It’s a new year. Resolutions are everywhere, and people are taking stock of their personal and professional goals. There’s no better time to look at trends and marketing ideas for insurance agents in 2019. Here are seven ideas we think will help you grow and stretch your business over the next 12 months.
1. Amp Up Your Networking
82% of Americans seek recommendations from friends and family when considering products and services. That’s 8 out of every 10 people! It’s important to get your name out there. Networking online and in person is a way to do this.
In today’s tech-driven mortgage marketing world, connecting in person may sound a bit old-fashioned, and even difficult. But when it comes to building real relationships, there’s no substitute.
Try this: Instead of just popping in for industry mixers and trade shows, make it a point to volunteer and give back to your community. Potential clients and referrals can connect your name to a friendly face and know you care about your community. The networking you do offline is perfect fodder for your visual content marketing strategy.
2. Improve Your Email Strategy
In 2015, email averaged ROI of $38 for every $1 spent, and that has stayed pretty consistent over the years. Some companies even reported ROI of over 70 to 1. If you haven’t been taking email seriously as a marketing idea for insurance agents in 2019, it’s a good time to make a change.
Why does email work? That’s a bigger question that we could (and have) write about in-depth. Email marketing can be as targeted and personal as you want it to be. Better yet, it’s a direct channel to your existing customer base.
Email not only keeps you top of mind for repeat business, but it also creates opportunities for email forwarding, social sharing, and referral business. All you have to do is create and share content that provides value to your subscribers. In short, focus less on promoting your services and instead think about the needs of your audience.
Try this: Answer the questions you encounter in your day-to-day life as an insurance agent, offer tips and how-to guides, or just share industry adjacent content that your audience will find interesting. If you’re providing value, you’re doing it right.
3. Add Variety with Video Content
If a picture is worth a thousand words, is a video is worth a million words? Forbes found that an average of 40% of decision-makers called a vendor after watching a video. Another interesting find was that 65% visited a vendor’s website after watching a work-related video.
Video has grown in popularity thanks to social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Users can live stream longer videos and post shorter clips to Instagram Stories that disappear after 24 hours.
Now that we all carry around tiny computers with the ability to capture high-quality images, recording and sharing video is easier than ever.
Give it a try and see how your network likes it. Ideas include:
- Live stream (with permission!) part of an event or fundraiser you attend.
- Record a 30-second clip once a week answering a frequently asked question.
- Post an Instagram story as you volunteer in your local community.
Video can be an easy and fun way to connect with your network. That’s why we wanted to add it to the list of marketing ideas for insurance agents in 2019.
Try this: Use Facebook Live and stream a video of a short Q&A that you do with a client or colleague. Ask your network ahead of time what questions they’d like answered and then let them know when they can watch and engage in real time.
4. Promote Your Social Media Posts
Social media marketing is constantly changing and evolving. Simply put, gaining traction just isn’t as easy as it used to be. But there are a lot of opportunities out there if you’re willing to try some new tactics. Social media advertising is expected to generate more than $17 billion in revenue in 2019 and continue growing year over year.
Promoted posts and social ads are an effective means of reaching beyond your current network and increasing your brand exposure across social media channels.
Social media advertising is one of our top marketing ideas for insurance agents in 2019. The ability to target zip codes, professions, and other demographics is invaluable to companies that know their audience and demographics.
Try this: Start with the social network many businesses consider the most important: Facebook. Run a social media ad campaign and see the difference in engagement and reach. Tweak the copy, image, and targeting to continue to improve results.
5. Consider Automated Marketing Strategies
When it comes to insurance agent marketing, automation is the great equalizer. Not only does it take some of the responsibility off of your plate, but it’s also the perfect tool for nurture and acquisition. In fact, 51% of top performing companies use marketing automation for customer retention.
Automation can be used in a variety of ways: content, email, social sharing — you name it. There’s no better way to save time and money while improving marketing efficiency.
Try this: Use our handy checklist and tackle one site a day (or one a week if it’s too time-consuming). Before you know it your accounts will be in tip-top shape
Keep Growing Your Business
We hope these marketing ideas for insurance agents will help make you work more efficiently and more effective. But if you’re like so many busy professionals and find you’re short on time, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Insurance marketing automation is what we do. Let OutboundEngine help you find the best possible strategy for your business in the new year and beyond.
Schedule a free demo today and see how we can help take so many marketing tasks off your to-do list.