Your insurance marketing strategy can make or break your agency. Read Part 1 of this two-part series on insurance marketing tips from Sun Insurance Services.
I’m really excited that in my blog this week, Sun Insurance Services, Inc’s Founder & President Jim Brandt is my guest writer. In this first installment of his two-part series, Jim provides an insider’s perspective on what it takes to successfully market to today’s customer.
As told to QQ Solutions by Jim Brandt:
Having just passed our 10th anniversary in May, Sun Insurance’s team has a number of reasons to celebrate. Located in Orlando, Florida, our personal and commercial insurance agency survived four back-to-back hurricanes in 2004. In the years that followed, we survived a down economy, while others packed up shop. The past decade has challenged us in ways we never could have imagined. What’s our secret to longevity? We had a long-term marketing strategy in place and, as times changed, it did, too.
Here are ten ways to adapt an effective marketing strategy that will serve you – and your customers – well for years to come.
No. 10: Sell to the individual, not the masses.
With any marketing piece Sun Insurance sends out, we always try to make it personal. Recently, we developed a direct mail piece about homeowners insurance that utilized variable data. It featured the recipient’s name, a personalized insurance quote and an actual image of their house. Nothing about the piece looks like a mass-marketing effort. It’s a one-on-one pitch to 500 people at the same time. If you want to make your audience feel like you’re speaking directly to them, treat them like they’re already a valued customer, as opposed to “No. 59” on a mailing list.
No. 9: Being everywhere doesn’t get you anywhere.
There’s a misconception that, as an agency, it’s enough to just “be” in social media. Insurance agencies may be tempted to create a profile in every social media channel, but an “About” page alone isn’t enough to make your phone ring. For long-term success, you need more than a presence. You need to stand for something. Our team believes in an 80/20 rule when publishing content. Eighty percent of the time, we publish content that isn’t necessarily related to insurance at all. This could be anything from restaurant recommendations to movie reviews or events happening in Orlando. By publishing content our customers have come to seek out and rely on, even if it’s not about insurance, the hope is that they’ll think of us first when it comes to insurance, too.
No. 8: Insurance doesn’t have to be boring.
Some of the marketing content produced by insurance agencies can lull even the most caffeinated of customers to sleep. Why? All too often, insurance agencies use jargon that readers don’t understand. People know they have to have insurance, but they don’t understand why. That’s where we come in: To close the gap between what we know and what they need to know. If you can deliver that information to them, while still being relatable and engaging, you’ve got a home run. Let’s say you’re in charge of the social media content for an auto insurance agency. Consider writing a Facebook post about the types of coverages you would recommend to Batman for the Batmobile. What real-life discounts would apply to him? While you want to ensure that your agency is always professional, it’s OK to publish fun content your users will want to read, respond to and – hopefully – even share.
No. 7: Plan ahead for seasonality.
The age-old adage with insurance still stands true: You often don’t know you need it until you need it. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t plan ahead on behalf of your customers. Whenever possible, our agency tries to plan our marketing efforts around seasonality. Are you a personal insurance agency in Florida approaching hurricane season? Your customers may not know that their homes, assets or family members don’t have the insurance protection they need if a storm hits. By taking a periodic inventory of the coverages your clients have or don’t have, your agency has the opportunity to cross-sell – and prove to your clients that you’ve got their backs.
No. 6: Avoid amateur creative.
The marketing collateral that your agency sends out to clients acts as the billboard for your brand. When that billboard features misspelled words or an outdated design, it reflects poorly on your brand as a whole. If your agency doesn’t take the time to get your marketing right, how can prospects be sure they can trust you with their insurance? Make sure that every marketing piece has the essentials: A professional design, compelling copy, your agency’s logo, contact information, and a clear call-to-action. Revamp the design of those marketing pieces from time to time, including your website. You don’t want to direct prospects or customers to a website that hasn’t been updated since the late 90s.
Next week, in part 2 of this series, I will share the top five marketing tips for insurance agencies!
