A few weeks ago, Steve Anderson posted “A Balanced Approach to Agency Marketing” on his blog. If you haven’t read this already, you should. Steve’s a smart guy and he knows what he’s talking about. In the article, Steve’s did a good job of explaining something that we emphasize in our talks with agents everyday – balance.
There is a lot of focus on the value of websites as lead generation tools. This message is pushed by many of the technology vendors in the website space. They’re telling you “websites are lead generation tools!”, “It’s all about search optimization!”, and “launch a quote engine and watch the money come”.
The reality is that the successful online agent needs balance just as much as the successful traditional agent. Your insurance agency website isn’t just for lead generation or quoting – actually, it may be an even more valuable tool for retaining and growing your existing relationships.
Let’s go through Steve’s four pillars of profitability to look at how your website can support them in a balanced way:
Keep: Your insurance website puts you just a click away from your customers at any time. Put resources on your site that educate customers and help them from day 1. Make sure they know they can always reach you online. Put your picture and contact information on your homepage to remind them who you are and that you are there to help. Relationships go a long way in keeping a customer.
UpGrade: Make sure you explain the benefits and risks of different coverage amounts. Link to tools, resources, and articles that can help your customers learn about the risks of being underinsured. This sets you up to have your customers ready to increase their policies when the time comes.
**Round Out: **Put content on your site for all of the policy types that you sell. On your homepage, rotate the policies that you feature on a regular basis to make sure they all receive exposure. This reminds your customers that you can meet all of their insurance needs and helps you round out your business.
Get More: Today, most of the focus is on websites. It certainly is an important aspect, although it isn’t the only one. You need to make the right first impression, and more often this happens on your site. We believe that a professional site with good, informative, and educational information should always come before a quote engine. Make sure you build trust with your prospects before asking for the sale!