The Latest News From Melon Local
Stay in the know with the latest news in digital marketing, best practices and updates from Melon Local.
4 Questions to Ask Before Granting GBP Access
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is one of the most valuable digital assets your business owns. It’s often the first thing potential customers see when they search for your business, making it a key driver of organic calls, website visits and foot traffic. In fact, a fully optimized GBP gets
Photo Best Practices for Google Business Profile
A picture can really be worth a thousand words, especially when it comes to the photos you choose to upload on your Google Business Profile (GBP). Well, at least according to the search engine, businesses that add photos to their GBPs receive 42 percent more requests for directions on Google Maps and 35 percent more clicks through to their websites than businesses that don’t. Although images don’t directly influence your
10 Strategies for Higher Performing Google Ads
In the fiercely competitive digital insurance marketing space, the secret to making your Google ads stand out isn’t just a hefty budget — it’s through strategic planning and understanding the search engine’s Quality and Optimization Score system. Let’s dive into how Google measures the quality and optimization of an ad and some strategies you can incorporate into your paid search campaigns. How Google’s Quality & Optimization Score System Works Think
Gemini vs. ChatGPT: Which AI Program is Better?
The tech world witnessed an “artificial intelligence (AI) spring” in 2023 with the rise of OpenAI’s ChatGPT-3.5 and ChatGPT-4. Amid this wave of innovative language models, Google’s Gemini AI launched as a formidable contender to ChatGPT, sparking a debate on which AI titan holds the crown in the digital marketing space. Leveraging cutting-edge technology is key to staying ahead for insurance agents, raising the question: Will ChatGPT or Gemini reign
6 Ways to Leverage Community Involvement for Backlinks
In the competitive world of insurance, fostering connections within your community goes beyond handshakes or sponsoring local sports teams. Picture transforming these personal, face-to-face interactions into powerful tools that enhance your online visibility through strategic backlinks. Let’s take a dive into how active participation in your community can open doors to numerous backlinking opportunities and potentially level up your Google ranking! Why Do Backlinks Matter? Think of backlinks — hyperlinks
Inc. Ranks Melon Local at No. 5 in Rocky Mountain Regionals
Melon Local is proud to announce we were ranked No. 5 on Inc. Magazine’s fourth annual Regionals: Rocky Mountain list for the fastest-growing privately owned businesses in the region.This is among 72 other regional companies from Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. “It’s incredibly rewarding and a bit surreal to see our team’s effort and innovation recognized by Inc. Regionals,” said Melon Local CEO and Co-founder Whitney Green-Olson. “From our
Interview with an Agent: Michael Popwell
Before opening his own agency in 2020, Michael Popwell honed his skills for six years under the mentorship of an experienced agent. One pivotal lesson he absorbed was the critical role of digital marketing in the modern business landscape. As he prepared to launch his insurance office in Suwannee, GA, Michael recognized that a well-crafted marketing strategy was essential for standing out in the competitive environment of the Atlanta metro
How Melon Local Leverages Artificial Intelligence
If you’ve sat through a sales demo with an insurance marketing agency in the past year, you might have listened to them touting the extra edge they have through utilizing artificial intelligence (AI). With the global AI insurance market on track to hit nearly $46 billion by 2031, AI will become just as necessary to our industry as any other technology. But here’s the thing: while many agencies are just
5 Things I Love About Melon Local – Feat. Joey Eades
Joey Eades began his professional journey as an insurance team member in West Virginia in 2013, where he discovered his true passion for forging connections and a desire to open his own agency. In August 2017, his dream came to fruition when he was presented with the chance to establish himself as an agent in the quaint town of Appomattox, VA — an opportunity he has cherished every day since.
Fireside Chat with Whitney Green-Olson, CEO
We already know the bar was set high, but it’s safe to say last year was truly One in a Melon. Our journey through 2023 was marked by phenomenal growth and accolades that underscored our commitment to excellence: Our community of agents grew to nearly 2,000 agencies, a milestone that speaks volumes about the trust and confidence in our services. We managed a whopping $20 million in client ad spend,
Latest Blog Posts
Why You Shouldn’t Google Your Own Business
In the insurance marketing world, your Google ranking often plays a crucial role in prospective customers choosing between you and your competitors. The top organic result is 10 times more likely to garner clicks versus a page in the number 10 spot, and even a single step up the search ladder may increase your click-through rate by about 2.8 percent. So, for insurance agents pondering if they should Google their
Interview with an Agent: Josh Ellis
When insurance agent Josh Ellis opened his Knoxville office in 2009, internet leads were still fairly new in the marketing world. Recognizing the potential in lead generation, Josh integrated them into his business strategy. Despite going through a multitude of different marketing companies, he found little to no success in getting the results he needed — let alone anything that was trackable. Between being an agent and overseeing his own
Insurance Marketing Trends for 2024
From Mother Nature doing her thing to the rise of insurtech companies, 2023 proved to be a unique and challenging year for the insurance industry. So, what can we expect for 2024? As we step into the new year, let’s look into the trends that Melon Local predicts will influence not just insurance agents but also their customers. Consumers Will Be More Price Conscious With a steady climb in insurance
5 Benefits of Choosing Melon Local for Social Media
It’s one thing to be on social media, but are you getting the most out of all your platforms? Investing in your social media is just as essential to any other component of your digital marketing strategy. To put things in perspective, ad spending on social media is expected to grow at an annual rate of 4.31 percent, resulting in a projected market volume of over $255 billion by 2028.
5 Things I Love About Melon Local: Feat. Mansour Hasan
Knoxville, TN insurance agent Mansour Hasan has served his community for over 18 years and currently provides coverage for over 5,000 households. As digital marketing and internet leads became more integral to building his business, Mansour realized he needed some pros in his corner who could not only understand his advertising needs but also deliver results. Enter Melon Local! Here are five reasons Mansour loves our fruitful partnership! 1. A
Your 2024 Insurance Agency Checklist
The end of the year is always a great time to assess our achievements, identify areas of improvement and, of course, set ourselves up for a prosperous new year. As an insurance agent, though, this may be the last thing on your mind as you’re still wrapping up things with the current year. Not sure where to start? Check out these 10 items to add to your 2024 checklist so
What Does it Mean to be a Melon?
Melon Local isn’t your typical digital marketing agency — so what makes us so special? No, it’s not just because we’re in the top three percent of our industry as a Google Premier Partner, and it’s more than us being able to deliver an average 30 percent conversion rate in our paid search campaigns. It’s safe to say we wouldn’t be who we are without the 1,800 plus One-in-a-Melon agents
Interview with an Agent: Steve Basler
Colorado insurance agent Steve Basler originally began his insurance career in Tennessee over 20 years ago. However, he eventually found his way to Colorado in 2007, and the following year, he opened his current insurance office in Wheat Ridge — a small city located in the busy Denver–Aurora–Lakewood metro area. In addition to his insurance office, Steve also runs and owns his own financial consulting company, Basler Academy. We caught
7 Strategies for Improving Customer Retention as an Insurance Agent
Acquiring new customers is one thing, but the other half of the battle is maintaining their relationship with your insurance office. The average customer retention rate for an insurance agent is around 84 percent, while top-performing agents can see an average close to 93-94 percent. While the insurance industry may have a higher retention rate compared to others, it never hurts to strive for better. Let’s take a look at