12 Insurance marketing ideas any agent can use
The insurance industry is highly competitive, so you cannot expect customers to knock on your door without any effort.
Many successful companies have advertised their services in magazines and on television, but they are not making nearly as much profit as they could be.
Fortunately, several insurance marketing strategies will help you market insurance services more effectively without spending so much on advertising.
In this article, we will share 12 practical marketing tips for insurance agencies to help you stay ahead of the competition, earn more clients and increase your profits.
Let’s get started!
Shortcuts:
- Create a Blog with Helpful Insurance Tips and Advice
- Use Social Media to Engage with Prospects and Clients
- Host a Webinar
- Build a Referral Program
- Create Personalized Videos for Prospects
- Post Testimonials
- Use Targeted Email Marketing Campaigns
- Advertise on Social Media Platforms
- Follow Up with Current Customers
- SEO Marketing
- Blogger Outreach
- Local SEO
1. Create a Blog with Helpful Insurance Tips and Advice
If you want to build a successful insurance business, it is essential to communicate with clients effectively.
One of the best ways to do this is by starting a blog. This way, you can share information about your industry and discuss the benefits of working with you as an agent.
You can also use your website to establish yourself as an expert and build credibility among potential customers.
However, if you are new to the web and don’t know where to start, here is a step-by-step guide on how to make a website.
1. Decide what kind of website you want to create
The first step in creating an insurance website is deciding what kind of site you want to build.
There are two main types of insurance websites: informational and transactional.
Informational sites are used for educational purposes and provide information about policies, products, or services.
On the other hand, transactional sites help customers complete transactions that involve purchasing insurance policies or other products.
If you plan on having a transactional site, you’ll need to register with an insurance regulatory agency.
2. Choose the best web hosting service for your needs
Before you can start building your insurance website, you need somewhere to host it.
There are many different hosting services available, each with different pricing options and features. And it would be best to research these options before deciding which one is right for you - explore a Hostinger review as part of your research.
3. Pick an easy-to-use content management system (CMS)
Once you have chosen a web host and set up an account with them, you’ll need to install a CMS so that you can easily update your site after it’s been built.
WordPress is one of the most popular CMSs used today by small businesses because it’s easy to use, mobile-friendly, and has built-in SEO tools like search engine optimization (SEO).
4. Get your website online with a simple domain name
Find a domain name that matches your business and brand. For example, if you’re looking for something that describes insurance, try “insurance” or “insurance agency.”
You can also use industry-specific keywords or phrases such as “auto insurance,” “life insurance,” or “home insurance.”
You can purchase your domain name from major registrars like GoDaddy, NameCheap, 1&1, and HostGator.
5. Add content to your site
Now that your site has been built, it’s time to start adding content and making sure everything looks good together.
First, you must create pages that provide information about the different insurance products you offer.
You can include details about how the product works, what it covers, who needs it, and more. When deciding about buying insurance policies from any company, these are essential factors for buyers.
You must also post regularly on your blog so that people will continue coming back for more information.
If possible, ensure that each blog post includes links to other articles about the topic being discussed so that readers can learn more about what they’re reading if they want or need more information on a particular topic.
2. Use Social Media to Engage with Prospects and Clients
Social media has become a necessary part of the insurance marketing strategy for most agents.
In fact, many customers prefer to research their insurance needs online and then make their purchases through an agent’s website or app.
Suppose you’re not using social media as part of your marketing strategy. In that case, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to build trust with potential customers and get them excited about working with you.
Additionally, you can use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for outreach.
Post articles or news stories relevant to your industry and tag professionals who might be interested in sharing or commenting on them.
You could invite them to an event or ask questions about a specific topic.
Read more in our guide to Facebook marketing for Insurance Agents.
3. Host a Webinar
If you want to attract more clients to the insurance industry, hosting a webinar is a great idea.
A webinar is an online seminar where you can teach your audience about various aspects of the industry. But, the best thing about hosting a webinar is that it does not cost much and can be done from anywhere.
You can host a webinar on any topic you like. For example, it could be about an insurance policy or about how to choose the right company for your needs.
You can also use this opportunity to advertise yourself as an expert in your field and attract potential clients who may be interested in hiring you for their insurance needs.
4. Build a Referral Program
Building a referral program for your agency is one of the most effective ways to grow your business.
A referral program is when your clients refer you to their friends and family, who become new clients. It can be a great way to build a solid client base that leads to long-term relationships.
To create a successful referral program, decide what you want from it.
- Do you want more clients?
- More revenue?
- More referrals from existing customers?
Once you’ve identified these goals, it’s time to start designing the program.
The first step is choosing how much reward will be offered for each referral that signs up for insurance through your agency.
To overcome the challenge of getting someone else interested in insurance, you should offer an incentive. This incentive should be meaningful enough to encourage your audience to act on your behalf.
Some ideas include:
- Free insurance quote
- 20% off their first year’s premium (or some other discount)
- Refer a friend and get $50 in reward points
- Give rewards to referrers (a new bike, a gift card, etc.)
- Refer a friend, and we’ll pay for their annual premium for the next two years
5. Create Personalized Videos for Prospects
Personalization is a crucial part of successful insurance marketing. It’s hard to remember the name of a company, but it’s easy to remember the name of a person—especially when that person is YOU.
Creating personalized videos is a great way to make your prospect feel like they’re dealing with an individual. These can be used for social media posts, emails, or in-person meetings if you’re meeting prospects in person.
For example, let’s say you’re talking to Joe Prospect about his home insurance needs. He tells you he’s thinking about getting a pool installed next summer and wants to know what that would cost him in terms of premiums.
You can use this information during your next meeting with him (or even send him an email) by creating a video that shows exactly how much coverage he’ll need and how much it will cost him over time.
Learn more about email marketing for insurance agents.
6. Post Testimonials
Posting testimonials on your website is a great way to bring new customers in and keep existing customers coming back.
The best part about this strategy is that it’s easy to do. All you have to do is get a client to write something nice about your services, and voilà—you’ve got yourself a testimonial.
You can even ask for recommendations from your clients on Facebook or LinkedIn. Clients who have had a positive experience with you and your business will gladly share their thoughts online.
It’s like magic: when clients trust your recommendations, they are more likely to use them.
If you have any negative reviews, it’s essential to address them directly—you don’t want potential clients to find out about this by reading someone else’s review.
7. Use Targeted Email Marketing Campaigns
Email marketing for insurance agents is a great way to reach your audience and show them that you’re interested in their needs.
These emails can be sent out regularly, or they can be sent at specific times of the year, such as during tax season or when people are buying insurance for their cars.
The most important thing when it comes to email marketing is making sure that you don’t spam your clients.
They may not appreciate it if they receive too many emails from one company—so ensure each email contains valuable information and isn’t just an advertisement for one product or service.
Here are some tips for using email marketing campaigns to grow your insurance business:
1. Create an email newsletter
This is one of the best ways to keep your customers informed about new products, promotions, and other important information.
Customers who receive these emails are more likely to remain loyal to your business, so make sure that you spend time creating a newsletter that will be useful and interesting to them.
2. Send regular emails to your customers
Your customers have busy lives and may not remember to check your website for updates on new products or services.
Create an email cadence to remind them of what’s happening at your company and how they can benefit from it.
It also shows that you care about their business and want them to succeed - which is essential when choosing an insurance provider.
3. Target the right prospects with your emails
Don’t just send out an email blast to all of your leads. Instead, you can target specific leads based on their demographics and interests to make your message relevant to them.
Doing so will give you a better response rate, and those who respond will be more likely to buy from you because they know you understand them individually.
4. Make your emails personal, not promotional
One of the biggest mistakes many insurance companies make is making their emails feel like a sales pitch.
They send out generic “best wishes” messages or advertisements disguised as birthday wishes or congratulations on a job well done.
Instead of using generic messages, create something more personalized to show them you care about them as an individual, not just someone who needs their money.
5. Make sure you’re using the best tools
When running an email marketing campaign, it’s easy to get bogged down by the different marketing options. But if you use the wrong tool for your needs, everything else will fall apart!
As your company grows and the number of emails you send increases, it’s essential to use a tool to manage the volume of messages efficiently.
MailChimp gives you everything you need right out of the box: templates that match your brand identity; analytics so that you can see who opened your last message; integration with other apps like Zendesk or Salesforce so that everything stays organized.
8. Advertise on Social Media Platforms
If you’re an insurance agent trying to get more clients, you should first advertise on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
You can run ads on these platforms that will target people who have expressed interest in your type of insurance. So if someone has recently searched for “home insurance” on Google, they’ll see your ad when they visit their social media accounts later that day.
There are also ways to target potential customers who aren’t even aware they need your services.
For example, suppose someone lives in a house with a swimming pool. In that case, an insurer may want to know about it to offer the person an additional policy covering accidental drowning risks.
If someone has recently purchased jewelry from Tiffany’s or Cartier’s (or similar companies), they might want to consider buying a policy covering theft from those stores.
9. Follow Up with Current Customers
The best way to get new customers is to keep the ones you’ve got.
There are many ways to do this; one of the easiest is to send out a survey and ask them for feedback about their experience with your agency or their general insurance needs.
In addition to giving you valuable information on how to improve, this will also show your customers that you care about them and value their opinion.
You can also send out a monthly or quarterly newsletter if you want to spend more time on it.
This is an easy way for your customers to feel like they’re part of something unique without putting in much effort. They have to check their inbox once every few weeks, and they’ll get great content from your company.
This interaction also helps build loyalty because it lets people know they matter.
Here’s a case study on how agents use CrankWheel to sell insurance over the phone.
10. SEO Marketing for insurance agents
SEO marketing is a great way to get your insurance agency noticed online. Search engine optimization is one of the most effective ways to drive traffic to your site, and it doesn’t have to be expensive.
Here’s how SEO for insurance agents works: When someone searches for “insurance” on Google, the search engine will take them to a list of results based on their query.
The top results are determined by the search engine’s algorithm, which considers your site’s page titles, meta descriptions, content quality, etc. You can use this knowledge to optimize your website to appear higher in search rankings.
Here are some tips for implementing SEO marketing:
- Optimize your website’s title tag, meta description, and URL structure
- Write high-quality content that includes keywords related to your insurance services
- Create links from other websites to yours
- Focus on user experience
- Remove anything that slows down your site
11. Blogger Outreach
Blogger outreach is a great way to get your name in the insurance industry.
If you’ve got a blog, it’s relatively easy to find bloggers in your industry and start reaching out to them.
Bloggers can help you get your name out there by sharing your content on their own social media channels and websites, which could lead to more leads and clients.
It’s best to start by finding blogs related to the type of work you do as an agent, then reach out with a pitch about why they should share your content.
You can also look at what kinds of posts they’re interested in writing about—for example, if they frequently write about homeowners insurance, ask them if they’d be interested in having a guest post from someone who works in that field.
12. Local SEO
Local search is a huge opportunity for insurance agents because it can help you reach customers looking for your services.
But it’s not just about getting the word out about your products and services—it’s also about getting the word out about yourself.
When people search for a business online, they want to know what kind of experience they can expect from that business.
And when it comes to insurance, they’re probably looking for someone trustworthy, knowledgeable, and reliable.
When someone searches “insurance agent [your city],” you want them to find you!
Local SEO is about creating a solid presence on Google so that when people search for keywords related to your industry (like “insurance agent”), your site will show up first in their results—even ahead of big insurance companies or other businesses in your area.
You’ll also want to ensure that your website has an easy-to-find phone number so that customers can call you directly instead of going through their carrier’s automated phone system first.
Wrapping Up
Marketing is vital for all businesses and is especially critical for insurance companies.
Think about what makes a successful marketing campaign—it should convey the benefits of your product or service to interested consumers.
That’s not to say you should be selling every other sentence. But you need to prove to your audience that you can meet their needs better than anyone else because your competitors will step in if you don’t.
Make sure that your marketing campaign shows people the value they can expect from buying insurance from you.
To wrap it up, these are the 12 insurance marketing ideas you can use to grow your insurance business. Hopefully, they will save you time and money as you build your insurance business.
About the Author:
Jyoti Ray is the founder of WPMyWeb.com, which specializes in social media, marketing, and SEO. He writes and has been featured on JeffBullas, SurveyAnyplace, SearchEngineWatch, and more. You can connect with him on LinkedIn.