Take a look around your agency office: what are people doing? Checking out newspaper ads? Browsing the phonebook? Perusing a mailer they just received?
Chances are you don’t see any of these things happening in your office, on the street, or almost anywhere these days. That’s because the world of marketing has changed, and your insurance marketing strategies need to change with it.
Look again. You probably see people on their phones watching an ad between Instagram browsing, on their laptops Googling best services providers in their area, or posting a message asking for buying advice on social media.
See the difference? Marketing has gone digital. Has your agency? If you’re still stuck in the world of print, you’re already behind. Join the world of digital with these there steps.
Upgrade your marketing game with Insurance Marketing You Can Actually Do
- Build Content
Content is the driving force of your digital marketing efforts. Flashy and obvious advertisements no longer get the job done. Effective marketing is more subtle, giving prospects something they need or want and linking it to your agency.
And, some content can be repurposed for multiple uses. Though you will have pieces that are timely, you also want those that are “evergreen”: items that stay relevant for months and years to come.
When writing content pay attention to three things:
- Write what people want to read
- Write what you know
- Write a variety of content types
Getting content off the ground can be a challenge, but once you get rolling it’s easy to stay in motion.
Find out more on creating great content on the SIS blog
- Get the Word Out
Once you have content, the next step is getting eyes on it. Your website or blog are an excellent holding ground, but you need to go into cyberspace to point people back to them. Use social media, email marketing, and other digital tools to get content in front of prospects.
Part of your outreach strategy should also include audience segmentation and targeting. This means identifying groupings within your audience and specializing how you reach out based on their preferences. Your messaging, delivery mode and timing should be slightly different depending on each segment’s behavior.
Determine best messaging, timing, etc. by gathering data on your marketing efforts. See which communications modes were most effective with different groups. Use A/B testing to find the best messaging. Experiment with timing and frequency. Website analytics, social media engagement reports, and marketing automation results are all excellent sources to gain this critical data.
Learn more on segments to target and how to gain prospects here
- Encourage Connection
One of the greatest values of digital marketing is the ability to connect with those consuming the content. Capitalize on this by asking for comments on content, capturing contact info to view exclusive content, and other ways to get users engaged. Establishing these connections provides insight into how prospects are engaging and gets you the info you need to move the relationship along.
Beyond gathering data, help your content grow by giving users the ability to share it with others. Add in “click to tweet” or “share on LinkedIn” buttons. Have a “forward to a friend” at the end of your emails. Any way users can pass along your content is mutually beneficial.
Want more tips? Find out how to jump-start your insurance marketing
Make Marketing Easier with Automation
Starting up your digital marketing takes time and effort, but marketing automation can drastically reduce both. That’s why we’ve added marketing automation to Partner XL, the latest system on the Partner Platform.
With Partner XL, Partner XE management system users are now able to onboard clients, create and schedule segment-specific messaging, and set up automatic follow up and follow up reminders. And, the system captures a wealth of data to help you see what’s working and what needs to be tweaked.
See Partner XL and Partner XE for yourself: schedule a demo or contact an SIS member today.
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.