5 Digital Marketing mistakes that Insurance Brokers make, and how to avoid them

Transcription

1 5 Digital Marketing mistakes that Insurance Brokers make, and how to avoid them

2 Why digital marketing is vital for Insurance Brokers We all know that New Business can be tough. Many businesses only change brokers when a problem arises, and without such a problem it can be very hard to persuade them to move to you. At any given time, there are only so many people looking for an insurance broker. When they look for a new broker online, they are looking for meaningful differences between you and the other brokers on their list. If you look and sound like other brokers, just to be safe, you may be at risk of just blending in with the rest. Your website and online presence through Social Media and PR, will play a big role in helping clients to learn more about you anonymously. It s time for brokers to start looking at their website as a great lead generation tool to provide leads they can convert offline. I ve put this guide together as a starting point to help you look out for some of the most common mistakes made by brokers. See which ones apply to your brokerage, and talk to me if you need help figuring out how to get digital marketing working for your business.

3 (1) Speaking in Insurance Jargon If you re rolling your eyes at that one, I can understand your reaction, but hear me out. You already know that insurance comes with a language of its own. And yes, most brokers already do their best to steer clear of using too much jargon. I m not talking about really specific jargon like stillage warranties or average clauses though I m talking about the names you give to your core products or services. Lots of brokers websites use phrases like Commercial Insurance, Personal Lines and Property Owners Insurance to describe the main services they offer. These might sound fine to you, but your website should be written in your customers language. It should revolve around the words customers use when they search for insurance online. If you want to get found online, you need to consider making changes like these: Property Owners Insurance should instead be called Landlord Insurance, Property Insurance or Let Property Insurance Commercial Insurance should be Business Insurance Personal Lines should be Personal Insurance Non-insurance people, simply don t use the same language as the industry does, and these disparities are still surprisingly common. Some quick keyword research can easily tell you how frequently people use certain phrases when searching online. It might even help you discover search terms you wouldn t have thought of. (2) Not having a plan Some brokers sites look like they were created just to tick the proverbial box and get something online. On some of the sites I ve seen, I m sure that s exactly what happened. Nowadays, customers expect more from you than just a basic, static web presence. If you get it right, your website can become a genuine lead generation tool. Prospective clients will want to know what you are about as a business and why they should consider using you. They go online to do this, because it allows them to browse and research anonymously before speaking to you. Turning your website in to a lead generator is not simple, and you need a plan. You must decide the kinds of business you want to attract, what content you need, what people search for, how to encourage enquiries and more. People no longer go online, they live online, so we are a long way from the days when a basic website was needed just to have a presence. Whether you work with me, or someone else, you need to have a plan for generating leads online.

4 (3) Only talking about Insurance What does an enjoyable, successful new business meeting look like to you? Now I ve never been an Account Executive, but I have worked with plenty of them. When they come back from a good meeting with a new prospect, they re absolutely buzzing. I ve noticed that the meetings they enjoy most are the ones where they ve found some common ground with the prospect. They might support the same football team, have kids of a similar age or even have mutual acquaintances. Then, they get on and talk about insurance by which point they already have a rapport with the prospect. If talking about things other than insurance works well in client meetings, why should your marketing be any different? People do business with people they like and trust. It takes time to earn trust, but uncovering common interests and views can mean that people like you from the start. As a broker, it s still vital that you show your technical expertise and demonstrate to clients and prospects that you really understand insurance and can help them avoid any pitfalls. That doesn t mean that you should only talk about insurance though. Your website should have a news page and you should also have newsletters and social media accounts. You will struggle to find content to keep these ticking over if you only write about insurance. Worse still, it will turn clients and prospects off. The best brokers, are those that show they recognise not only insurance, but also the wider context that businesses operate in. IF you can show clients directly and indirectly, that you understand their world, you will stand a better chance of winning their business. (4) Not saying enough Those of us who have worked in insurance are under no illusions - we know that people see us as boring! I could be wrong, but I reckon that s why some of the older broking websites you see say the absolute bare minimum. They re so ashamed of the negative perception some people have of their profession, they just say as little as they can. However, there are two very good reasons you should say a lot about yourself and your products and services. Firstly, and most importantly do it for your customers and prospects. As I ve said already, people look online so they can weigh you up anonymously without being sold to. There are questions in their head that you should answer to put their minds at rest and encourage them to contact you. Secondly, pages with thin content don t rank well on Google. You should ideally be writing words on each page of your website if you want them to show up well on Google. If you do this, you have a chance of getting a decent amount of visitors to your website through Google. So, the answer is to explore your company and your products fully. Talk to existing customers and ask how and why they came to you. Talk to Account Executives and find out the questions they regularly get asked in meetings. Use all of these sources to help you write detailed web content that s persuasive and customer-focused.

5 (5) Not using case studies and testimonials As insurance brokers, you should see yourself as providing a professional service. Whilst solicitors and accountants are perceived as professionals, few insurance brokers are held in that sort of esteem. This is a bit unfair, given that brokers have skills that could help a business survive rather than going under. Without case studies and testimonials, it s very hard to explain why a prospect should consider working with you. Instead, you re reduced to saying that you can help clients manage their risks and find the right insurance. This is really abstract to a non-insurance person without specifics, they really can t see how you might help them and what makes you different. The marketing perspective on this is very simple the closer you can get to giving a full testimonial, the more powerful your marketing will be. Many brokers are scared of giving names of clients, in case competitors try to poach them. You really should push to get named testimonials, but if you absolutely can t, you could still look in to getting some anonymised case studies. This would at least give some idea of the scenario involved, how you helped the client, and how it benefitted them. The digital world is here to stay brokers that embrace it will be too. The internet is now part of everyday life, and thanks to mobile devices, people are never offline for long. Even if you don t offer online quote and buy insurance products, the digital world can still have a significant role in helping you win new business. If you need help to figure out how your business can try to win more business online, contact me through my website and I ll be happy to discuss your options with you. About Me I ve worked in senior marketing roles for two of the Insurance Age Top-1oo brokers. I understand the broking market well, and have clients in other sectors which gives me a wider perspective of what it takes to succeed in digital marketing.