If you have spent any length of time researching how to market your insurance agency, you will have noticed that almost every suggestion has to do with the internet and being found online. Why? That’s because the internet is how people do business and find business these days.
No matter whether they are buying from an online store or a brick and mortar store, research shows that 81% of shoppers conduct online research before buying. So you can be certain that there are potential customers of your agency searching online right now. Will they find your agency?
That largely depends on how visible you are to them. One of the most effective ways to be visible to potential customers is to be active on social media. An aspect of the online research referred to above shows that people often seek opinions from friends, family and other contacts through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
With roughly two-thirds of U.S. adults using one or more of these forms of social media, your agency needs to be investing in social media marketing to capture this valuable audience. The potential benefits are great:
It is cost-effective
Social media marketing is one of the most cost-effective marketing methods and it delivers a good return on investment (ROI) if used properly. It’s free to create a profile for your agency on most social media platforms. Even if you decide to do paid advertisements or promotions, the cost is relatively low compared to other forms of advertisement. The time you put into it significantly increases your conversion rates and your profitability.
It creates brand awareness
When you connect regularly through social media, you generate awareness for your brand and build brand loyalty in existing clients. As they share your posts, they introduce your brand to a new set of potential customers within their own circles. They are also more likely to refer you to other people seeking the products and services you offer. There is no doubt that regularly engaging through social media can generate a wide audience for your business.
It helps build trust through content sharing
Social media is a great channel for you to quickly share information about your agency and the services it provides. It is also a great channel for sharing content, which can position you as a source of knowledge on that topic. This builds trust in people.
It’s a great alternative to traditional customer service
For existing customers, being able to contact your agency through social media will be a welcome alternative to long wait times for phone calls or waiting for a response to an email. The two‑way communication that social media affords, makes it easy to address customers’ questions quickly and directly. This demonstrates to them that you’re committed to quality customer service.
It improves SEO
Social media improves your search engine rankings. That’s because when you create high quality content, you will build a community of people who like and share your content. Others will link to it and such good quality links directly increase search engine rankings.
It gives you insight into customer behavior
Engaging through social media gives you better insight into your customers and even potential customers. You can gain valuable information about what kinds of products they are interested in and the challenges they have faced with other companies. With this kind of information, you can tailor your product offerings. You can introduce new products that people need, and you can make changes to your business practices. That way you can avoid doing the things that put customers off, or you can start doing the things that they are seeking in an insurance agent.
Savvy businesses recognize that social media is an important part of any marketing strategy. It is a tool that insurance agencies need to embrace if they want to grow.
