I can remember the day clearly.

I was sitting in the conference room. I had just been hired as THE SOLE PRODUCER for a local health insurance agency. It was my job to bring in the new revenue that would keep “the doors open”.

I remember asking, “So, what is the marketing strategy here?”

I got stares. I got silence. Someone may even had pulled up the sound of a cricket on their smartphone.

There was no marketing strategy!

I know it sounds crazy, right? Yet, this is the problem MOST INSURANCE AGENCIES are faced with. So many years have been spent “pounding the pavement” and “smiling and dialing” that marketing has been a distant afterthought.

In fact, I’ve actually heard agency owners exclaim, “marketing isn’t important”!

Here’s the truth…without marketing you don’t have sales.

If you want your producers to keep their pipelines filled, marketing is the beginning, the middle, and the end. So, today I thought I’d help out those insurance agencies struggling in the marketing department by sharing 3 simple strategies that can be deployed immediately.

Have a personal conversation with your email community

Many insurance agencies maintain a list of prospect emails but few use it effectively. It’s not meant to be a tool to continuously shout to prospects, “Buy our stuff! Buy our stuff!”. Have a real conversation with them. Don’t just share the latest ACA updates coming out of Washington DC. Any agency can do this. Be different. Take the time to write thoughtful content with strategies to help your target prospects win.

Host webinars

Take the time to host webinars on a consistent basis. This is an EXTREMELY valuable way to bring prospects to you. Put the time in to creating good topics for the webinar, a topic that aligns with your message and is valuable for your audience. The more you do this the more your message gets out there. Remember, it’s about attention and you want to grab the attention of your target prospects.

Get on social media

No, social media is not a waste of time when used appropriately. I can’t believe there are insurance agencies that still block all social media from their computer servers. You are literally blocking your producers from growing their business. View social media as another vehicle for sharing your message with your target prospects. Your goal with social media is not to sell, it’s to create awareness. Where else can your message get shared with 1,000s with one click of a button?

Listen, I know that pounding the pavement and cold calling isn’t dead, but if you don’t start utilizing the marketing strategies above, your agency soon will be.

 

It’s 2019 and you need to start utilizing the tools and technology that are available at your fingertips. Marketing is important. No wait, it’s vital. Sales comes down to who knows you, who likes you, and who trusts you. Marketing is the fuel that will spark the awareness of your agency’s brand. Craft an effective message and market it to the masses!