Whether it’s a quick morning jog, coffee in the car, or a shot of espresso at your favorite cafe, we all have a part of our morning routine that gives us that “Hello, today!” boost. Could your agency use that jolt, too?
Whether its tech tips, marketing tricks, news and information, or anything in-between, take advantage of the advice and inventiveness provided by great minds in the industry.
A recent post from Agency Nation hit on some of the best resources out there. Below are some of our favorite resources from the list.
Get targeted resources on perpetuation, cyber security, and more with the SIS eGuides
6 Online Insurance Resources to Follow
Agency Nation: Though specific resources are named on the list, the site itself has a wealth of information. Choose from articles, podcasts and a weekly video show uncovering the latest trends and tactics in independent insurance.
Insurance Thought Leadership: True to its name, this site brings together great minds in the industry. Read articles, listen to podcasts, or check out one of three blogs, including one focused on innovation.
The GROW Program: Stemmed from a social and digital marketing business, GROW offers a blog and podcast for agencies looking to hone branding and expand exposure.
Carrie Reynolds: Carrie has been at it since 1996, including creating her own brand, Insurance Goddess. Show co-owns her family-run agency and goes full throttle in insurance branding and marketing.
Coverager: With a focus on insurance tech, Coverager is a curation of what’s up with insurance, innovation, and the tools that make it happen. Check out its “Coverage Ponders” section for engaging articles.
Agency Checklists: Based out of Massachusetts, this site provides the latest in agency, insurer, fraud, and other industry news. It’s the straight facts owners need to make the best decisions for their business.
The conversation about improving your agency doesn’t have to stop at gaining tips and tricks. Keep the conversation growing by sharing your insights with your colleagues. We encourage Partner XE users to share their latest ideas through our Partner XE user community.
Whether it’s meeting at our regular Regional Learnings, shaping the Partner XE experience as a member of a workgroup or connecting on our regular monthly webinars, it’s important for the Partner XE community to connect in order to grow.
Get connected with the Partner XE community today! Contact us at [email protected] or 800.747.7005, Option 6.
As an independent agency owner, where do you devote most of your time and energy? Perhaps you answered “talking to customers” or “tracking new business.” Maybe you even said “marketing.” But, chances are you didn’t say “working on my agency website.”
Though your agency website may not be top of the list, it should at least be on the list. No matter how great your service or value, if no one knows your agency exists it’s all meaningless.
How can your agency website serve as an effective mouthpiece? It must attract – and keep – attention. It must be engaging to both prospects and customers alike. An engaging agency website does the following:
1. It draws people in
Your site should catch the surfer’s eye, no matter what device they’re using. This means it’s responsive: adaptable to laptops, desktops, tablets and phones alike. The content on your homepage needs to be dynamic and easy to digest (more images than text!). Use your agency social media platforms to pull in ever-changing content, keeping your site fresh.
The content on your site should speak to viewers. Talk about what your audience wants to hear. Blogs are a great way to convey audience-friendly content. And, if you’re unsure what to write about, other agency blogs are a great source of inspiration. You can spread the work around, too. Have individuals from different departments take a stab at creating content. Multiple contributors keep your site interesting, and the different points of view draw in a larger variety of people.
3. It’s easy to navigate
One of the biggest website bounce factors is clunky navigation. If it takes users too long to find what they’re looking for, they leave. Make the most relevant info easy to find. Such info includes requesting a quote, listing your services, showing staff bios, and displaying agency contact information.
Learn more about how a client portal can benefit your agency and customers alike
4. It’s easy to find
Getting users to your website may be one of your largest hurdles. Ensure your website is included in all promotional material, business cards, and staff email signatures. Additionally, focus on boosting your rank in search. Create and execute a keyword strategy, including relevant search terms in page titles and image descriptions in your site’s metadata. Focus on local terms to decrease competition and increase impact.
Finally, make sure your agency website is uniquely you. It’s the independent nature of your agency that attracts and keeps loyal customers. Display who you are proudly and use that to your advantage.
It’s this uniqueness that draws us at SIS to serving independent agencies. We see each Partner XE agency as an individual and take pride in building and maintaining a distinct partnership. See how those partnerships take shape in our client stories or get in touch with us to find out more in person. You can reach us at [email protected] or 800.747.7005, Option 6.
Online marketing, like all marketing, is about standing out. It’s differentiating from the crowd – showing off what makes your business and product unique.
Online insurance agency marketing demands time and resources to achieve this, yet agencies too often neglect marketing efforts. Independent agencies have distinct value points and culture, yet their online branding efforts take a backseat. With over 38,000 independent insurance agencies in the U.S., communicating your value proposition is critical. But, all value is lost in a cookie-cutter, template-based website. You’ve worked so hard to build your agency’s brand – why let it get lost in a sea of sameness?
Take a moment to make your agency website stand out.
Show off
Start by clearly defining your value. What is it that makes you stand out in your industry and locality? It could be a niche market, like serving small business owners or emergency service vehicles. Maybe you pride yourself in utilizing the latest technology, or you have great customer service stories. Whatever it is, make it front and center on your website.
Next, show your agency’s personality. Add elements to your site that show off not only what you do, but who you are as an agency. This can be candid photos of staff or even quirky “About Us” descriptions for your leadership. Show off your local team spirit or share a joke – something to show prospects that you’ve got a distinct company culture.
Once a prospect or customer finds your agency website, they shouldn’t have to fumble around to get connected. The first step is optimizing your site for all devices. Web searches are no longer confined to a computer: phones, tablets, and other devices now display web pages, too. Make sure your website is easy to read on each.
If you have a social presence (and you should!), integrate social media with your website. Have links to your social profiles on the footer of each page and include social sharing buttons on any relevant content.
Serve
Your agency website should also include intuitive, easy to find forms. Prospects and customers alike will appreciate simple, straight-forward methods to request information. Include ways to file a claim, request policy changes and ID cards, and access certificates of insurance. These easily accessible services not only streamline your operations, they boost your customer connection.
Get tips on how to organize your site for ease of use here
Update
Nothing is worse than a static site. The nature of the online world is that it’s always changing. Stay relevant with new content. Whether it’s sharing industry news or managing a blog, keep things fresh. Switch out photos and mix up your homepage’s featured content. These little updates show your agency is present and dynamic.
It’s also important to use the latest technology. This doesn’t mean you need a cutting edge, highly stylized site. Focus on elements like modern design, navigation widgets, and sticky menus. Look around at other agency sites for ideas and start integrating what works for you.
Is your website up to date? Find out if it’s time to update
Put in the time
Agency websites may be a common thing, but doing the common things uncommonly well is critical to your insurance agency website success. Give your virtual storefront the time and care it deserves. The payoff will be huge.
At SIS, we know and value taking time to craft a quality product that is uniquely “us.” That’s why we continually connect with our clients to improve our Partner XE management system. Each Partner XE update is full of enhancements requested and tested by our clients.
Want to find out what makes SIS and Partner XE unique? Check out our about us page or contact us at [email protected] to get connected today.
This phrase has become commonplace – the answer for everything from “what are those song lyrics?” to “which car should I buy?”. The internet is now the number one source for information gathering and decision making. This means your insurance agency website design is critical: it is where most of your prospects and customers will interact with your brand. It may even be how they find you in the first place.
Your insurance agency website design plays an important role in gaining new business and retaining customers. So it needs to make an impact – and a positive one at that.
An effective insurance agency website is one that is attractive, informative, useful, and engaging.
Attractive
Use pleasing elements, such as a “sticky menu” that stays glued to the top or side of the screen. A sleek design– something clean and bright – provides a positive user experience. Stick to one or two colors and minimal graphics, all of which should communicate your agency’s brand. Less is more here. Don’t overload pages with text. Get to the point using bulleted lists or other methods to break things up. Finally, stick to one or two font styles as anything more makes your site seem chaotic.
Informative
People come to your agency website to learn: about your team, your services, and what makes you stand apart. Bring the most important information to the forefront such as links to your contact, about, services, and request a quote pages. Users should be able to navigate to these pages from anywhere on your site. Include a search bar at the top of each page to allow users to easily find the relevant information they need.
Useful
Your insurance agency website design must serve users’ needs. Prospective customers need access to online quotes and your service list, but they will also look for ways your site serves your current customers. Online payments, access to policy information, printable ID cards, and online claims processing are appealing. Any way to make service faster and more convenient is a plus.
Engaging
Users should be able to interact with your agency website, and access your agency through it – from anywhere, at any time, on any device. The first step is a responsive design, meaning your site will adapt depending on what is used to view it: phone, tablet, laptop, or another device. Adding social streams (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) increases users interaction. Finally, an interactive help center can help your customers troubleshoot issues faster. The ability to live chat with agents or get an immediate email response to resolve issues creates a positive user experience.
Other Marketing Resources
Your website is an important part of your agency’s brand and a valuable marketing tool. SIS has a multitude of resources to help you build your brand, including more tips on how to continually improve your online presence. Check out our other agency resources here, or contact us to find out how our team can help your agency grow.
As technology is evolving and updating at a rapid pace, what was popular yesterday is out of date today. This is especially relevant with websites, as new and innovative designs, styles, and techniques are popping up each day. It can be difficult to sift through what’s “for today” and what’s here to stay, but your agency needs to get in the game by updating your website.
Our latest eGuide addresses current industry standards for an up to date, relevant website as we look at 5 Signs Your Agency Website is Outdated. From searchability to responsiveness, we review the most important elements for getting your website up to snuff.
Download the eGuide here! While you’re there check out some of our other great resources, including FAQ and demos on our latest Partner XE 2015.
The insurance industry – like others today – is understaffed. In late 2021, an insurance labor market study showed that 53% of agencies planned to “aggressively hire” within 12 months to fill vacancies. The same study also showed that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to fill open positions. As an owner, your insurance agency management relies on knowledgeable staff, but it can be challenging to fill positions in today’s market.
With hiring season just around the corner, your agency needs to focus on how to recruit new talent for your team. Past tactics may no longer work on a younger, more tech-driven workforce. It’s time to expand your outreach, position insurance differently, and look for diverse qualities to keep your agency growing.
Mike Maranda has been in the insurance business for over 40 years. He’s guided his agency through many seasons, but his recent journey to find the right agency management system for his team was one of the most painful.
After many years with a system they loved, Quality Insurance Service was forced to make a change when one of the big-name providers acquired their original system. Mike and his business partner decided to pick one of the big-name systems to avoid needing to make a change again anytime soon.
Yet, after selecting one of the dominant providers, they were frustrated to move through a cumbersome system with unresponsive service. After four years, they’d had enough and started searching for a new system, eventually joining the Partner Platform community.
As the insurance industry grows more competitive, the particulars of your specific insurance agency management will make your business stand out. Those particulars could be location proximity, ease of doing business, or even something as simple as how your website looks. Though price still matters, changes in cost can only go so far.
The true test of what makes your agency the best choice is the overall customer experience. Seemingly small touches that make each interaction easier, more personable, and leave each customer with a positive feeling have a real impact. Today it’s about more than the best price and the latest tech; it’s how you use these tools to empower, differentiate, and create the best experience in your agency.
As technology is evolving and updating at a rapid pace, what was popular yesterday is out of date today. This is especially relevant with websites, as new and innovative designs, styles, and techniques are popping up each day. It can be difficult to sift through what’s “for today” and what’s here to stay, but your agency needs to get in the game by updating your website.