Small Business Insurance & The Internet
The Voice of the Commercial Lines Customer
Research from The PIA Partnership
Not Sure
Where
To Start?
Becoming knowledgeable and active with regard to the Online environment can be a daunting task for many agents. It can be intimidating deciding when and how to begin stepping into that realm. You’ll want to decide what you want to accomplish with your Online strategy.
First, decide what you want to focus on ...
For Example, you may want to focus on:
- Telling prospects about the value you provide
- Reminding current customers about your value
- Improving the overall customer experience
- Employing winning marketing practices
- Building a better sales culture
- Developing a unique “brand”
Then start at the level that's right for you.
To help make your decisions easier, we are offering three levels of resources and tools for you and your agency to use.
This is why we call it
Not only do our agents benefit from groundbreaking research...
Companies participating in The PIA Partnership
also make resources available directly to agents
who currently represent their company.
Select the following company links to find out more:
LEVEL
Use simple messages > more
What customers are looking for Online is similar to what they look for in person... When they check out insurance in the yellow pages. When they ask friends, relatives and fellow business associates about insurance and recommendations. Your Online presence can help convince small business owners that you are the expert when it comes to insurance.
When trying to capture attention Online, often less is more. The following are examples of simple messages an agency can use to start the conversation and help prospects take the next step with you and your agency. Consider using these and other simple messages you can use to connect with your customers in terms that are simple for them to understand.
- We’re the professionals – let us show you
- Here’s what we do
- Here’s how we can help
- Here’s how we’ve helped others
- Here’s what our clients have to say
- Take the next step – contact us
- You’re the expert in your business – we’re the experts in insurance
Develop your presence on the Web > more
There have been literally thousands of articles and books written on ways to make the most of your Web presence. Here are articles (listed sequentially by date of publication) which have been created specifically
for professional independent agencies:Using Twitter to Help Our Agency
How to Incorporate Social Media into Insurance Marketing
Building Your Community Through Blogging and Conversation
Building Your Facebook Community, Click by
Using Digital Marketing to React and Respond
How Twitter Is Used Differently than Facebook
How Blogs Improve Your Website and Agency Overall
Social Media and Its Evolving Impact on Both Employers and Employees
Tips to Increase Your Agency’s Facebook Page Clicks
Get Local: Optimize Your Company’s Website for Local Search
Geared up for Google+: A Guide for Businesses
Understanding Who Your Customers Are, Both On and Offline
Boost Your Leads by Creating a Social Media Plan
Keep Your Community Loyal with Engaging Social Media Efforts
Top 5 Video Marketing Tips for Insurance Agents
Tweet Your Way to a Successful Business
Supercharge Your Facebook Page: 3 Tips
Getting Closer to Prospects One Tweet at a Time
How to Make YouTube Work for Your Agency
Twitter vs. Facebook for Your Agency
Powerful Client-Focused Communication Strategies That Work
Using Social Media to Motivate Employees
How Your Agency Can Use Twitter to Engage Your Local Community
Educating Your Audience, One Blog Post at a Time
Using YouTube to Your Agency's Advantage
How Your Agency Can Benefit From Mastering LinkedIn
Social Media Can Combat Commoditization — Here’s How
To Be Successful on Social Media: Just Be Yourself
Social Media Tips for Agencies: How to Create Engaging Facebook Posts
3 Ways to Optimize Your e-Newsletter
Social: The Must-Have Element of an Agency Growth Strategy
Agency Owners: 3 Tips for Writing Effective Email Marketing Campaigns
Leveraging Technology to Increase Agency Efficiency
Is Referral Marketing Dead in a Digital World?
Why Your Small Business Should Be Using Social Media
Useful website links:
https://moz.com/local – Free tool to check business listings for accuracy & completeness
https://moz.com/learn/local-marketing – Nice, comprehensive resource for all things related to Online marketing for local businesses
https://moz.com/learn/local/reviews – Solid resource that covers the key areas for Online reviews (guidelines, building & managing)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgH6uiP6MuLraLkRtrZQSQg3BGBDz6CJd - Small Business Tips from Google’s Get Your Business Online Team
Social Media > more
“Every company will be social because customers will demand it”
Agents need to be active players in their customers’ worlds by becoming more social. Keep enhancing your social media strategy to stay in the game.
By leveraging social media marketing and evolving technology, you can bring more customers in the door and do an even better job retaining your existing clients.
Social media: It's not just about insurance, it's about the human side of insurance. Showing them who the people in your agency are and what they do (both in the agency and when they leave for home). Here are some articles, written by experts and designed specifically for professional independent insurance agencies:
To Be Successful on Social Media: Just Be Yourself - pg. 24
Social Media Can Combat Commoditization Here's Howl - pg. 26
Why Your Small Business Should Be Using Social Media - pg. 27
Getting Started: Developing a Social Media Strategy and Agency Policies- pg. 26
Social: The Must-Have Element of an Agency Growth Strategy - pg. 28
Social Media Trends: Will Your Old PC Become the New T. Rex? - pg. 36
Your Agency Facebook Page: What If You Build It and They Don't Come? - pg. 28
Social Networking (Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and Linkedln) Demystified - pg. 14
Navigating Social Media in the Business World - pg. 22
Blend Social and Traditional Media to Grow Your Agency - pg. 6
PIA Members Embracing the Internet and Social Media — Making it Their Own - pg. 18
Useful website links:
https://www.facebook.com/business/ – Info on success stories, solutions, new product announcements/news, etc.
https://www.facebook.com/business/learn/ – Covers the basics around pages, ads, measurement and creating ads.
https://www.facebook.com/marketing – FB page to follow for news, tips, best practices, etc.
https://business.twitter.com/resources - Tips, tricks, training & best practices from the Twitter Team
https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-social-media – Solid resource for learning
LEVEL
Taking the call – “A new class of prospect.”
When potential (and even current customers) take the first step by using the Internet to research insurance and shop for prices, how do you handle the call when they have a question? These are, in some ways, a new class of prospects.
Here is a reference scripts which can be used by producers and CSRs in responding to these calls. Everyone in your agency is potentially in marketing; arm them with the tools:
This worksheet can help agencies create customized scripts. Using them can help define your value proposition when this new class of prospect calls
Demonstrating examples of specific coverage/exposure questions and solutions
Whether meeting the insurance needs of personal or commercial lines customers, you can use your online presence (both on the Web and Social Media) to demonstrate your expertise and ability to custom tailor insurance solutions. Industry sources such as the Insurance Information Institute http://www.iii.org, and others offer content on a variety of topics you can use to supplement your Online content. Here are some sample topics:
- Answering questions on an insurance application form
- Do you really need flood, earthquake or other disaster insurance?
- Trucking firms: We can help you keep up with DOT insurance filings
- Missing laptops: The number one cause of data theft
- Inventorying your property
- New businesses: What you need to know about insurance
- Cyber Liability & Data Theft
Here are examples of Online video content available from Rough Notes Publishing http://www.roughnotes.com:
- General Contractor / Artisan Combo
- Joint Venture
- Mold
- Covering Your Signs
- Loan Worth More Than Car
- Teen Texting
- Youthful Operator
- Negotiating Recalls
- Commercial Auto
- Internet Liability
- Maintaining Coverage
- Vacancy Provision
- Teen Auto
- General Contractor
- Cost Home Video
- Umbrella Coverage
- Internet Insurance
- Accounts Receivable
- Earthquake Coverage
- Indirect Loss
- Umbrella Coverage
- Workers Comp
- Underinsured Homes
- Insuring SUV's
- Coverage For Business Auto
- Internet Liability 2
- Flood Insurance
- Business Insurance Costs
- Home Insurance
LEVEL
Tools to get everyone in the agency working together to understand and support change