Fact or Fiction? Does Insurance Blogging Boost Sales?

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FACT or FICTION: Will Blogging Really Help You Blow By Insurance Sales Goals?

Over the past month, many of you have read my posts about insurance blogging and social media. So, you already know that writing insurance blog articles is not enough. An insurance blog article does not become a powerful, purposeful lead-generating blog article until it is optimized for targeted keyword phrases. Next, the reader must be enticed by a heavy hitting insurance blog headline. Then he or she must be compelled to request more information by a SWEET call to action at the end of the article. Then, and only then will you attract leads!

Still, you may be wondering … Is insurance blogging really worth my time? Is social media a good place to spend my insurance marketing dollars?

I’m glad you asked!  To help you answer the FACT vs. FICTION question, I’m offering an all new free report:

“Lead Generation Lessons for Insurance Marketers – The Power of Blogging and Social Media.”

In a study of 4,000 businesses, HUBSPOT found that blogging and social media activities significantly impacted corporate site traffic, lead generation and customer conversions.  If you’d like to see the data  for yourself and possibly put these findings to work for your insurance business, download the report now by clicking the link below:

Click to download your free report: “Lead Generation Lessons for Insurance Marketers – The Power of Blogging and Social Media.”

Inside this insightful new report,

you'll discover the measurable impact

of social media posts, blog posts

and landing pages.

Get THE FACTS today!

Insurance Social Media: LinkedIn – Why and How

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With more than 150 million members and all of the Fortune 500 represented, LinkedIn is the top business networking site.  LinkedIn gives insurance businesses the opportunity to:

• Tell your company’s story.
• Highlight your products and services.
• Share recent news.
• Improve SEO Value: having a LinkedIn company page makes it easier for people to find your business online and increases your SEO.
• Generate leads. 
• Engage with followers.
• Share career opportunities.

LinkedIn Personal page VS LinkedIn Company page –

You may be one of the 150 million that have a LinkedIn personal page and know the benefits of networking with professionals, potential customers and employees but if you haven’t created a company page, you’re not using LinkedIn to its full potential.  Personal pages and company pages serve different purposes. Your personal page is about you – your photo, contact info, work history, and recommendations.  Your company page is your corporate identity – a place to showcase your business, logo, products and services, and career opportunities.

In order to create a company page, LinkedIn requires that you have a personal page with an email address that matches your company domain name.  If you don’t have a personal page, go to LinkedIn to create one. 

LinkedIn Company Page Features:

• Overview tab - Introduces viewers to your company, your blog posts, Twitter feed and who in their network works at your company.
• Products and Services tab - Showcases your products & services, customer recommendation and connections to the members making the recommendations.
• Career tab (requires a paid subscription) - Promotes your job openings (with more content about jobs, your brand and your employees than typical job websites) to the over 150 million LinkedIn users.
• Employee tab - Highlights the company employees, including job functions, educational background, and experience.
• Analytics tab - Helps you understand who your followers are, who is viewing your page, and what content appeals to them. This tab is only visible to administrators of your Company Page. 

How to Create a LinkedIn Company Page

From your personal page, click on Companies in the top navigation bar.  Click on Add a Company link found in the upper right area of the page.  Here is the information that you’ll need to set it up:

• Company Name - Make sure the company name listing matches the name you use in your profile. (If you use LLC or Inc. on your personal profile, your company site must be the same).
• Administrators - LinkedIn wants you to designate who will administer your company page. You can choose either all employees with a valid email address registered to your domain or designated users only.
• Logos - Logos can be uploaded as a standard logo and as a square logo that will be used for updates.
• Company Description - You have the opportunity to describe who you are and what you do.
• Specialties - Include keywords that describe what you do in this section.
• Twitter and Company Blog RSS Feed - LinkedIn has an Add an Application tab for your Twitter updates and blog feed that keeps your company page relevant and current.
• Company Type, Size, URL - Select from the options that describe your company type. Your company website URL link can go to your home page or to a services page.
• Industry, Operating Status, Year Founded - Choose your industry from the LinkedIn categories. Add operating status and the year founded.
• Locations - You can list up to five different location addresses.
• Careers - The option to promote job openings is available with a paid subscription.
• Account & Settings - This section allows you to choose how your information is displayed, how you want to be contacted, and your overall privacy preferences.

Promote your LinkedIn Company page 

• Connect. 
• The Add Connections button on your profile will give you several ways to add and find connections.  These connections are visible to everyone on your connection list unless you choose to hide them in your settings. To hide or not to hide?  It is a personal preference – you have to choose what is best for your business.  For more insights read Do You Hide Your LinkedIn Connections?
• LinkedIn Groups may be one of the most powerful aspects of LinkedIn for companies.  It gives members the opportunity to create and manage groups focused on a wide range of business-related subjects and is a great way to find other members with similar interests. See 10 Reasons to Start a LinkedIn Group for more information.
• LinkedIn Answers showcases your knowledge, expertise, and interests by asking and answering questions to your network.  For more information of Groups and Answers see 4 Pillars of LinkedIn Marketing for Businesses  (Social Fresh)

• Link.  Use the Add an Application option to link to your blog and Twitter feed.
• Promote. Ask for recommendations and post them - it’s a word of mouth promotion to over 150 million professionals. *
• Follow.  You can add a follow button to your website or blog and add a “follow our company on LinkedIn' in your signature line and in other promotional materials.

Need a LinkedIn bio? Go to our excecutive biographies page to learn more.

Want to know more about how social media can drive your business results?  Get our all-new free report, "Lead Generation Lessons for Insurance Marketers - The Power of Blogging and Social Media."

Resources:

LinkedIn - Learning Center and Tips for Engaging Your Followers

*Everything You Need to Know About LinkedIn Recommendations

Using Facebook for Insurance - Part 2: Getting Started

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Happy Valentines Day!

In honor of Valentine's Day, the Insurance Marketers' Blog is all about getting social this month. Today, we continue our 2-part series on Facebook. Scroll down to see Part 1 if you missed it last week.

Ready to build a Facebook page for your insurance business?

To get started, visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/learn.php for an overview then click “Create Page.”  Follow the prompts to:

• Choose a classification.
• Choose a category.
• Upload a photo – ideally this should be the company logo.
• Complete information about your business, your website URL, a short description, products, etc.  Add your website URL and a brief bio in the ”About” section.
• Click the “like” button on your Page and become a fan. Your page needs at least one fan to be recognized by Facebook.  Once you become a fan, you will be listed among all the other fans on your Page and all the Pages of which you are a fan will show up on your profile, giving your business more visibility to your network.

Like and be liked

• Add a widget to your insurance website that will allow people to “like your business directly.
• Invite any existing email subscribers and customers to follow you on Facebook.
• Include a link to your insurance Facebook page in your email signature.
• Blog about your insuarnce Facebook page.
• Join networks of businesses/organizations related to your industry.
• Like other businesses’ Facebook Pages. When you like the Pages of business partners, Facebook will notify the administrators of those Pages. Some of them may also decide to like you back, which exposes your business to their fans.
• Tweet about your new Facebook page (see the blog: Using Twitter for Insurance).

What to post:

• Create an engaging business page that is interactive, fun and helpful. Give customers a reason to follow you on Facebook.
• Thought leadership – discuss relevant issues, share articles and ask questions to stimulate conversation
• Promote webinars, conferences, events
• Encourage Likers to submit content
• Encourage your fans to offer their feedback - This is one of the biggest benefits of social media versus traditional media.
• Offer coupons and other exclusive content that is only available after a person clicks the “Like” button. (Become a Liker now and get a free white paper)
• Create contests on Facebook. Contests are a fun and engaging way to encourage participation from fans and even generate new fans.
• Embed videos on your Facebook page.

Using Facebook for Insurance - Quick Tips:

Settings - Make your Page publicly searchable so it can get indexed by search engines and give you the opportunity to drive organic search traffic to your Page. Go to “Edit Page,” click “Manage Permissions” and make sure “Page Visibility” box is un-checked. This will make it publicly visible.

URL - Once you have at least 25 “Likes” on your Facebook page, you can register a unique username for your business page. (www.facebook.com/insurancecopywriting) And then post it everywhere (see twitter post) Warning: Be extremely careful in naming your page, as it is PERMANENT after you obtain 100 likes.

Facebook Insights - Use the free data Facebook provides in Insights (click View Insights tab). This will allow you to see how many people have become fans of your page among other useful data to make smarter and informed business choices.

Use Facebook Ads -Facebook Ads make it possible to advertise directly to Facebook users and your ads can be directed to your target audience. You can target people by age, country, state, city, education and interests. See http://www.facebook.com/advertising

Tweet – If you use Twitter, consider tweeting some of your message to your FB page. The way to do this is by using an app like Selective Twitter. Once you add the app to your Page and set up the configuration, just adding #fb to the end of a tweet.

Post your insurance blog articles - One of the best ways to drive traffic to your insurance blog, is by posting links to your blog articles on your Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin accounts. Ideally, you should be doing this twice a week.

Resources:

*Inc. - How to Create an Effective Company Facebook Page http://www.inc.com/guides/201103/how-to-create-an-effective-company-facebook-page.html

Want to have the inside scoop on the most useful posting techniques?  Engagement and Interaction: A Scientific Approach to Facebook Marketing, Momentus Media provides answers to the seven most frequently asked questions by Facebook page adminis

Facebook for Insurance 101

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With more than 845 million monthly active Facebook users, it’s no wonder that some insurers are turning to Facebook to market insurance every day. 

Check out these statistics:

• The number of marketers who say Facebook is “critical” or “important” to their business has increased 83% in just two years. (Hubspot State of Inbound Marketing Report 2011)
• 67% of B2C and 41% of B2B companies that use Facebook for marketing have acquired customers through this channel. (HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing Report 2011)

What is Facebook?

Facebook is a social networking website intended to connect friends, family, and business associates. You may already have a personal profile page and know how effective it is to connect with old friends and new friends but Facebook is also a powerful (and free) way for insurance companies to create connections with customers, market products, generate feedback and increase your Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Why should you market insurance with Facebook?

Facebook can help insurance businesses get in touch with their local communities. While the numbers above are compelling, my personal experience suggests that for lead generation, Facebook works best for local insurance agencies who sell to consumers.

I personally have not seen any huge Facebook lead generation successes involving business to business (B2B) insurance organizations and particularly not on a national scale. Still, B2B insurers may see some SEO and branding benefits from having a Facebook page.

In general, Facebook can help your insurance business:

• Connect and engage with current and potential customers.
• Share information about business, including webinars, blog articles, and resources.
• Generate leads – Facebook is viral - every time a fan engages with your page –that activity is published to their News Feed which can be seen by their friends on Facebook giving your business more visibility.
• Get found by people who are searching for your products or services.
• Improve SEO ranking.  A Facebook Page is a public page (unlike a personal profile which is private), and because it is regularly updated with fresh, new content/posts - Google loves it. In addition, SEO value improves every time someone likes you.
• Drive traffic to your insurance website.

Thinking about using Facebook to market insurance? Here’s what you need to know before you set up your Facebook Page:

Key information: You must be logged in to your personal profile to create a business Page and become the administrator for the page.  Your name and profile will not show up anywhere on your Page - you are the behind-the-scenes manager. When you post information or comment on a discussion, it will appear to be posted by your company rather than you personally.

Profiles vs. Pages: Profiles are meant for people and you “friend” each other.  Pages are meant for businesses and people become fans of your business page by “liking you.  A Page is similar to a Profile except that it is public and users can like it and become a fan of your Page without first requiring approval from the Page’s administrators.

Pages vs. Groups:  In most cases, an insurance organization should create a Page to represent its company on Facebook. The key distinction between Groups and Pages is that a Group is for a community of people with common interests, while a Page represents a brand or entity for which there are fans.

Administrators: You can designate multiple administrators to help with the maintenance of your Page.

Establish goals: "In order to build a compelling Facebook page that yields measurable results, business owners first need to identify their main objectives," says Mari Smith, relationship marketing expert and co-author of Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day. "So many small businesses fail to fully benefit from all that Facebook offers quite simply due to a lack of clear goals and a strategy to achieve those goals."*

Next Tuesday’s post will cover part 2 of Facebook for Insurance, including how to:

• Build your Facebook page
• Like and be liked
• Know what to post
• Use the extra features
• Use Facebook to promote your blog

Make sure to subscribe to our blog, using the subscription box to the left, so you don’t miss out on part two of Facebook for insurance.

Also, make sure to read our great insurance blogging articles from the past week, and if you haven't already done so, get the "10-Step, Sure-Success Blogging Checklist."

10 Commandments of Sizzling Insurance Blog Writing

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Do you freeze up when you think about writing your insurance blog?  Writing can be a chilling experience – especially if you don’t do it all the time. However, to achieve measurable results, you should publish your insurance blog at least twice a week. That means there’s no time for brain-freeze!
 
Heat up your insurance blog writing with these 10 commandments:
 

1. Thou shalt not wait for inspiration. Just start writing any words, thoughts, or ideas to get your mind warmed up and moving. If you need a kick-start, take a look at your targeted keyword phrase list. There are most likely a few keyword phrases that need a slight boost. If you publish a blog article to target a certain keyword phrase, it could take your site from a page 3 ranking to a page 1 ranking.

2. Thou shalt write like you’re writing to a friend.  Throw out the fancy words and formal language. Contract everything possible and write in the second person – using what I call the “you” phraseology. “You” and “your” are the two most effective words in advertising. Use them in your insurance blog. And, while you’re at it – BE DIRECT.  There’s no time to beat around the bush in blog writing.

3. Thou shalt speak the language of benefits. Make a list of the “What’s in it for ME” (WIFM) from the reader’s view point. Incorporating the positive (and even the negatives) allows you to hit your reader’s hot buttons.

4. Thou shalt be a student of snazzy writing style.  Pick up a magazine, look at the paper and pay attention to commercials. Most fabulous ideas have already been taken. Borrow the best ideas and incorporate them into your insurance blog writing.

5. Thou shalt write when an idea strikes.  Keep a pad of paper by your bed and in a bathroom drawer. Some of the best ideas hit when you’re falling asleep or taking a shower, and believe me, it’s impossible to remember them in all their grandeur later on. Seize the moment and capture your great insurance blog writing ideas on paper!

6. Thou shalt never stop with one headline.  Write lots of headlines and then go back later and pick the best one. Going back later allows your mind to rest and you will see things more clearly. If you can’t decide, ask for other peoples’ opinions.

7. Thou shalt use grabbing, descriptive language.  Tell stories, use metaphors and paint a picture. Your blog will be so much more interesting.

8. Thou shalt work to a deadline.  If you don’t have an insurance blog writing deadline, give yourself one. Procrastination can chill writing to the bone.

9. Thou shalt use subheads.  Drag your reader through your article with subheads. Your job is to empower the skimmers.

10. Thou shalt call the reader to action.  The best blogs don’t end with the end of the story. They add one more call to action paragraph telling the reader how and where to get more information. Want to see this action? See below …

 
For more information about blog writing, request our 10-Step, Sure-Fire Insurance Blogging Checklist. Also, check out this great Hubspot blog post about guest blogging.

Insurance Marketing Ideas: HEAVY HITTING Headlines

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Continuing February’s “getting social” theme, this post is all about your insurance blog. When is an insurance blog post much more than just an article? When you strategically use it to generate site traffic and convert leads. Here’s the formula:

1. A blog should provide a nice overview of a topic and it should target two keywords to improve your site’s overall SEO.
2. The headline and first few sentences of your blog are perfect social media “hooks.”  Always post blog teasers and links to Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.
3. Finally, make sure to offer more information at the end of your blog, with a link to a lead converting landing page.

Does it work? Absolutely!  On Friday, December 16, I posted the “Succumbing to Self-Absorption” blog. By Monday, I had 14 completed lead forms in my inbox.

To learn more about how to supercharge your blog, get our all-new “10-Step, Sure-Success Insurance Blog Checklist,” and check out the article below about how to craft HEAVY HITTING headlines …

Insurance Marketing Ideas:

Hit Your Insurance Blog Performance Out of the Park

with HEAVY HITTING Headlines

The owner of a baseball team just learned that the number one pitcher in the league will be starting with his team tomorrow.  He is so excited that he forgets to tell his public relations person.  Has he kept this secret to himself on purpose?  Probably not.  If he shared the news, would it help his team sell more tickets?  Absolutely! Secrets like this one need to be told.

Are you failing to share some good secrets? Your company may have the most personalized service, or the most innovative product, but if you haven’t effectively shared the news,they still remain secrets.

Ready to bolster your insurance blog with heavy hitting headlines?

Heavy hitting headlines have the following characteristics: 

1. They grab attention.
2. They select a desired audience
3. They deliver a complete message
4. They draw the reader into the body copy 

Headlines are read five times more than any other part of an article. This means that 80 percent of your writing effort should be focused on the headline. Heavy hitting headlines in your insurance blog will give you the extra bases you need to score with your sales!

Does that mean that you should have a great headline and horrible copy?  No. In baseball terms, the headline is like the batter. He can strike out or he can put the ball into play. Once the ball is hit, the fielders jump into action. Likewise, once a headline sparks interest, it’s time for the insurance blog copy to communicate and compel action.

Do you struggle with writing powerful headlines? Ask yourself these three questions before you start writing:

1. Who is my audience?
2. What are the products’ important features?
3. Why will the customer want to buy this product?

Remember to focus on client benefits, paint an interesting picture and avoid gimmicks. Whatever you do, don’t keep your best secrets to yourself.

Using Twitter for Insurance

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For the month of February, we're getting up close and personal by putting the spotlight on social media and blogging in the insurance industry. Ready to reach out and touch a client or prospect? Let's get started.

Using Twitter for Your Insurance Businesses – Three Easy Steps

If you haven’t jumped into the world of Twitter to promote your insurance business yet, you may want to, considering the following:

• 88% of the companies on the Fortune Global 100 list update their Twitter accounts at least daily. (Touch Agency)
• Three-quarters of people who follow brands on Twitter are more likely to buy from that brand. (Touch Agency)
• Dell generated a total of $6.5 million in revenue from its Twitter presence in 2009. (Mashable)

Here are a few basics to get you up to speed with Twitter along with some very easy steps to create aTwitter account for your insurance business.

What is Twitter?

Think of Twitter as a “real time” micro-blog allowing you to post short messages (AKA tweets) in 140 characters or less. Tweets can be posted on your computer or your mobile device. Insurance organizations can use Twitter to share news stories, information from thought leaders, reviews, special deals, etc. Tweets are sent out to your followers and you receive tweets from people you are following. In time, the number of followers increases giving you a free accessible insurance marketing audience.

I used to think that Twitter was just for movie stars and egocentric types, but after joining I've learned that it's a great tool for business too.

Why Tweet for Your Insurance Business? 

Twitter can help you:

• Promote your insurance blog and create link backs to your website.
• Connect with insurance customers and prospects.
• Generate business and referrals. Twitter is online word of mouth.
• Network with others in the insurance industry.
• Access ideas, content, links, resources, and tips.
• Check out the competition.
• Increase insurance sales.
• Promote insurance products and services and offer real-time customer service.
• Market your insurance services.

Use these tips when setting up your insurance company page on Twitter:

1. Establish Your Image

• Use your company logo as the picture that will show on your profile. If your logo doesn’t fit nicely in the square space allotted, use a favicon version of your logo.
• Make sure that your user name or handle is as similar to your company’s name as possible
• Create a concise bio that describes what your business does – make sure to include keywords.
• Create a custom background  -  see mine at http://twitter.com/insurancecopywr  

(Helpful resource: How to: Create Custom Twitter Backgrounds)

 2. Follow and Be Followed  

Follow –

• Competitors and business leaders in your industry.
• The contacts your competitors are following.
• Companies that fall into categories related to your products or services.
• Companies found by searching targeted keywords.
• Twitter users from your existing contact lists (LinkedIn or Gmail). This is an option when setting up your account.

 Get followers by –

• Following contacts back.
• Posting interesting, relevant content regularly.
• Interacting with the people you want to follow you.
• Using the Twitter search engine to monitor and join any debate centered around keywords of interest.
• Retweeting interesting developments, news and blogs.
• Joining the conversation by using the @.
• Mentioning your Twitter account everywhere (website widget, signature line, business card, other social network profiles, advertising).
• Thanking people for following you.
• Focusing on quality rather than quantity.

 3. TWEET!

• Update followers about what is happening in and around your company.
• Share developments in your industry.
• Retweet relevant links from thought leaders.
• Send links to your company blog posts.
• Promote special deals.
• Share ideas and ask for advice.
• Answer customer complaints and improve satisfaction.

Hopefully this has motivated you to jump into the world of Twitter and don’t forget to follow me at http://twitter.com/insurancecopywr !

Sign up for my Blog for the next installment of Social Media 101 for Business – Facebook for Business 101

Resources

How to use Twitter for Business

Mashable Twitter Guidebook – everything you need to know and more about Twitter

Your 2012 Insurance Website Checklist

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Is Your Insurance Website a Lead Generation Hub?

Now that we've begun 2012, take a good hard look at your website. Your insurance website should serve as the hub of all other marketing activities. What about insurance advertising, tradeshows, email marketing and direct mail? Those should be the spokes that drive leads to your website hub.

To determine if your insurance website is as effective as it should be, ask these 10 crucial questions:

1. How often is your insurance website's content updated?

2. Is every page of your insurance website optimized to target one or two keywords with strong organic traffic potential?

3. Is the traffic on your insurance website growing?

4. Is your insurance website generating leads through the use of compelling offers that go beyond the standard free quote?

5. When you get a lead, do you deploy an automated insurance lead nurturing process?

6. Are you using an insurance blog to continuously add fresh content and target promising keywords?

7. Is your insurance blog integrated with your insurance social media accounts?

8. Are you posting to your insurance blog and social media accounts at least twice a week?

9. Can you tell where your your website leads are coming from and how well they are converting?

10. Are you using data from your website to fine-tune your overall insurance marketing strategy?

If you're thinking of updating your website, take a hard look at metrics and strategy. All too often, insurance organizations focus on look and feel, while they completely neglect function. Don’t make this mistake!

Before you shell out the big bucks to the insurance website supershops, make them jump through a few hoops. In some cases, their bells and whistles don't add up to quality leads - particularly for B2B insurance marketers.  Below are a few questions to ask before you sign on the dotted line:

• Can we update our own web page content? How easy is it to add new pages?

• If we need you to make a website change or add a landing page, what is the turnaround time and cost involved?

• What percentage of your insurance websites focus on business-to-business lead generation vs. business-to-consumer lead generation?

• Can you provide ROI case studies or testimonials for business-to-business clients?

• What lead nurturing capabilities does your website software have?

• Does your insurance website software allow me to integrate lead generation, email marketing, lead nurturing, SEO, social media and results tracking in one user-friendly dashboard?

If you'd like explore this topic further, make sure to request my free report, "Effective Insurance Websites - What You Need to Know Before Your Next Redesign."

Insurance Marketing Mistake #3: Succumbing to Self Absorption

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Pop Quiz!

Grab one of your insurance organization's best marketing pieces. Count the number of times it mentions your company name, your product or service or “we.” Then, count the number of times it says “you,” “your,” or mentions the customer. Compare the totals. Which group had more mentions – your company or your audience? Most insurance marketing pieces talk significantly more about the seller than the buyer. Effective pieces talk about the buyer at least as many times as they talk about the seller.

How Dinner Party Etiquette Applies to Marketing

Marketing is about influencing decisions and winning clients. Dale Carnegie is famous for teaching students how to win friends and influence people. His advice for doing this includes making others feel important and appreciated by showing interest, saying their names, soliciting their opinions, and asking them questions. These principles work well at dinner parties and in marketing. People love to talk about themselves. That’s why the words “you” and “your” are two of the most effective words in advertising. Use them.

Practice Makes Perfect

Write down a few of the “we” sentences that you found in your insurance marketing piece. Now, try transforming the “we” sentences into “you” sentences. For example, “We offer the lowest prices” becomes “Discover how much money you can save with our lowest price guarantee.” See the difference? The first sentence is about you. The second sentence is about your reader.

Want to know the 9 other insurance marketing mistakes that are costing you sales right now? Click below to request my free "10 Insurance Marketing Mistakes report!"

READ THIS ... before launching your next insurance marketing campaign

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Is Your Insurance Marketing Attracting “A List” Clients?

If you were opening a new Italian restaurant, would you ever hang a sign on the door that said Fred’s Japanese Cuisine? Never! It would be a disaster if patrons came to the restaurant expecting a Japanese meal, only to discover a menu of Italian offerings.

Yet, many insurance marketers do exactly that – creating insurance advertising that gives mixed signals to potential customers. If you don’t believe your company would ever make such an obvious mistake, think again.

Take one minute to imagine your ideal insurance client. If you’re like most insurance agencies and carriers, your “ideal client” might have the following characteristics:

• Responsible, well educated
• Careful, safety-minded
• Friendly, easy to work with
• Looking for a stable, long-term partner
• Appreciates quality service

Now take a moment to look at your insurance advertising messages. If your primary advertising message is “Save a Boatload of Money with Us,” what are the odds of attracting responsible, careful, stable insurance customers?  Maybe, those odds aren’t so good. In fact, you might be attracting just the opposite type of insurance client – the impatient, instable price-shopping type.  You might be advertising Japanese food, when you’re really selling Italian. Get my point?

It’s time to get real about the type of customers we want to attract, and it’s time to get creative about giving them something to think about besides price while they’re making the insurance buying decision.   According to a new Acxiom study, (October 2011: “Auto Insurance Carriers Need New Path to Growth.”) many shoppers are becoming immune to price messaging anyway. The study found that while price shopping continues to trend upward, conversions are trending downward. Small savings are no longer enticing enough—buying an insurance client’s business requires deeper discounts. My question is this: What kind of client are those deep discounts buying?

Interested in learning more? Download the full study here:  

http://www.acxiom.com/Site-Assets/Whitepaper/Consumer-Dynamics-Insurance/?CMP=701C0000000Tg5A&ls=Other&status=Responded