Add Public Relations to Your Marketing Plans

Add Public Relations to Your Marketing Plans

We live, we work, and we play in our communities.  However, how much do our communities know about our insurance agencies?  Sure, they know we have a sign with the name of our agency in front of a building; but do they know what we do, what services we provide, or how active we are in our communities?

It’s time to skillfully employ public relations to broadcast your story throughout your community.

Messages such as:

  • Team sponsorships
  • Your employee earns a professional designation
  • Agent association recognitions
  • You offer informative, educational seminars

You have many other opportunities to which you can alert your local newspapers and business publications via press releases.  Identify and cultivate an editor or reporter as a contact for these releases.  If you work on this relationship, they will soon come to you for quotes or articles.

Here is a case study for one of our clients.  The agency’s employees donate a day a month to volunteer activities.  We called the venture “XYZ Agency Cares”.  We wrote press releases once a month to alert the local papers of this community involvement naming the charity, the employee, and their volunteer efforts.  We were systematic with these releases.   The editor of the Sunday Magazine, having seen our monthly releases, thought this campaign would be a great article for their magazine.  Conclusion, the agency was featured in a four-page spread which focused on the employees, their charity volunteer efforts, and the charities.  In addition to providing a human side to the agency, the article focused on the charity opportunities within the community and encouraged volunteerism.  A win/win for all.

So, don’t forget to include public relations in your marketing plan to spread your messages throughout your community.  Papers and publications are always looking for stories to publish.  And the best part, its free.

Val Jordan is President of AgenciesOnline, contact her at valjordan@agenciesonline.biz with your comments.