With the need for a digital presence now more than ever, independent insurance agents agree that having a digital marketing plan is an essential part of their overall marketing strategy. Insurance agencies seeking growth cannot do so without a digital marketing plan. Successful insurance agents need a digital marketing plan with a strategy behind it. Not only will it give your insurance agency direction, but it will help you determine how and where to focus your marketing efforts.
Buyer Persona
The first step in any marketing plan is knowing your audience. You can’t launch an effective marketing campaign (whether it’s traditional or digital) without knowing whom you’re trying to reach! If your insurance agency does not have a set buyer persona – download our editable template and free study course on conducting market research today.
The more you know about your ideal customer, the better you can target them in your digital marketing plan! For example, consider the basics:
How old is your audience? Where do they live? Where do they work? Do they have a family? What is their income level?
In this example, let’s use an audience of individuals who are turning 65 in the 25303 zip code, retiring next month, and moving to a limited income with their spouse. This is a buyer persona.
Now consider their concerns: what keeps them awake at night? What moves them? What drives them to make decisions?
Next, understand their pain points: When it comes to insurance, what is their problem, and how can you solve it? Are they living on a budget and worry about the cost? Do they understand the amount of protection they need and the various plans that will help fill the gaps?
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Once you’ve identified to whom you’ll be marketing – it’s time to set your goals. An excellent digital marketing plan for an insurance agent has specific and measurable goals? (Tip: Learn more about developing your S.M.A.R.T goals by downloading our whitepaper!)
For independent insurance agents, goals should be specific, timely, and relevant! Focus on the areas where your insurance agency has the best opportunity.
Selecting Your Channels
There are several channels for digital marketing, and it’s time to decide on the channels you want to use and create your content plan. Consider your audience and your goals. Facebook may be more useful for a middle-aged demographic, while Instagram and Snapchat are targeting younger demographics. Keep this in mind, while many articles will tell you to be present everywhere – that’s not necessarily the case, and to be honest, it will vary based on your target audience and marketing plan.
After you’ve decided on the appropriate channels you’ll be using to reach your audience; it’s time to develop content. Content can be a blog or article post on your website, a Facebook Live video, an image you post, a quote you share – whatever is explicitly designed for your audience in mind to help move them through the sales cycle by educating or entertaining them during the decision-making process.
Content Creation
Most content you create will be based on specific keywords – especially for local search engine optimization. Over 90% of Google searches contain “near me” keywords.
Ranking on “insurance agents near me” searches is a great goal to have for your digital marketing plan. (Tip: If you’re interested in learning more about search engine optimization and specific keywords you can focus on, we can help!)
Now that you’re on your way and have formed a digital marketing plan, contact us at Agent Pipeline to discover what metrics you need to measure to ensure your projects are bringing you the highest return on investment possible.
