The Latest News From Melon Local
Stay in the know with the latest news in digital marketing, best practices and updates from Melon Local.
How AI Determines Which Business Is the Best
You know your business is the best. But when someone asks AI (Artificial Intelligence) for the best business nearby, does your name come up? And if another business gets recommended, what made AI choose it over yours? Let’s look at how ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity find business information and

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 around 70 percent more in-store visits. Because of its importance, it’s not uncommon to receive emails or notifications asking you

4 Lead Follow-Up Strategies From Insurance Agent Katie Olson
When lead performance starts to slow down, it’s easy to assume the leads are the problem. But after working with thousands of insurance agencies across the country, we’ve found the best opportunities come from improving what’s done with a lead after it comes in. That’s exactly what Melon Local Business Development Specialist and experienced insurance agency owner Katie Olson discusses in our latest Melon Minute. As the owner of her

Melon Spotlight: Cassidy Fehr
From rolling out the green carpet as a CSM to helping keep The Patch running smoothly as Executive Assistant, Cassidy has continued to grow alongside Melon Local. Known for her organization, positivity and attention to detail, she’s become a go-to resource for keeping projects on track, supporting leadership and adding thoughtful touches that make Melon feel like home. Whether she’s coordinating behind the scenes, helping elevate the client experience or

How to Write Better AI Prompts with the GREEN Framework
Artificial intelligence has changed the way businesses create content, brainstorm ideas and solve problems. With nearly 75 percent of companies adopting AI for at least one business function, its use will inevitably increase over time. But here’s something many people overlook: the quality of AI’s output depends on the quality of your input. Two people can ask the same AI platform the same question and walk away with completely different

Melon Local Hosts Successful Open House for 2026
For two days in May, Melon Local opened its doors and welcomed hundreds of clients, partners, sponsors and friends at our Las Vegas-based Melon Patch. Yes, there were live demos. Yes, there were even tacos, drinks and a dunk tank. But the biggest takeaway from Melon Local’s 2026 Open House wasn’t found in any activation station or presentation. It was the people. Throughout the event, we had the opportunity to

The Importance of Staying Visible During Uncertain Times
If you’ve been in business long enough, you know how market shifts can make you rethink everything. Maybe AI is changing how your customers find your business. Maybe it’s rising costs of operations. Or perhaps it’s your own ROI not keeping pace with your business’s needs. But after years of working with our clients across the country, we’ve seen one thing consistently hold true: The businesses that stay visible during

Melon Local Named a 2026 Quantum Certified Workplace
Melon Local is proud to be recognized as a 2026 Quantum Certified Workplace, a designation awarded to organizations that demonstrate a consistent commitment to building strong workplace cultures and high-performing teams. The recognition reflects Melon Local’s ongoing investment in its people and the belief that a thriving internal culture directly drives better outcomes for clients. The certification, awarded by Quantum Workplace — a leader in employee experience and workplace culture

RECAP: Melon Local Celebrates Bring Your Child to Work Day
Bring Your Child to Work Day officially took over the Melon Local office on April 23, and for a few hours, our usual crew of marketers, strategists and Client Success pros shared the spotlight with some very important guests — the future generation of Melon leaders! Throughout the morning, 14 kids ages 4–11 got a behind-the-scenes look at life at Melon Local, starting with an office tour where they met

What to Know About Google’s Review Response Update
Did you know you may be replying to Google business reviews without realizing your responses never went live? Google has quietly introduced a new moderation layer for business review replies — meaning responses can now be delayed, filtered or rejected before ever appearing publicly on Search or Maps. Here’s what’s changing, and what your business should do about it. How is Google Now Moderating Reviews? Before this update, Google review
Latest Blog Posts

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

What Does Exclusivity Mean in Insurance Marketing?
If you’re an insurance agent, perhaps you’ve heard the word exclusivity thrown around by different marketing agencies. Companies often tout this word as a way to make their services seem more appealing, but what exactly does exclusivity mean in the world of insurance marketing? Perhaps we should ask if it even means anything at all. Separating Hype From Reality You’ll often hear marketing agencies promise you exclusivity with major search

Interview with an Agent: Roy Hooker IV
Following in his dad’s footsteps, Roy Hooker IV opened his insurance office near North Tampa in 1990 at age 23. At the time, he was one of his company’s youngest agents, but with some ambition and wisdom from his father, he’s been able to continue his family’s legacy of success in the insurance world. While the earlier half of his career was focused on traditional marketing efforts such as mailers
