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Reaching your customers online

  • Posted by Sarah Dravec | 3 min read

Reaching customers is key to selling insurance and landing leads. The Rule of Seven suggests that a customer needs to see a product or service seven times before they commit to buying, but in today’s fast-paced world, you can reach a customer with fewer contacts. You just need the right approach.

Here are four tips to reach new customers and grow your business:

1. Optimize your website

In a world driven by the internet, the first thing potential customers will likely see is your website. If it looks like you designed it in 1998, it won’t convert many people into customers. Take the time to optimize and completely redesign your website if needed. Make sure it has responsive design elements and works just as well on mobile devices as on a desktop. After all, mobile internet traffic now makes up over 56% of all web traffic*.

Keep search engine optimization (SEO) in mind during this process. The days of stuffing keywords into a website are long gone, but make sure you provide alt text for every image, proper image names, and try to score a few backlinks to your site. Most importantly, ensure your contact information and the kind of insurance you provide are visible as soon as someone lands on your site.

Your website is also a great place to personalize your service. Include high-quality, professional photos of yourself and your team, along with bios. Demonstrate your community involvement by highlighting your work with charities or other organizations. Make sure the content captures your expertise and knowledge of not just insurance, but of your customer and their needs as well.

And finally, your website should include some specific calls to action that encourage your audience to contact you for more information. This could be as simple as an email link or as sophisticated as a lead capture form that collects their information.

2. Keep a social media presence

For insurance agents, social media marketing lets you reach potential customers and can help generate links back to your website. Your profile on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram can be customized to your market and your targeted customer.

The key to effective social media is authenticity. Sharing professional accomplishments, industry expertise, and community involvement are great ways to connect. If you serve a specific area, post about local events. Be present and active in the community, and you will generate more leads organically. Posting weekly or monthly insurance tips (ideally with links to your website) can build your reputation as an expert and keep you top of mind the next time someone’s in the market for insurance.

As you build an online audience, you might find different posts get more engagement than others. High-engagement posts can easily be turned into social media marketing campaigns. You can increase your reach by targeting potential customers in your market using ads on various social media platforms.

3. Keep it simple

Insurance can be confusing and complicated. In all of your communication with customers, avoid using confusing jargon and keep concepts as simple as possible. It’s also a good idea to personalize your message and clearly explain what an insurance product offers, what it doesn’t, and why it’s important.

For example, if you live in a wildfire-prone area, explain how homeowners insurance will protect their homes and properties in the event of a wildfire. Talk about the need for an itemized list of belongings and the benefits of umbrella policies. Put concepts in terms that the average person can understand.

4. Start or update a blog

While a website is important, a blog also provides value. Blogs are a type of website. The only real difference between a blog and other types of website is that blogs are updated on a regular basis with new content, which is displayed in reverse chronological order (new blog posts first). It means a constant stream of new and relevant content that can help you rank in Google search results.

A blog can also position you as an expert in the industry. Make your posts relevant to questions being asked about insurance both within the industry and by consumers. Look to your competitors’ websites, too. What kind of blog posts are they writing? What takeaways can you glean from those posts? Aim to update your blog at least once every two weeks at about the same time to see the best Google search results.

Another way to package similar content is with an email newsletter. A weekly or monthly newsletter sent directly to existing and potential customers can create new opportunities. Customers who see your name in their inbox regularly will keep you in mind the next time they have an insurance question.

Visit Progressive Marketing on ForAgentsOnly.com for more information on how our partners can help you with any of the marketing ideas above.

 

*https://www.statista.com/topics/779/mobile-internet/#dossierKeyfigures

Sarah began her insurance career as a licensed agent for Progressive Direct. She now uses her English and creative writing background as a communications specialist on the Agency team. In her spare time, Sarah writes and hikes as much as possible.