Insurance Marketing Strategy
Marketing to sell insurance isn’t a whole lot different than marketing many other services.
You still need a good foundation in basic marketing, like the 4 P’s (found here), and the 3 additional service marketing P’s (found here), and you still need to excellent customer service (found here)
That said there are 2 key areas to focus on to really portray yourself as the clear choice. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling car insurance, or life insurance, home insurance, or commercial insurance, these 2 factors are equally important.
They are:
Trust and Credibility
Trust
I’ve written before about how to build trust (found here), but the moral of the story is authenticity. You need to put your best foot forward, but at the end of the day, make sure it’s your foot. You need to come across as a real and genuine human being, who really cares about the person sitting across the table from you.
Ensure that the message your personal brand is communicating is the one that you intend, by making sure that all the elements of the marketing mix line up to demonstrate this.
Another important way to build trust is through openness and availability.
Don’t hide! Get out there, make some connections, and do some good in your community. The more people you’re able to meet, and the more you’re able to help, the more you’ll be seen as a trusted adviser.
Make your hours available on your website, return calls and emails promptly, and offer free advice whenever you can.
Lastly, accumulate testimonials and reviews and display them (if you’re able according to your company) on your website and promotional material. Few things build as much trust as a third party endorsement, so work on collecting them early and often.
Credibility
Credibility can also be thought of as competence, and works hand in hand with trust to make your customer feel safe and that they made a good decision in calling you.
They need to know that they really are protected and that their interests are being looked after, (that is why they’re buying insurance after all).
To do this you need to be, and present yourself as competent. Seeing as you’re reading this I’ll assume you’ve already taken the steps to become fully competent in your field, and are now looking for an extra edge.
That edge comes in the form of personal marketing, whereby you need to establish your competence. You do this the same way any other brand is built.
Clearly, consistently, and constantly.
Make sure your website reflects your level of professionalism and services, make sure you look the part, and make sure your business cards are current and professional.
Finally, make it your mission to provide ample information, both on yourself and on your services and what they offer.
We’re well past the days of trade secrets and unavailable information. Your value isn’t in the information you’re providing, it’s in the level of customer service that you provide to ensure that your customers are fully protected. Your customers will find the information they’re looking for eventually, so they might as well get it from you.
