The life expectancy of the average American is about 80 years old. That’s much longer than it has been in the past, and it creates a much more diverse range of insurance-users. Similarly, Americans’ religious affiliations, ethnicities, and even primary languages are more varied than they have been in previous decades.
No one marketing strategy will reach all of the unique demographics expressed in American culture; however, each does need insurance.
What can an independent insurance agency do to reach more prospects? It must do exactly the same thing as the population: diversify.
We shared in a previous blog post that direct mail is losing ground. 44% of direct mail is never opened, and it’s considered antiquated by younger generations, in particular Millennials. However, as fewer companies invest in direct mail, it will be easier for your mailings to get the attention of consumers who still rely on it, especially older consumers and consumers who do not have easy access to computers.
Though no one marketing campaign can reach all prospects, email marketing comes closest to managing the difficult task. According to a recent report, in 2015, the number of worldwide email users was nearly 2.6 billion, which makes email a safe bet in terms of delivering your insurance agency’s message.
That being said, the number of business emails sent and received per user per day totals 122 emails per day, according to the same report. In other words, if you’re going to invest in email marketing, you’ll need to stand out from the rest. Working with professional marketers will allow you to create campaigns that won’t get buried in an over-stuffed inbox.
On average, social media users have around 350 Facebook friends, 208 Twitter followers, and between 500 and 1000 LinkedIn connections. You won’t find all of your prospects on one platform, however, so it’s a good idea to investigate where you targets spend their social time.
You’ll also have lots of competition. In order to make the most of those wide circles of friends and acquaintances, you’ll need to create posts that people want to share. Again, working with professional marketers can help you craft compelling social media posts.
Direct mailings, emails, and social media posts have a short life span, but your website will remain long after they’ve disappeared. Be sure to invest in a website that is accessible to a wide range of people, including people with disabilities. Include offerings for more traditional prospects - white papers and contact information - as well as contemporary prospects - IM capabilities, quick quotes, and online payments.
Investing in multimedia content like videos and podcasts will give your agency an edge with younger prospects, but it also makes your message more accessible to people who may have difficulties reading online content. Video marketing isn’t nearly as daunting as it seems, and many options are available to agents, even agents who may not consider themselves tech savvy or camera-ready.
Marketing is a full-time job on its own. In order to take full advantage of the many opportunities available to share your message across a diverse population, you’ll need help. Allow the experts at AgenciesOnline to take care of your marketing so that you can spend your time taking care of clients.