LOGIN
MEMBER LOGIN
Calculate Your Growth Potential

Best Practices for Independent Insurance Agency Marketing

A desktop strewn with marketing materials and a cell phone.

How to do insurance agency marketing:
• Have a strong, easy-to-use web site that communicates your brand’s identity and value.
• Utilize personalized e-mail campaigns.
• Focus on one platform and develop a social media presence. Act as an educational resource for clients and prospects alike. Highlight customer testimonials.
• Utilize local advertising/sponsor events.

The 4 essential practices for elevating your agency’s profile

If insurance agency marketing can be boiled down to one simple principle, it is this: Think local, and always be present.

“Think local” involves adopting a mindset focused on how your agency’s message reaches the members of your community, as well as your agency’s place in it. To “always be present” is to continuously spread the word about your agency in both digital and analog ways. Be where the customer is.

Marketing effectively is one of the biggest challenges of independent agencies. Making your spend count, both in dollars and in time spent, is vital.

In today’s environment, it’s critical for even the smallest agencies to have a digital presence, from maintaining a well-designed web site to outreach on social media, to e-mail campaigns. Each touchpoint provides another chance for you to communicate the value of your agency and the personalized service it provides.

Whether you want to think of it this way or not, your agency is a brand – and both the agency principal and the staff are responsible for cultivating the brand’s identity.

The value of an independent agency is personal service from a trusted advisor, and that is your story to tell. Anyone can sell insurance; what are your agency’s biggest selling points? How do you serve your clients? Can customers contact you at all hours? Is your agency a long-standing, well-known institution in your area? Do you have a niche that you fill, or do you specialize in certain unique lines of business?

You need to establish what your value proposition is before you can communicate it.

Once you know what your primary selling points are, you can map those to the profiles of your potential clients. Ask yourself: who exactly are your potential customers? Create buyer personas for the customers you want to reach. Who is your target audience? Where do they live? What are their demographics? What types of coverage would they buy from you? Most importantly, what is their pain point and what does your agency do to resolve this issue?

Marketing your insurance agency involves every step of the customer journey and is part of every experience they have with you. This leads us to your most important marketing asset:

1. A strong, easy-to-use web site that communicates your brand’s identity and value

The first experience that most new customers will have with your agency happens the instant they click on your link through a Google search (and that’s assuming you rank visibly in those search results; more later on how to do that). Once they do, you only have one chance for your digital storefront to make a knockout first impression.

The first things visitors should see are an easy-to-use menu bar, your agency’s logo (if you don’t have one yet, you need one), and a strong graphic that portrays the tone of your brand. Those elements communicate your investment in your customers’ digital experience.

Interactive graphics on your homepage can also foster more time on site. For example, featured images of a home, an auto, and other visuals can be linked to other pages detailing the types of coverage that your agency offers.

On your site, visitors should be able to quickly find what they’re looking for. Consider that there are five primary reasons why people would visit you online:

  • To learn more about agency (do I want to do business with these people? Do their capabilities match my risk?)
  • To get in touch with an expert/learn more about insurance coverage
  • To obtain a quote
  • To file a claim
  • To pay their bill

Does your web site make it easy to do all of those things?

Put your company culture on display to create a personal connection with customers. On your “About Us” page, include a video or an interview with your agency’s leaders. This “story” should talk more about your customer than it does about you. The goal here is to communicate that your agency is a group of intelligent, experienced, real people who understand your customers’ problems, and can diligently serve their needs.

Include contact information (including phone numbers and e-mail addresses) for all of your producers, as well as the hours when it’s best to reach someone personally.

Do your due diligence when building your agency’s website. There are certain investments in any business that must be made, and in the digital age, this is one of them. There are a variety of cost-efficient options available, and hiring a professional to do the heavy lifting for you can help you continue to maximize your time selling. Don’t hire your nephew to do this on the cheap. In the long run, you’ll be paying more for that through lost revenue opportunities.

Focusing on search engine optimization (SEO) will help you show up more prominently in local web searches. The same type of work is done by other businesses, such as restaurants, to maximize their Google rankings. People often conduct web searches for something they need, like an electrician, rather than a business’ name. If someone types “car insurance” and your ZIP code into a web search, does your agency’s name show up first? If not, you’re already a step behind the competition.

There are multiple ways to boost your SEO, but a big one is positive Google reviews from your customers. Google reviews are key to where you show up in search results, and you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for reviews from satisfied clients. Make it a practice to include in your e-mail signature a link to where people can leave reviews – the impact can quite literally elevate your agency’s profile.

Download our free e-book here: The Independent Agent’s Playbook for Success – How to Solve Your Agency’s Five Biggest Challenges 

2. Personalized e-mail campaigns

E-mail campaigns provide your agency an excellent tool for personalized marketing to both prospects and current customers. While not every e-mail you send needs to be sales-based, it does need to be relationship-based; personalize every message your agency sends, regardless of whether a direct pitch is included.

Messages sent to celebrate customers’ birthdays or offer seasonal weather-related tips on topics such as hurricane preparedness and icy pipes serve to remind current customers who is responsible for their insurance needs, and help keep your value as their trusted advisor top of mind. Likewise, personalized e-mails can be sent to reach out ahead of policy renewals can get ahead of clients’ efforts to shop around.

Direct mail campaigns are still useful, but are more effective when combined with follow-up e-mails. Remind your customers that they can save by bundling policies with you.

Additionally, a deeper dive on your agency’s data can help you target cross-sell opportunities within your customer base – and the more policies you have with a client, the greater your retention will be. Over time, small improvements on retention will add up to a huge impact on growth and profitability.

Another great way to use e-mail in your agency marketing is to utilize Net Promoter Score customer surveys, in which your clients are asked to rate your agency’s efforts on a scale from 0 to 10. The results can not only reveal areas for improvement, but you can then ask those who rated you highly to share their thoughts in a Google review – which, remember, helps boost your ranking in search results.

NPS can also tell you who your least satisfied customers are; this gives you a better chance to win them back before they leave.

3. Social media

When done right, social media can help foster a sense of community engagement around your agency. It provides you an opportunity to build your brand, express your personality, and share details on what you and your staff do best.

It can also take a lot of time away from what your agency does best, so it’s important to identify where your efforts will be best spent. If you’re already an Instagram user or regularly find yourself on LinkedIn, posting daily on one or both of those sites is an option – but concentrating on one platform, like Facebook, where much of your insurance-buying demographic often is, may well be a better investment of time and effort.

Not having at least one social media presence looks odd in the digital age, so your best bet might be to pick one platform and direct all your social media time and attention to it.

Here are some guidelines for being on social and what types of content to focus on:

  • Act as an educational resource for clients and prospects alike. (What protection does an umbrella policy provide? Why do you need renter’s insurance? How do your insurance needs change with a new driver in the family?)
  • Express your personality. Do you enjoy cooking? Traveling? Antiquing? Posts involving any of those pursuits (and others) can play well on social. If you have shared interests, your customers can see something of themselves in you; if nothing else, it humanizes your agency.
  • Offer helpful guidance on subjects such as how to winterize your home, or why it’s important to revisit your insurance needs if you put an addition on your house.
  • Highlight customer testimonials. If a customer has something positive to say, share it! Don’t be embarrassed to display your strengths.

Above all, have fun with it and be authentic. Posting images will always get you more attention; use a site that provides free stock images, if needed. If you find yourself short on time to devote to your social presence, you can always use a site like Later.com to schedule some evergreen content posts in advance.

4. Local advertising/sponsoring events.

Finally, don’t underestimate the value of traditional advertising. Determine the radius that you want to cover and set a budget. Local billboards, bus stop ads, and placemats at local eateries are among your options. Others include sponsoring a local youth sports team, community event, fundraiser, or local cleanups – things that engender goodwill within your community.

Consider hosting a prospecting event, like a happy hour. Rent out a small space, create a flyer, and mail it to your prospects. Follow up with an e-mail. Events like this allow potential customers to meet the people behind the phone and grant you the opportunity to explain what kind of customer service you can provide.

Seek to engender brand loyalty at every step of the customer journey. Customer service is part of your marketing; positive experiences – especially those when you have a claim – lead to good word of mouth, and that’s some of the best marketing you can do.

Make no mistake, there’s a daily battle going on for your customers’ attention and loyalty – and you have to participate, or you’ll lose. Giant direct writers spend billions each year on marketing. Mindful investments in brand-building and smart marketing can help independent agencies stave off the competition and help you thrive.

Find out how a network like Renaissance can help you improve your insurance agency’s marketing efforts

About Renaissance

Renaissance provides market access, placement services, technology and resources for independent insurance agents that want to grow their business and maximize efficiency.

Learn More

More Insights

Subscribe

Linkedin Youtube
Start the conversation
Learn more about membership

Renaissance is a good fit for independent insurance agencies that:

  • Have a positive loss history
  • Have a strong desire to grow commercial lines
  • Are led by a licensed and experienced P&C insurance professional
Renaissance Logo - White

155 N Wacker Dr., Suite 820
Chicago, IL 60606
(800) 514-2667

Linkedin-in Youtube
©2024 All Rights Reserved | Legal Notice

NON-DISCLOSURE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

These Non-Disclosure Terms and Conditions (“Agreement”) govern the provision of information by Renaissance Alliance Insurance Services, LLC (“Renaissance”) to a prospective agency member (“Recipient”). Renaissance and Recipient Renaissance and Recipient are hereinafter referred to together as the “Parties,” and each may be referred to separately as a “Party.”

The Parties acknowledge that Renaissance may disclose to Recipient certain of Renaissance’s confidential, sensitive and/or proprietary information including, but not limited to, business, financial or technical information, in connection with the potential establishment and/or conduct of a business relationship or transaction between the Parties (the “Transaction”). In connection therewith, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which consideration are hereby acknowledged by Recipient, and as a condition of the provision of Confidential Information (as defined below) to Recipient, Recipient hereby agrees as follows:

  1. Confidential Information. “Confidential Information” means any and all information provided by Renaissance to Recipient in any form, and at any time (including prior to or following the execution of this Agreement), including but not limited to any such information that (a) is related to Renaissance’s business, finances, financial information, pricing, business plans, profitability, projections, business or financial opportunities, investment strategies, other strategies, data, products, services, concepts, contacts, personnel, customers, vendors, prospects, intentions, formulas, methods, processes, practices, models, tools, computer programs, software, discoveries, inventions, know-how, negative know-how, business relationships, agreements (including this Agreement), intellectual property, trade secrets (whether or not patentable or copyrightable), trade secrets, or other confidential or proprietary information, (b) contains or is related to any communications, negotiations or proposals regarding the Transaction; (c) Recipient has either been informed, or reasonably should know, is confidential in nature; or (d) consists of or contains names, addresses or other information of any description relating to any of Renaissance’ member agencies or any of such member agencies’ customers or clients. Confidential Information shall also include any analyses, compilations, studies or other documents or materials prepared by Recipient or by any of its Representatives, that contain, rely upon, are derivative of or otherwise reflect any Confidential Information as described in the preceding sentence. The foregoing notwithstanding, Confidential Information shall not include any information which, at the time it is provided to Recipient; (i) is already known to Recipient, (ii) is then or later becomes available to the general public without violation of any requirement of confidentiality.
  1. Providing of Confidential Information. Renaissance may provide to Recipient any Confidential Information, in such manner and at such times as Renaissance may determine, to assist Recipient in evaluating, negotiating and carrying out the Transaction, but shall have no obligation to provide any, or any particular, Confidential Information to Recipient. Renaissance makes no, and disclaims any, representations or warranties regarding any Confidential Information it may provide, except as may be provided in any definitive documentation relating to a Transaction.
  1. Non-Use and Non-Disclosure; Representatives. Recipient agrees not to use any of Renaissance’s Confidential Information for any purpose other than for or in connection with the evaluation, negotiation, entering into or carrying out of a Transaction. Recipient agrees not to disclose any of Renaissance’s Confidential Information to any third party other than Recipient’s directors, officers, employees, affiliates, counsel, consultants, advisers, representatives and agents (collectively, “Representatives”) who have a reasonable need for the same in connection with the uses thereof permitted under this Agreement. Any such Representatives who are provided with any Confidential Information shall be instructed to maintain the same in confidence, and not to make any use or disclosure of the same other than as permitted under this Agreement. Recipient shall be responsible for any breach of this Agreement by any of its Representatives, to the same extent as though Recipient had committed such breach personally. Recipient agrees to use the same level of care in protecting the Confidential Information from unauthorized disclosure as it uses to protect its own confidential or proprietary information, and in any case will use no less than a commercially reasonable level of care in protecting all Confidential Information from unauthorized disclosure. The foregoing notwithstanding, Recipient shall be permitted to disclose so much of the Confidential Information as has been authorized for release by Renaissance in writing, to the persons and upon the conditions so authorized by Renaissance, in connection with the carrying out of the Transaction. Recipient shall not circumvent or seek to circumvent Renaissance’s negotiations with any third party, either by entering into discussions directly with such third party otherwise than on behalf of Renaissance, or otherwise. For purposes of this Section, each Party shall act in good faith and deal fairly with the other Party.
  1. No License; Return of Confidential Information. Recipient will not acquire any license or other rights whatsoever with respect to any of the Confidential Information by virtue of its disclosure to Recipient pursuant to this Agreement, or by virtue of any use thereof permitted hereunder. Recipient agrees to destroy or to return all Confidential Information to Renaissance, including both originals and all copies thereof (other than copies created as part of the routine backup of Recipient’s servers, or copies retained pursuant to a requirement of a governmental or regulatory authority, all of which retained copies shall be held confidential for so long as such materials are so retained), and to confirm the completion of such return or destruction to Renaissance in writing, promptly upon demand by Renaissance within the term of this Agreement. The term of this Agreement shall be for a period of five (5) years, commencing on the Effective Date set forth above. Either Party may terminate this Agreement at any time, upon written notice to the other Party, provided that the obligations of Recipient hereunder shall nevertheless survive for the period above stated, with respect to all Confidential Information provided prior to such termination.
  1. Orders Requiring Production. In the event Recipient receives a court subpoena, request for production of documents, court order or other requirement of a governmental agency to disclose any Confidential Information (a “Disclosure Requirement”), Recipient shall (unless prohibited by law) give prompt written notice to Renaissance thereof so that Renaissance may seek to challenge or limit the Disclosure Requirement. Recipient agrees to cooperate reasonably in any effort of Renaissance to limit or prevent any required disclosure of Confidential Information, provided that Recipient shall: (i) not be required to incur any expense in connection with such cooperation, and (ii) not be required to disobey any Disclosure Requirement. Recipient shall not be deemed in violation of this Agreement if it complies with any such Disclosure Requirement either after having provided Renaissance with notice thereof and a reasonable opportunity to contest the same, or if such notice is not permitted. Recipient agrees to (a) exercise reasonable efforts to disclose only the minimum amount of Confidential Information that Recipient is compelled to disclose, in the opinion of its legal counsel, and (b) request that confidential treatment (if legally permissible) will be accorded to the Confidential Information being disclosed.
  1. Injunctive Relief. Recipient acknowledges that the Confidential Information is confidential, and that disclosure or use of said information in violation of the terms of this Agreement would result in substantial and irreparable harm to Renaissance, the actual dollar amount of which damage would be impossible to determine. Accordingly, Recipient agrees that, in addition to any other remedies that may be available, in law, in equity or otherwise, Renaissance shall be entitled to seek injunctive relief against the actual or threatened breach of this Agreement or the continuation of any such breach by Recipient, without the necessity of proving actual damages and without posting bond. This provision shall not limit the right of Renaissance to seek actual damages or any other legal or equitable remedy for any breach hereof.
  1. Miscellaneous. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to its conflicts of laws principles. Any action or proceeding against either Party relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced only in the Federal (to the extent appropriate jurisdiction exists) and State courts located in Cook County in the State of Illinois, and the Parties irrevocably submit to the jurisdiction of such courts in respect of any such action or proceeding, and irrevocably waive any objection to venue in such courts, including but not limited to any objection that such venue is inconvenient. This Agreement embodies the entire agreement of the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements and understandings, oral or written. No amendment to this Agreement and no waiver of any provision hereunder shall be effective unless it is in writing and signed by an authorized officer of the Party against whom such amendment or waiver is asserted. No invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this Agreement shall affect the validity or enforceability of the remaining portions hereof. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and shall inure to the benefit of, each of the Parties and their respective successors and assigns. There are no intended third-party beneficiaries of this Agreement. This Agreement does not in any way bind either Party to enter into or continue any type of business relationship with the other. Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent Renaissance from at any time disclosing any of its Confidential Information to others or negotiating with others for any purpose whatsoever. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed to constitute the Parties as partners, joint venturers, co-owners or otherwise as participants in a joint or common undertaking. Recipient’s indication of assent to this Agreement via electronic means shall be equally binding and effective as an original signature hereon, and shall be deemed duly and effectively delivered if so transmitted or provided.