Be Afraid
Too many agents will read through these ideas and do nothing!
I promise you that a video shot from your iPhone and edited with the iMovie app on your phone can be just as compelling as the one you pay a production company $3000 to make.
Just go out there and do it!
And One Final Request…
If you know another agent who isn’t afraid to try something new and would enjoy reading this article, would you do us both a favor an email him or her a link to it?
And if you can’t think of anyone but you like the ideas I put together for you, click the Like button so I know you want more material like this.
