This post is adapted from this post and this eGuide from our parent company, NuGrowth Solutions. To find out more about NuGrowth’s content marketing services, visit nugrowth.com.
One of the most pervasive struggles for independent agencies is coming up with insurance marketing strategies. Personalized service and genuine customer care turn prospects into life-long customers, but how do you get them in the door?
One answer is content marketing. This low-cost, relatively easy, and high impact form of marketing is becoming standard. Let’s take a look at what it is, why it’s impactful, and how you as an independent insurance agency can get started.
Get more budget-friendly marketing strategies in our post on digital marketing
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is the practice of using meaningful, relevant content in the form of blogs, thought leadership articles, case studies, etc. to attract and engage potential customers. Content should be driven by what potential and current customers are interested in learning – not promote services and benefits.
Why content marketing?
Today’s buyers are more educated than ever before. When they’re dissatisfied with their service or looking for something different, they go online for solutions. They know someone, somewhere will have the answer. If you’re able to get them to look your way, that “someone” could be you.
Besides catching prospects searching for your services, content marketing can also help you:
- Position your organization as the expert in the field – one that cares about solutions, not just selling. This will help you initiate relationships you can turn into sales
- Nurture leads, keeping your agency top of mind with prospects that have shown interest but are not ready to commit
- Improve your search engine optimization (SEO) ranking
Find out more on search engine optimization and how to apply it to your agency website
How do I get started with content marketing?
First, you need content. When deciding what to write, do the following:
- Consider your target audience – what do they need to know or want to learn?
- Hold a brainstorming session with CRMs, your sales team, and others who have regular prospect or customer interaction. Ask what questions they hear most often from prospects or customers. Write down anything and everything – all you need is a starting point
- Look at content in industry magazines and blogs and take notes on relevant themes
Want to know more about marketing in the industry? Check out these Insurance Marketing Stats You Need to Know
- See what the competition is doing, and weigh if similar strategies would work for you. What areas are they missing that you could occupy?
- Use social media tools to listen in on industry chatter; follow influencers on Twitter and join industry LinkedIn groups
After you identify a few topics your audience is interested in, find a some that you – or someone else in your agency – have expertise in. If you can combine expertise with a subject of need for your readers, you will be on track to creating quality content, drawing in great leads.
What to get more insurance marketing strategies? Check out our marketing category on the SIS blog for more tips.
Sarah Deak has been contributing to the SIS team since 2013, covering topics like agency perpetuation, workflow improvements, data security, and marketing. She has a background in small business, working with organizations to improve their online presence and client engagement. Sarah also writes for the SIS newsletters and website, and counts herself lucky to hear from our many passionate, hard-working clients for our client stories. Her favorite part about working for SIS are the dedicated, service-minded people.