Insurance Marketing: 9 Strategies, Ideas, Tips & Best Practices

Every business needs great marketing to grow. When your profits depend on a steady flow of new leads, finding effective ways to attract potential customers matters all the more. Luckily, staying on top of insurance marketing trends can help you step up your lead generation game. Be sure to review our Definitive Guide to Selling Insurance.

Whether you run an insurance agency or work on your own, online marketing is the next frontier that you need to explore. Many insurance companies are failing to adapt to the needs of online shoppers, which presents a big opportunity for you to shine.

Agents who make themselves accessible on the web can become the go-to resource for anyone in need of insurance help.

In this article, we’ll provide nine effective digital marketing ideas that you can use to stand out in the insurance industry.

What is Insurance Marketing?

Insurance marketing is about identifying and targeting the right customers, then hitting them with clever, hard-to-resist tactics to show them why your insurance company is their best bet. Sure, it might include a nifty website, eye-catching flyers or snappy online ads—but there’s much, much more to it than that. It involves components like building robust networks, forming strategic partnerships, establishing trust with potential clients through quality customer service, and even tapping into the vein of up-to-date tech tools that can help you outperform the competition.

Insurance marketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Businesses need to continually adapt, improve, and evolve their strategies to cater to the ever-changing market demands and fickle customer preferences.

Need a little help getting started? We’ve got you covered.

9 Best Insurance Marketing Strategy Ideas for Business Growth

A big part of being a successful insurance agent is building your network. To sell more policies, you need to continually find people to sell to.

The right insurance agency marketing strategies can help you reach more members of your target audience and re-engage the customers you already have. As you put the following digital marketing strategies into play, your business will be rewarded with measurable results.

1. Define Your Audience

Getting clear on who you’re selling to is the first step to marketing effectively. To start, consider your most loyal customers. Who already does business with you and keeps coming back time and time again? Write down information about them, and include things like:

• Where they live
• How old they are
• What their lifestyle looks like
• Their core beliefs
• Where they spend time (both online and in the real world)
• Their goals and pain points

Once you’ve compiled this information, you can turn it into a customer persona (a fictional representation of your ideal buyer). Knowing who you’re selling to will allow you to speak directly to those people in a way that will resonate with them, which will allow you to create campaigns that convert.

2. Referral Program

One of your most powerful insurance marketing tools is your customer base.

Shoppers who are referred by friends are four times more likely to convert, showing just how effective their recommendations are. On the flip side, clients who are loyal to your insurance agency are four times more likely to refer a friend. If you want to maximize the amount of new clients that your business receives, sometimes all you need to do is encourage them to take action with a referral program.

When setting up a referral program, you need to offer your customer base an enticing reward for every shopper they refer to your business who purchases an insurance policy. This reward may be a gift card, cash, a discount, or something similar. You can also offer smaller rewards—like $5 gift cards or free movie tickets—to existing clients who refer shoppers who simply sign up and show up for a consultation.

Don’t forget to market your referral program, whether it’s in your email newsletter or on social media, to amplify your marketing efforts.

3. Online Reviews

Referral marketing is incredibly effective, but alone, it doesn’t guarantee that word will quickly spread about your business. If you want to amplify the positive messages your clients are sharing about you, you need to have an insurance marketing strategy that puts reviews into play.

Each day, testimonials can be read by thousands of consumers—93% of whom are influenced by what your buyers have to say. Reviews have a big impact, so making sure you have a consistent flow of real feedback on Google, Facebook, and industry-specific sites can help you build trust and draw in more new customers.

Tools like Podium Reviews can automate your review invites, so you never miss a potential review opportunity. As your new reviews start rolling in, our tool allows you to respond professionally to each one, all in one central location, in a timely manner.

4. Partnerships

Another way you can get effective referrals is by reaching out to local businesses that aren’t direct competitors, but still have an audience you want to reach. For example, you may ask to form a partnership with an accounting firm.

In this partnership, you can both exclusively recommend each other to customers in search of services like yours. You can promote the partnership on your website and social media, and they can do the same.

Partnerships, of course, aren’t limited to the digital space. You and your partners can and should promote each other while chatting with clients in-person, so your partnership grows even more beneficial. You can also partner up to host or run a booth at local community events to further drive growth together.

5. LinkedIn Networking

While in-person networking is still an effective way to build relationships, the days of handing out piles of business cards to gain a few leads is behind us. These days, you can easily market yourself as an insurance agent on LinkedIn, reaching people well beyond your direct locale.

Here are a few key tips for networking on the social platform:

• Fully complete your LinkedIn profile (and business page, if you have an agency)
• Write a personalized note to everyone you request to connect with
• Post consistently
• Give value and build relationships through your content by engaging with connections or by hopping on a call before making a big ask
• Follow up with warm leads who haven’t taken any next steps

LinkedIn is a particularly great insurance marketing platform for agents and agencies that specialize in policies for businesses. Nearly 80% of B2B marketers agree that the platform helps generate leads, so it never hurts to reach out.

You can even use LinkedIn to build your business partnerships and further drive referrals, too.

6. Social Media Ads

Social media marketing beyond LinkedIn is a must for pretty much every industry these days. Customers are using social platforms to not only connect, but also to shop and research.

In addition to posting organic content on each platform and engaging with followers, insurance agents can use social media ads to drive brand awareness and gain leads among users who aren’t following their page.

While ads are available on every platform, we especially recommend investing in Facebook retargeting ads. These Facebook ads help you draw back consumers who were already interested and browsed your insurance website, but may not have taken the next step to request your services.

7. Landing Pages

Insurance is a complex subject. When consumers need help understanding it, many take to the internet to find the information they need.

Landing pages are pages on your insurance agency website that target specific relevant keywords and are built to convert. The more you have, the better you can reach people in your target market who are actively looking for insurance.

Your landing pages can answer questions about different types of insurance—like auto insurance or life insurance—as well as focus on specific states’ policies and insurance providers you partner with. For example, Business Insurance USA has a great landing page that allows visitors to get a business insurance quote based on their industry, insurance type, and insurance limits.

We recommend ending each page with a lead magnet like an instant quote, an insurance calculator, or a PDF that breaks down policy options. This way, potential clients are drawn to submit their phone numbers and emails for your SMS and email marketing.

8. Google PPC Ads

You don’t always have to wait for your landing pages to organically reach customers on Google. You can also use pay-per-click (PPC) ads to push them to the top of relevant search engine results pages (SERPs).

These PPC ads allow you to target specific audiences with your marketing budget. A PPC marketing campaign can multiply your conversions over a short period of time.

When choosing the keywords you want to rank for, don’t just choose the most popular ones. While “health insurance” may have a huge search volume, it can also be extremely expensive to target. Targeting more specific keywords with lower search volumes, like “health insurance for seniors,” can be equally as effective and better for your ROI.

9. Local SEO

Odds are, the insurance policies you sell are specific to a certain state. This means your agency is location-dependent, even if you don’t operate out of a physical office. To best reach the people in the area you’re targeting, you need local search engine optimization (SEO).

Local SEO includes all the methods you use to rank higher on SERPs that have a local intent—for example, when a consumer searches “insurance agents near me” or “insurance agency NYC.” This practice allows you to directly reach the people you serve, helping you reach more relevant audiences and convert faster.

Some specific local SEO tactics that you can put into action include:

• Optimizing your Google Business Profile by completing your address, service area, and more
• Using location-specific keywords throughout your website and content marketing
• Make sure all your business listings on social media, directory sites like Yellow Pages, and more have your accurate contact information

Why Should You Have a Marketing Insurance Strategy?

In the ever-changing landscape of small business, one thing is certain: anything can happen. For small business owners who are always looking for ways to increase stability, reduce risk, and ensure growth, it’s essential to establish a strong marketing plan. Here are five benefits that marketing insurance can bring to your business to help ensure its ongoing success.

Increased Sales

Insurance marketing will help you reach a wider audience so that you can get more leads and clients. By utilizing targeted marketing efforts, you can tap into a vast pool of potential customers who are looking for the services you offer. Often people often don’t realize they need to find trustworthy insurance carriers it’s too late. By bringing your services to their attention, you’ll generate more insurance leads and clients for your business.

Improved Brand Awareness

You want your business to stand out from the crowd, right? A marketing insurance strategy can help you do just that. By creating engaging content and implementing a targeted advertising campaign, you’ll build a strong brand image that resonates with customers. Increased brand awareness means more people will recognize and trust your business, ultimately leading to more sales and referrals.

Enhanced Reputation

Your reputation is one of your most valuable assets. A well-executed insurance marketing strategy can bolster your company’s image, showcase your expertise, and position you as an industry leader. By sharing your knowledge and best practices, you’ll be seen as a reliable source of information. This credibility builds trust and can attract more business—both from customers and potential partners or investors.

Strengthened Customer Relationships

In the era of online reviews, social media interaction, and constant communication, maintaining strong customer relationships is more critical than ever. Implementing a marketing insurance strategy can help you do just that. By being proactive in your marketing efforts, staying active on social media, and sharing informative content, you’re fostering a relationship with your customers that goes beyond a simple transaction. This connection can lead to increased customer loyalty, an essential factor for any business.

Expand Your Reach with Podium

In the insurance industry, every new person you reach counts. Being intentional about your marketing efforts and expanding your online network can directly help you generate more leads and make more sales. With these eight insurance marketing ideas, you can get your brand in front of as many potential clients as possible in an effective way.

Once you’ve begun your brand new insurance marketing efforts, you can continue furthering your agency by providing the best customer experience possible, using digital tools once again. Learn how one local insurance agency transformed its digital communications and made more sales by using Podium.

FAQs

How to be successful in insurance marketing?

If you want to successfully market your insurance company, you need to understand your target audience, be willing to adapt to evolving customer expectations, and focus on relationships above all else. When you put the customer and their needs first, you’ll improve customer retention, capitalize on word of mouth, and start to see your business grow.

How to advertise my insurance business?

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to insurance marketing. Generally, you’ll want to test a handful of marketing tactics to see what works best for your business. Collecting online reviews, running social media ads, and networking are a few strategies you might consider starting with.

How to get more insurance agency leads?

Getting more leads is probably one of the main reasons you’re thinking about upping your insurance marketing game. Asking existing customers for referrals, developing partnerships, collecting reviews, and taking advantage of local marketing opportunities are examples of tactics that might help you gather leads.

What is an insurance marketing platform?

An insurance marketing platform is a digital solution that enables insurance agents to manage and automate their sales and marketing efforts. The platform typically includes features such as lead generation, customer relationship management (CRM), analytics, and email automation. The goal of an insurance marketing platform is to help agents reach more potential customers, generate more leads, and better engage with existing customers.

What is content marketing?