Most Americans have some form of insurance—be it for their home, car, or business. This need for insurance presents an excellent opportunity for insurance agents and brokers to grow their customer base. But with national insurance industry brands competing with large marketing budgets, it can be challenging to be heard among all noise.
This is where defining and targeting your ideal customer with smart marketing strategies comes in. The right strategies and tactics make it easy to stand out from national and local competitors. Referrals are still necessary, but today, the lion’s share of opportunities are available online. Making the most of them requires a website that creates a stellar first impression and provides an intuitive user experience. But there are several other ways to supplement a great site.
Here are a few insurance marketing strategies you can use to grow your insurance business in 2024 and beyond.
- Boost Credibility Within Your Community
- Develop a Referral Network
- Invest in Content Marketing
- Try PPC Advertising
- Manage (and Encourage) Online Reviews
Boost Credibility Within Your Community
Growing your client base starts with your local community. After all, it’s much easier to develop relationships with prospects and customers when you can meet them in person. As an insurance company, there are a lot of opportunities for making a positive impression within your local community.
Broad marketing strategies such as billboards and public transport advertising can be an effective way to get your name out there when you’re just starting and need to build brand awareness. But you can take a more active approach, too. Consider sponsoring a local sports team or 5K race, volunteering for local organizations, and buying booths at events, such as arts festivals. These can all help you get the word out while boosting your credibility.
Develop a Referral Network
Developing a referral network is one of the best ways to grow your business. Yes, today, most of the contact may happen online, but you can still find unique ways to demonstrate your value as a referral partner. You can collaborate with other agencies specializing in different types of insurance or even consider seeking out real estate agents and mortgage lenders, as their clients will likely need your products and services.
Once you’ve made the introduction, be consistent with your follow-ups. Find unique ways to add value to your strategic partners’ businesses, and you’ll start generating referrals in no time.
 Invest in Content Marketing
Content marketing for insurance companies is an integral part of any marketing strategy. Want to drive traffic to your website while also driving qualified leads? Content marketing can help you achieve this and more if you stay consistent.
Content marketing gives you a unique opportunity to share your insurance industry expertise with your audience. It can be difficult to navigate the industry language and available policy options. By creating content that helps prospects and clients understand their options for coverage, such as blogs, guides, and tip sheets, you can deliver lasting value. This makes content marketing one of the best insurance marketing ideas out there. And over time, if you stick with it, you can become a trusted authority on all things insurance.
Try PPC Advertising
Competition is fierce in the insurance industry. And most people seeking to purchase insurance are looking for a good deal. While they’re scouring Google for the best options, you don’t want your website to appear on the last possible results page. You can give pay-per-click (PPC) advertising a try to counteract this. By bidding on specific keywords, you can get your insurance company in front of more people than you can in the search results alone.
Because it’s so competitive, you’ll likely need some professional help creating your PPC campaigns. Forget trying to figure out geo-targeting, device targeting, and keyword bidding strategies on your own. You’ll be the most successful if you find a trusted digital marketing agency to help you launch PPC advertising campaigns for your insurance company. An agency will also be able to help you stretch your ad budget as far as it can go, ensuring that you get the most value for your investment.
Manage (and Encourage) Online Reviews
Managing your online reviews is one of the most critical insurance marketing strategies for winning new clients. With 89 percent of customers making an effort to read reviews online before buying a new product, it’s evident how important reviews are to your company’s reputation. Reviews help prospects and customers make better decisions, and online feedback is generally trusted as much as feedback from a personal friend or family member would be.
Reviews also help set expectations for new customers. They can determine if your company provides adequate customer service and support, which can make or break their decision to work with you. These are all reasons why review management is so important. Consider how you respond to online reviews because those reading your reviews are also reading and considering your responses.
Don’t have reviews yet? Ask your customers for them! Encouraging your clients to leave reviews about their experience is a wonderful way to engage with them while helping provide insight for new prospects and clients. Don’t wait; try it today!
Try These Strategies for Success
The five marketing strategies shared here are a great way to start marketing your insurance company. Some of them you can easily handle on your own, while others are best for experienced professionals like those at Sagefrog to handle. Work alone (or with us) to execute these strategies, and you’ll be busy while the leads come rolling in.