September 18, 2020 - Ready to get more leads on the line? It’s time to cast a wider net. Many agents don’t have the luxury of leads being sent straight to their office (unless they’re a client of Melon Local, of course). With a mix of traditional and digital marketing for insurance agents, you can begin generating a higher volume of quality leads interested in your agency’s services.
Not sure where to start? Below you’ll find a list of tips and tactics you can use to generate leads and increase visibility for your insurance agency. We recommend using a combination of these strategies to yield the best results.
Narrow Your Scope
First things first. Remember that net we mentioned? Well, you don’t want it to be too wide. Picture yourself at a lake trying to catch a few trout, not a commercial fisherman abroad The Deadliest Catch boat. Okay, we’re done with the metaphors. When you develop a marketing campaign, you need to determine who it is you want to reach. Are you hoping to reach retirees looking for life insurance? How about new drivers in need of auto insurance? Zero in on these specific audiences and craft campaigns, assets, and posts that speak to them.
Optimize Your Location’s Web Page
As an insurance agent, you likely have a web page for your office. (And if you don’t, go make one! We’ll wait.) However, it’s not enough to simply have a web page. It should be optimized to help local customers find your office. This means you need to fill out each section on the page, including a brief but detailed “About Me” section, complete contact information, and any other available prompt.
You should also include a location-specific keyword in your copy. For example, your keyword may be “top [Company] insurance agent in Spokane”. Conduct keyword research to pinpoint a phrase that will be most effective for your business.
Run a Localized PPC Campaign
Call us nerds, but this is one of our favorite ways to generate quality leads. PPC (pay-per-click) marketing is known for its effectiveness, speed, and flexibility. It enables us, as marketers, to pinpoint our target audience and deliver ads to those web users exactly when they’re searching for services like yours. Find out why this digital marketing strategy is so effective for insurance agents here.
To ensure your ads are only shown to people eligible for your insurance services, adjust the settings related to location. You can set your preference by city, region, or even the user’s proximity to your office.
Claim Your Local Directory Listings
This is digital marketing for insurance agents 101. It’s simple, it’s easy, and it’s imperative to your business. Claim your agency’s directory listings on the channels most consumers use to find local businesses, such as Google Business Profile and Yelp. Many of these platforms allow people to make a profile for a business whether they are the owner or not, so you want to make sure you beat them to it.
And remember that insurance web page we talked about? Include a link to that page on each directory listing. It will enable customers to get to know you better and build the sense of trust that’s important in an agent to customer relationship. Plus, it’s another avenue a potential customer can use to contact you.
Build an Online Reputation
Between directory listings and social media, there are countless places for customers to leave feedback online. You may already be aware of how impactful reviews can be for someone making a purchasing decision, but here’s a stat in case you need some convincing: approximately 91% of people trust reviews as much as personal recommendations. Wow!
To harness the power of this phenomenon, you have to build your online reputation. Make sure customers can find you on directory listing sites and social media by linking these profiles where appropriate, such as your web page. You may consider including links in your e-signature, as well.
Be Active in Your Community
Look, we’re all about digital marketing, but there’s something to be said about good old-fashioned networking. And it’s a serious bonus if you get to do a little good in your community, too. When you go out of your way to get involved, whether that be by working with The Chamber of Commerce or sponsoring your neighborhood’s Little League team, your agency is gaining visibility. We encourage you to figure out which avenue is best for you and get your name out there!
Turning Leads Into Customers
We’ve covered how you can generate more leads, but what do you do once you have them? Check out our resource on how to turn leads into customers to learn a top insurance agent’s process for securing sales. And for all your other questions related to digital marketing for insurance agents, give Melon a call.