Being an independent insurance agent can also feel like being a marketing manager. Not only do you have to know the ins and outs of insurance policies, but you also have to develop lead generation strategies to draw clients in. From content marketing to social media advertising, many options exist, but it can still be hard to gain traction. What works well for one insurance agent might not necessarily work for the other, whether that’s because of budget, timing, skillset, etc.
Fortunately, if what you’re doing hasn’t worked so far, that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. Maybe you just haven’t found the right lead generation strategies. And the good news is that there are many ways to revamp your lead generation strategy to more effectively pull in prospects and turn them into customers. There’s no guarantee that every B2B lead generation strategy will work for you, but there’s a good chance that you can find at least one that works well.
Below, we’ll explore 11 ways to revamp your lead strategy.
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#1 Focus on Local SEO
Creating blog posts and other website content with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind is a great lead generation strategy in general, but if that hasn’t worked for you yet, you may want to try focusing more on local SEO. Rather than competing with all insurance agents across the country for a term like “general liability policies” you could use local SEO terms like “general liability policies in San Antonio” or whichever area you’re located in. You can also write more about local issues that would resonate with your ideal customers.
#2 Guest Blog
Another lead generation strategy related to blogging is to guest post on other companies’ websites. That way, you can tap into new audiences as you try to build your own. For example, there might be an industry association or local business networking group you belong to that accepts blog contributions. You might even be able to contribute an op-ed to a local paper or online publication to help get your name and expertise out there.
#3 Become a Speaker
Similar to guest blogging, becoming a speaker at various events can also help you organically promote yourself and therefore get more leads. For example, if a local business group is having an event, they may invite professionals like yourself to be a guest speaker to the group, where you could talk about issues like managing business risk. You also might try to become a speaker at industry conferences where you can network with more peers, thereby growing your presence in a way that can lead to more referrals, a larger social media network, etc.
#4 Host Webinars
Another effective lead generation strategy is to host webinars on business topics that appeal to your ideal prospects. For example, you might host a webinar on how startups can navigate current economic conditions if you want to attract an audience of entrepreneurs who might need commercial insurance. You can even be a speaker on the webinar alongside other guests to help get your name out there. Plus, by hosting webinars, you can create sign-up forms where you also ask people to sign up for your email list, thereby helping you create a larger audience for your email marketing.
#5 Create a Course
If you have deep expertise on certain business topics, such as regulatory or financial issues, you may be able to create a course to teach others this information. That can help establish you as an authority while making more potential prospects aware of you. Take a look at online platforms like LinkedIn Learning and Udemy to see if you can teach a course there.
#6 Attend Networking Events
Networking can be one of the best B2B lead generation strategies, as buying decisions often require building relationships, as opposed to how some retail purchases are impulse buys. So, by attending networking events, you can form connections with other insurance agents, for example, who might have referrals for you if a certain prospect is not a good fit for their expertise. You can also network with other local business professionals, some of whom might directly need commercial insurance, or they might recommend you to another business owner who’s in need of your services.
#7 Hire a Search Ads Expert
If you’re not having much luck with your current marketing activities, it may be worth it to hire experts, especially for nuanced areas like search engine advertising. You don’t have to hire someone full-time. Partnering with a freelancer or marketing agency could do the trick. From there, the expert can help you craft a more effective strategy to draw people to your website through search engine ads.
Ideally, you can work with someone who can help you get a strong return on investment (ROI) from your ad spend, where the cost of driving website traffic is outweighed by the number of people ultimately buying insurance policies from you. This result certainly isn’t guaranteed, but it may be easier to achieve when working with an expert rather than trying to figure it out yourself.
#8 Focus on One Social Media Platform
While social media can be a powerful lead generation channel, it’s easy to get pulled in too many different directions and end up with an ineffective social media marketing strategy. So, at least temporarily, you may want to narrow your focus to just one social media platform where you think you can be most successful. If most of your target customers are on LinkedIn, for instance, and you’ve made some headway there, you may want to focus your attention on posting and engaging with others there on a regular basis, rather than getting distracted by platforms that aren’t providing you with much ROI.
#9 Directly Ask for Referrals
Building up your referral engine can also be an effective lead generation strategy. But how do you get the gears going? One solution is to be direct. When a customer signs up for a new policy, or when they renew their coverage, also use that onboarding or review period as a chance to directly ask for referrals. It may feel slightly uncomfortable for you at first, but it can get easier once you get in the habit of it and figure out a general script to say that seems to resonate with clients — e.g., “I hope you’ve enjoyed working together as much as I have. If you know anyone else that needs coverage, please send them my way.” That way, you can have more warm leads.
#10 Directly Ask for Reviews
Similar to directly asking for referrals, you also may be able to revamp your lead generation strategy by directly asking for more reviews. By doing so, you can get more organic leads who come across your insurance agency online and see the positive feedback that customers have shared, which could encourage them to reach out to you. So, when asking for referrals, you could also ask satisfied customers to leave a review for you on a site like Yelp or through Google.
#11 Improve Your Landing Pages
Lastly, insurance agents can revamp their lead generation strategies by creating more effective landing pages. It’s one thing to spark initial interest, such as through social media or a search engine ad, but if you’re sending these leads to a low-quality landing page that doesn’t have the information they’re looking for, you could quickly lose those prospects.
“Your website, and more specifically the UX of your website, can be a determining factor in your lead generation results. Landing pages are where most of your website leads will come from, so making sure your landing pages are optimized is essential,” says ZoomInfo, a business contact information platform.
So, insurance agents can turn to platforms like Wheelhouse, where you can easily create targeted landing pages to try to move more prospects through your funnel.
Find What Works for You
Overall, insurance agents have many options when it comes to finding effective lead generation strategies. You can try a combination of these marketing approaches or just focus on one to start with that you think aligns best with your business. Either way, be open-minded about the process. You may need to adapt your specific approach to a strategy along the way or switch from one strategy to another, depending on what seems to work for you.