Online Marketing: Your Best Way To Get Ahead

Long gone are the days when a business could get away without having an online presence. The fact is, everyone now goes online first and if they can’t find you, they probably won’t continue looking. Online marketing makes sure you don’t miss any opportunities; that you can capitalize on that great referral one of your customers gave their friend about you, or the person who saw that ad you placed in the local newspaper and are looking to connect with you.

The Key Challenge: Overcoming (Mis)Perceptions

At Kanetix, our SaaS group speaks to insurance brokers often. While some brokers are looking to acquire and service customers online, or engage in digital marketing, there are just as many—if not more—who think that their unique value proposition is purely face-to-face communication and service, or that there are too many headwinds against success to even bother, such as big costs, no ROI, and complexity.

Today’s consumer expects to not only find your business online, but they expect your website to be useful and easy to use. They expect to be able to transact anywhere and anytime, in addition to being able to meet face-to-face. The landscape has changed and if a consumer’s expectations aren’t met, you’ll be missing out on valuable opportunities to grow your business. 

The reality is that insurance brokers, big or small, can compete in the digital world, get heard, and make money relatively easily. To do this, focus on five key areas.

1. Build A Website With Your Customer In Mind

A website that looks great and works on all devices— desktops, tablets and smartphones—is critical. Imagine: in casual conversation, one of your customers brags to a friend about the great service you provided processing an auto collision claim. Right there, they pull up your website on their smartphone to facilitate further discussion, get contact information and even start a quote. This is the type of online experience consumers have come to expect and one that can be easily attained. Kanetix’s SaaS team offers a solution that services all brokers, large or small, making it easy to establish their web presence and capitalize on opportunities for growth.

2. Think Local

When a potential customer searches for “car insurance”, Google and other search engines list not only the most relevant match, but also the match that’s geographically closest. So you need to take advantage of services like Google My Business, where you can share information about your business (website, products, location, hours, and contact details), improving the chances that people in your community are able to find you online, when they need you.

3. Keep In Contact With Email Newsletters

Your customer’s email addresses are gold. Reaching out to your clients on a regular basis reinforces your role as their trusted advisor. Tools like ConstantContact and MailChimp cost very little, are user-friendly, and help you create communications that are visually appealing. Remember, emails are valuable and should be respected: make sure people opt-in to receive emails from you, send them only relevant content and don’t flood their inbox.

4. Share Your Knowledge

Search engines and your customers are looking to see that your website provides information that’s relevant. Articles and blog posts can go a long way to ensuring that you’re found online, as well as establishing and reinforcing your expertise in the field. There’s no trick to it, create content that matters and speaks to your customers and you’ll start to see the results. It also provides you with information that you can share via social media and feature in emails allowing you to keep the conversation going with your consumers.

If you ever hear the word “SEO”, it stands for Search Engine Optimization. No need to focus on it because for the most part, sharing your knowledge is what you need to achieve SEO.

5. Be Social

LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, and Facebook are all free tools you can use for acquisition, retention and engagement. A social media presence offers you the opportunity to position yourself as an expert and a thought leader. Post links to relevant articles you’ve written or that others have written and personalize it with your own insights as part of your post. Engage with your consumers and allow them to easily connect with you if they have a question. And remember: always respond to questions, comments, complaints and positive feedback—being social is a two-way street.

Customers, and potential customers, want what they want—and what they want they’ll seek out online first. By turning your attention to these five focus areas, you can compete, make money and still have the time to focus your energies on the unique value you bring to your consumers as an insurance broker.

Andrew Lo is Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at Kanetix.ca. He leads all marketing and corporate development initiatives for Kanetix Ltd. – Canada’s largest online marketplace for financial services.

This story was originally published by Canadian Insurance Top Broker.