September 18, 2020 - Digital marketing for insurance companies can be difficult in an ever-changing online landscape. Consumers’ needs change, new platforms appear, and Google releases yet another new round of Google Ads guidelines. It can be exhausting to keep up! To make sure you’re not falling behind on your marketing efforts, we’ve compiled four of the most common marketing mistakes we see local insurance agencies making.
1. You haven’t set goals.
We all set goals every single day, whether that be to meet your sales quota or to clean the kitchen before your spouse gets home. They provide direction and motivate us to do our best. The same is true when it comes to digital marketing for insurance companies!
You should have set goals in mind for each campaign. These goals should be much more specific than “to get new customers” and, when possible, should be measurable. For example, say you’re running a new PPC campaign. Your goal could be to obtain a 6% click-through rate or to generate 50 new leads a month. If you’re new to marketing, it may be difficult to set quantifiable goals, but as you learn more, you’ll be better able to forecast your performance.
Sometimes, it will be difficult to set measurable goals. That’s okay! But you should still discuss what you hope to accomplish with your campaign. If you’re renewing focus on your social media presence, your goal could simply be to increase visibility.
2. You’re ignoring the data.
How would we know if we reached our goals without evidence? Data can tell us important information, like how many people interacted with a campaign, how many leads were generated from an ad, or what percentage of a mailing list opened the most recent email. It provides us with both concrete proof of performance and indicates changes that need to be made in future campaigns.
Failing to analyze data puts you at risk of making mistakes like:
- Not correctly targeting your ideal audience
- Using an inefficient ad headline
- Segmenting your lists inaccurately
- Not following up on leads
Luckily, many platforms enable you to easily track and analyze various data points. When you’re a Melon Local client, we neatly organize this information for you on a user-friendly dashboard you can view at any time.
3. You’re using the wrong channels.
These days, there are countless ways to reach your target customers. There’s search engines, social media, and review sites, oh my! While the variety of options can be an asset to digital marketing for insurance companies, it can also make it harder to determine which platforms are best for your business. Should you spend more resources on advertising? Or are the majority of new customers finding you via local search?
The best way to avoid making this mistake is to pay attention to your customers’ behavior and the data. You may want to consider making it standard practice to ask new customers how they found your agency. This will help you determine which channels are working best for you.
4. You haven’t identified your target demographic.
Everyone needs insurance, but not everyone needs the kind of insurance you specialize in or is eligible for your services. This is where targeting comes into play. You want to identify the kinds of customers you’re looking for and tailor your marketing campaigns and assets to them.
Let’s use search engine marketing as an example. Let’s say you sell auto insurance in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You would want your advertisement or webpage to appear for a keyword phrase like “best auto insurance in Milwaukee.” Not only would a keyword like “auto insurance agency” be extremely competitive, but it would likely attract users that can’t use your services.
Digital Marketing for Insurance Companies Just Got a Little Easier
Are you making one or more of these marketing mistakes? Don’t worry! Now that you know, you can begin to correct these faux pas. But if marketing isn’t your jam, we happen to know someone who specializes in digital marketing for insurance companies… oh wait. That’s us. Contact Melon Local to learn how we can help you generate quality leads and grow your insurance agency.