11 Proven Marketing Ideas for Insurance Agents
Turn more leads into clients and grow your insurance business in 2023 with these proven marketing ideas.
by Jon Arancio, Vice President
If you’re an insurance agent, you know that marketing plays a critical role in your success. In fact, it’s the key to staying ahead of the competition and setting yourself apart from all the other agents out there.
But marketing isn’t easy. Most insurance companies use the same tactics to get customers—newsletters, referral programs, and social media marketing. To make the task more challenging, not every agent has a budget that enables them to implement digital marketing strategies like search engine optimization.
But don’t worry. There are still effective ways to get new clients.
In this article, we’ll explore 11 of the best marketing ideas for insurance agents to attract new clients and grow revenue in 2023.
1. Use a CRM to Close More Insurance Leads
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system acts as the hub for all of your insurance marketing efforts and client contact management. This software is an effective marketing tool that makes it easier for agents to service clients, track marketing results, and capitalize on more sales opportunities.
A CRM has a centralized database where agents can store all customer information. That means customer details and past conversions with prospects become accessible with the click of a button.
This software also enables agents to add notes on individual clients, consider special needs, and track renewals. As a result, agents can build better relationships with customers by improving the level of service they offer.
A customer relationship management system also allows insurance businesses to use many of their favorite integrations to increase productivity. As one example, Maximizer CRM’s integrations include useful tracking tools and automation features that help with prospecting tasks, such as Google Workspace and Microsoft Outlook (desktop client and web access), as well as marketing services like MailChimp and Unbounce. With this CRM, you’ll spend less time on tedious administrative tasks and more time looking for new clients.
A CRM tool designed for the insurance industry also helps agency staff to better serve current customers. Research has shown that over 74% of the companies using a CRM have been able to improve customer satisfaction and retention.
These platforms also provide data analysis tools for customer segmentation and monitoring employees’ performance. Other insights will help you improve your marketing campaigns.
Specific features may vary, depending on the type of CRM system a company uses.
Learn More About Maximizer CRM for Insurance Agents
Find out why more insurance agencies are using CRM software to grow their businesses.
2. Develop a Sales Funnel
A sales funnel is a selling model that helps agents measure how well marketing strategies are working and track where each insurance lead is in the sales process. Details on your campaign outcomes and overall insurance marketing strategy help you make informed decisions about where to allocate resources and make improvements.
An optimized sales funnel also helps agents follow up and respond promptly to prospective client inquiries. A quick response communicates a sense of urgency and shows them you care. Not only does this boost the agent’s perceived professionalism, it might even shorten the sales cycle.
Again, this is an area where CRM software can help insurance agents increase conversions. Maximizer CRM shows you when to contact prospects and at what stage of the buying journey they’re in. You can see when they have interacted with content or sent an inquiry, which helps agents identify other information a prospect might need to make a buying decision.
By understanding more about each prospective customer, agents can take immediate action, so their leads don’t go cold.
Overall, a sales funnel is an essential component of the selling process. It’s the key for insurance agents who want to boost conversions while also streamlining the engagement experience between themselves and clients.
3. Email Marketing Campaigns
Most of your potential customers’ inboxes are flooded with emails. Yet, emails remain one of the most effective methods for contacting prospects and getting new clients.
So, what can you do to give your email campaigns the highest chance to succeed?
Optimizing your email click-through rate starts with email delivery. It’s essential to use a reputable email delivery service (i.e., MailChimp) to increase the chances that it will make it into your prospect’s inbox.
It’s also critical to send emails when people are more likely to open them. Weekdays are usually best, especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Ultimately, you must test and monitor email open rates to see which days work better for your target audience.
To further increase open rates and the chances of people clicking on the links in the email, use a classic subject line. How you phrase your subject line will impact the open rates and user engagement. Make sure subject lines are descriptive yet concise and use action words that get the reader’s attention right away.
Don’t forget about personalization. By using the prospect’s name or providing some other form of customized experience, your open rates will be much higher. Personalized emails make people feel that you have put in some extra effort by adding details from their past interactions with you.
Last, but not least, use images in your emails that are visually appealing. Place them throughout the body of your email rather than sending plain text.
Click here to find out how Wintec Group helps insurance agents get higher email open rates.
4. Get Connected on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a powerful social media platform for insurance professionals who want to establish authority and credibility.
Invest time in building up your profile by posting interesting content regularly. Engage in conversations about different topics related to insurance. This will help people associate you with insurance services.
Start by exploring topics within the broad areas of insurance that apply to your field. Showcase your expertise by providing thoughtful insights or opinions connected to current industry news. Keep conversations active—invite ideas from others, ask interesting questions, or comment on posts from similar organizations in the industry.
When creating your own content, include clickable polls, “how to” articles, and infographics or videos relevant to insurance topics. Post special industry documents that have a high value within the community—from guides for filing an insurance claim to tips for finding the best policy prices online.
Building a presence on LinkedIn is an ongoing work-in-progress. But a solid presence on LinkedIn adds to your online authority and credibility. It also serves as an excellent platform for making connections and finding potential customers.
5. Partner with “Shoulder Niche” Businesses
A shoulder niche is a specialized business category that is closely related to your current area of expertise. You can partner with businesses in these niches to diversify your skill set and add value to your insurance services or products.
For example, an insurance professional might consider partnering with bankers, accountants, or attorneys. These specialties often serve the same audiences, so the connection makes sense.
Shoulder niches provide value by offering another layer of expertise in a related field that complements yours. These arrangements often result in more business opportunities while increasing your credibility.
Getting to know these partners can give you insights into different customers’ needs that you may not have known about before. Establishing these relationships can also create potential cooperative opportunities, the ability to share marketing expenses, and bring new clients to you directly.
6. Write Guest Posts
Content marketing is a great lead generation strategy, and guest posting is one example. Over 60% of consumers believe blog post authors are more credible than competitors that don’t create content.
Writing a post for another professional blog that includes a permanent backlink to your website can help build authority.
When you write a guest post, check with the blog owner or marketing team to find out what insurance topics they would like you to cover. Include relevant questions and answers in your post, as well as a call-to-action that encourages potential clients to reach out to you should they have questions.
If writing is not your strong suit, then it may be wise to enlist the services of a professional writing service to help you with the post.
By guest posting on other blogs in related niche topics, but not necessarily insurance, you can gain visibility and traction that would otherwise be more difficult to achieve.
7. Google Maps Advertising
One of the most creative insurance marketing ideas is Google Maps advertising to reach people who are searching for nearby businesses and services. You can use Google Maps to get your agency ranked at or near the top of search engine results and attract people looking for insurance products.
To get started with Google Maps advertising, make sure all of your business’s contact information is up to date on the Google My Business (GMB) platform.
Then, when someone enters an insurance-related search (i.e., “insurance agents near me”) on Google or any other search engine, they will see your agency’s information and contact form. Include images, videos, and other promotional materials so people can get a better understanding of what insurance services you offer.
Once you have a GMB listing, you could consider running local digital ads. This will draw more attention from prospects near you who might be interested in purchasing insurance from a nearby agent rather than a competitor located further away.
8. Webinars
Webinars are one of the best ways to build trust with your prospects and position yourself as an expert.
Start by identifying an interesting insurance topic that is relevant to your target audience. If you aren’t sure what to present, reach out to current customers directly and ask them what questions they have about insurance policies, laws, or prices. Then, develop a webinar around the answers to those questions.
Be sure to promote the webinar at least a few weeks in advance. To increase attendance, send reminders prior to the event. During the webinar, post discussion topics to encourage people to stay attentive and engage throughout the presentation. By answering their questions during the webinar, they are more likely to remember you in the future when they need insurance services.
The best webinars not only offer valuable information but also encourage audiences to take action quickly. So, at the end of the presentation, offer your prospects a call-to-action, such as subscribing to your mailing list or following your social media accounts. This will give you an opportunity to stay in touch and continue marketing your services to them.
Webinar content should not sound like a sales pitch. As a result, attendees are more likely to view your products as solutions to their problems, which makes them more likely to trust you. Depending on audience engagement during the webinar, you may also have opportunities for additional follow up either right after the presentation, or at a later date.
The key is to provide engaging content—stay on topic but keep it dynamic to hold attendees’ interest. Webinars are much less intimidating than conventional face-to-face meetings or phone calls and can be a powerful marketing tool.
9. Advertise in Relevant Publications
Placing advertisements in different publications that appeal to similar audiences as insurance agents is an effective way to market your services.
By pinpointing the demographic you want to attract, you can increase the chances of your advertisements being seen by potential customers. For example, if you’re looking to reach a younger demographic, look for magazines or websites that appeal to Millennials. Or perhaps your target customers are interested in boating, golf, or real estate. So, you might consider magazines or online websites that appeal to these audiences.
You could also consider placing targeted ads in newspapers—you might get better rates than what’s available on digital ad platforms like Google Ads.
Don’t forget about engaging with prospects on content platforms like blogs and streaming sites where they spend time online. You could even partner with influencers who have substantial followings within certain niches, which might allow you to get in front of people who are passionate about a specific topic.
10. Join Online Communities
Insurance agents have a great opportunity to network in small business owner communities. Offering expert advice and creating solutions can help establish a personal insurance brand or agency as the go-to source for insurance related topics.
By joining online communities on platforms like Alignable, Facebook, and Quora, agents can network with small business owners and get valuable insights from their feedback.
Agents can also use these as an opportunity to evaluate their marketing campaigns. With honest reviews about a landing page’s design or other marketing materials, an agent can make necessary tweaks that could improve conversion rates.
Community forums are a great opportunity to build a relationship with customers because the conversation is genuine without sales pressure or other aggressive tactics.
11. Get Online Reviews
Online reviews are an invaluable tool for prospects who are shopping for insurance. Positive reviews can be a powerful indicator of reliability and trust—exactly what agents need to gain a competitive advantage.
It’s important to monitor your insurance agency’s online reputation and respond professionally to both positive and negative reviews. This lets your customers know you value their opinions and are actively listening. When handling reviews that are negative in tone, work to resolve issues quickly and openly acknowledge the customer’s review with an appropriate response.
The goal of reviewing customer feedback is to create transparency between your organization and its customers. Doing so will help remove any potential reservations people may have before choosing you as their insurance agent. Responding positively to customer concerns shows people you care about every client’s experience.
How Wintec Group Can Help Insurance Agents Get More Clients
Wintec Group offers CRM support and training for insurance agents. We can help agents get more clients with Maximizer CRM, a powerful and easy-to-use customer relationship management software. Features, such as automation, scheduling, and contact management, enable you to track new sales opportunities, renewals, monitor commissions due and more—all in one convenient location.
With Maximizer, you can manage targeted marketing campaigns that are tailored to specific customer needs, helping you attract and keep clients. You also have access to business insights that will help you identify ways to improve your marketing and sales processes. The system also has built-in features such as automatic emails and push notifications, which make it even easier for agents to keep existing customers engaged.
Click on the button below to set up a call with a CRM consultant and find out how Wintec Group can help you turn more potential customers into long-lasting relationships.
Jon Arancio, Vice President
Jon is the co-founder and Vice-President of Wintec Group Inc., a CRM software reseller and application support specialty firm. He helps clients implement Maximizer CRM, and provides outsourced application knowledge to firms who need the additional skills sets but are not looking to add support staff for this technology.
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