“We all need somebody to lean on,” as Bill Withers said in his famous song Lean on Me. Yet, it can be challenging to know when and how to ask for help. Working in an independent agency, you likely need more help than you know. With a small team, everyone is usually tackling more than one job at a time, making it easy for something to fall through the cracks.

Though you may intend to put effort and thought into something, invariably other time-sensative matters comes up. For many agencies, that something is insurance agency marketing. Whether it’s a customer request, an uptick in claims, or another important measure, marketing gets put on the back burner again.

So how do you know when it’s been too long since you paid attention to your insurance marketing? There are a few signs that it’s time to get help.

1. You can’t remember when you last updated your website

In the last five years, websites have gone through many changes. If you don’t remember when you last logged in to your website’s editor, you need to get in there now. Do you have your current logo and branding? Recent photos of your staff? Is your website readable on mobile devices as well as desktops? The time to update is now.

2. Your social media presence is stale…or nonexistent

When it first came on the scene, social media was primarily a tool for personal connection. Now it’s a powerful business tool, too. If your agency doesn’t have an up-to-date social presence, you’re missing out on numerous marketing opportunities. Look for help to bring social to your agency.

3. You don’t have (or know how to use) marketing automation

One excellent tool to help with your social presence is marketing automation. With marketing automation, you can schedule social media posts to keep your feeds fresh and reply to interactions with your followers. Plus, marketing automation can send an automatic email and social messages, track customer and prospect engagement, and more. It’s now a must-have tool to gain insights into how to market effectively and streamlines your marketing processes.

4. Your lead generation and closing strategies are old (or don’t exist)

You absolutely need a lead generation, nurturing, and closing strategy. While word of mouth marketing is powerful and effective, it cannot be your only strategy. In recent conversations with independent agency owners and insurtech providers, we’ve repeatedly heard that finding and cultivating quality leads is essential for modern independent agencies to survive. Get help to define and hone your strategies.

5. You don’t have a CRM (or know how to use it)

An insurance CRM is critical to creating and managing your lead generation and closing strategy. CRMs hold all your customer and prospect information and help you see the links between who is your ideal customer and why. It also provides data on what methods convert leads and keeps customers around. But it can be confusing and intimidating if you don’t know what you’re doing. If you’re unsure about an insurance CRM, get help in implementing and customizing. The investment is more than worth it. 

The Partner Platform Community is Here to Help

Whether it’s help with your agency website, questions about marketing automation and CRM integrations, or tips on utilizing your management system to improve marketing, the Partner Platform Community is here to help. Our expert SIS team has all the product know-how, our Partner Platform agencies have the tips and tricks, and our Partner Allies tech partners have the technology integrations to serve all your agency marketing needs.  

Find out more about how the Partner Platform agency management system and insurance CRM, and the Partner Platform community, can be your lifeline. Get in touch with us at [email protected] or 800.747.7005, Option 6.