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How To Win Clients Online – An Insurance Perspective (Finally)

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Online marketing. Yeah, you’ve heard of it. Isn’t it pretty simple? It’s just posting on social media right? Wrong. There are a few people out there that have had some success with this, but these are exceptions. Of course, you probably already knew that. Online marketing is anything but simple. It is a scary, hairy beast, and it’s okay to be intimidated by it. But like most beasts you’ve ever read about, it can be mastered.

So, what does it take? You’ve heard about the convoluted algorithms that control exposure. You’ve probably been told about the complex strategies you need to stay on top. But have you ever been given an insurance perspective? In the insurance industry, we have unique tools that can catapult our marketing campaigns ahead in the proverbial race. Let’s use them! So here are some tips that can take your agency to the next level.

(Based on our webinar that we held on December 20, 2016.)

Why Do I Need To Be Online?

The reasons to be online could go on for days, but I’ve broken it down to three main reasons: (1) lead generation, (2) brand credibility and recognition, and (3) increased sales.

Lead Generation. Have you been frustrated with your lead generation? It’s not uncommon, and misguided lead gen is a quick and easy way for any business to fail. Online content can transform the way you bring in potential clients. A 2013 LIMRA study showed that 85% of people said that they would use the Internet in some way to purchase a life insurance policy. This means that if you are not online, you are basically limiting your agency’s growth to that other 15%. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a steady stream of leads coming into your inbox every day?

Brand Credibility & Recognition. Word of mouth marketing has always shown some of the highest conversion rates. This is because the information is coming from a trusted source. A study conducted by the Nielsen Group showed that people are 84% likely to trust a recommendation from someone they know. In our world today, the medium that consumers use to get these recommendations has changed. People are going online.

Here’s a couple numbers to chew on: 69% of consumers trust content on branded websites, and 68% trust consumer opinions posted online. (The Nielsen Group) The point is, word of mouth marketing, or marketing based on referrals and recommendations will bring the highest conversions rates to your agency. Use your online content to push your recommendations.

Increased Sales. This is maybe the most important reason. Ultimately, you want to sell insurance. In truth, all of your marketing and advertising efforts would mean nothing if they didn’t drive sales. At an InsideSales.com event, the VP of Inside Sales for ADP reported that reps who use social selling tactics are 50% more likely to meet or exceed their sales quotas. Online content is one of the most influential factors for consumers in closing sales. As I said before, word of mouth is effective–online content controls the conversation.

Using Quote Engines to Generate Leads

There several options out there for good quoting engines (go here to see ours). The problem that we see with clients that aren’t having success with their quote engines is that they are not using them the right way. In order to fully harness the power of your quote engine, it should be an active part of your website, you should include it in your email signature, you should share it on your social accounts, and in fine, you should link to it in all of your marketing campaigns (maybe not all of them, but you get the idea).

Driving Traffic to Your Website

Okay, so you’re not exactly Google or Amazon.com–although, if you’re able to make an Amazon.com for selling life insurance, give me a call…Interesting how the next best thing would be a quoting engine…hmm… Well, the point is that you’re probably not the biggest name on the internet. You are competing with thousands upon thousands of other people who are also trying to drive traffic to their sites. So here is a list of 16 ways that you can get people to visit your website:

Create social media business pages
Promote your website on social media
Create LinkedIn publications that have interesting topics
Put your URL on everything
Submit your website to every directory, specialty listing, industry organization, and yellow pages you can find
Ask your staff to share it, especially the actively social ones
Join online communities
Email blast your customers about the new website
Pitch news ideas to publications, and include a link to your website
Ask your friends and family to share your new website
Create a Google+ account
Promote your website through paid search, such as search engine, AdWords, and social media advertising
Publish free information and reports about the products you offer
Link trade with other companies to get more links to your website
Provide free samples and giveaways (free quotes, consultations, branded merchandise, etc.)
Post classified ads with links to your website (i.e. Craigslist)

Conclusion

The time is not far off that agents and agencies will no longer be able to stay afloat without taking advantage of the online resources that are available to them. Online marketing is the future of communication between consumers, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating. In the insurance industry, strategically used quoting engines are the answer. By using them effectively, you will be able to channel a steady stream of new potential clients. Remember, recommendations and word of mouth are highly effective. Use your online content to control the conversation.

This has been a recap of our December 2016 webinar. (Follow this link to watch the video, or click on the image below.) Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch this and many other videos that will help you sell more life insurance!

To learn more about the various quoting products by IXN tech, and our entire line of insurance products, click here.

Click the on image below to go to the video.

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