8 Online Marketing Mistakes

Most insurance agencies are relatively new to online marketing. In the past, they competed with the agent down the street, so competition was simple and straightforward. Thanks to the internet, competition has expanded to any company and carrier licensed to sell in a jurisdiction. Many insurance agents are trying to compete online only to become frustrated because it doesn’t seem to be working. Here are eight mistakes agents make with their online marketing campaigns. 1. They Put the Focus on Themselves Today’s consumer doesn’t want to be sold to; they want information. If your marketing consists solely of trying to prove how great you are or how your rates are the lowest, you’ll find that nobody’s paying attention. Instead, focus on your customers by providing information they want to know. 2. They Fail to Answer Questions One way to bring positive attention to your company is by answering questions people ask when shopping for insurance. If the content you provide doesn’t solve a problem or answer a question, it doesn’t have relevance to consumers. Consequently, they will search for another company that meets this need. See also: How to Make Sense of Marketing Tech   3. Poor Call to Action While you don’t want to sell to your customers at every turn online, you do need to end your content with a call to action. It needs to be specific and strong. Instead of just saying “Call us,” say, “Learn how to save money on your car insurance.” Let them know why they should contact you and what they’ll get out of it. 4. Not Validating Leads Sure, you can have a lot of people click on a link, but how many of them follow up with a call or email? How many of the people who take the next step become customers? If you don’t know the number of leads generated from a campaign, you don’t know the value of that campaign. By successfully monitoring your leads (through web metric tools), you can tell which campaigns are yielding the best results. 5. No Website A common trend for many small insurance agents today is to use Facebook to create an online presence instead of putting in the work to have a website. While social media has a big impact and is essential for insurance agencies, they also need a website. If people want to do more research on your company, they need a place to go. 6. They Don’t Keep Up with the Competition It’s not enough to have an online presence for your insurance agency. You must also know what your competitors are doing. Look at their website and check out their Facebook or Twitter pages. See what they’re posting, and figure out how you can be better than them. Only when you compare yourself with the competition will you know how well you’re doing. 7. They Don’t Position Themselves as Unique Insurance agencies are typically competing against several other agents and carriers locally. You must find a way to make your company unique. Otherwise, why would a customer choose you? While offering low rates is one obvious way to compete, not everyone is going to have the lowest rates. Instead, you may need to find some other way to appeal to your audience. It may be as the small-town agent or the one who treats you like family. You may be the company that makes filing claims quick and easy. Look for a way to stand out from the crowd and then promote it. See also: 6 Ethical Challenges for Marketing   8. They Try to Do the Marketing Themselves You’re an expert at insurance. However, you’re not such an expert at online marketing. Many agents make the mistake of thinking they can handle their online marketing when they don’t have the time to do it right. Some agents may post on Facebook every day for a week and then get busy and not post for the next month. If you hire a marketing company, it can set up regular activity to keep you active online when you’re at your busiest. It also knows the most effective methods of marketing to help you get a better ROI. If your core competency is selling insurance; every moment you spend not selling insurance is lost revenue and opportunities. Avoid these eight mistakes in online marketing, and you’ll see your insurance company grow with new customers and a stronger online presence.