You’re thinking about using online marketing to grow your insurance company. For many people starting out, it’s easy to get lost among the sea of leads-selling websites.
It seems so simple and beautiful to use lead generation websites. “We’ll give 20 leads for free!” Oder “Our leads can be generated online in real time.”
As you all know, most potential leads (like 90% according to my last reading) will research their purchase online. It is not obvious that they are more likely to be in research mode than they really are and will not buy anything online.
They often request a quote or fill out a contact sheet to get a frame of reference to compare their current policy to yours or to get a price. They won’t answer the phone if you call them.
- They are in research mode and don’t want to be influenced
- They have found the information or price they need and are satisfied with it.
- They don’t trust you because they are interrupting their work.
They Will Trust You
Internet lead generation is based upon the belief that if enough people are contacted, they will eventually find someone who wants your services. It all comes down to the numbers, and contacting prospects as quickly as possible once they have expressed interest.
Are you willing to give up your phone and the tedious task of cold calling? Do you prefer to have people call you? They call you because they need specific information and think you can provide it.
How can you make people trust you and recognize you as an expert?
It is best to create a direct response website that provides relevant and specific information that addresses your prospects’ needs. You can position yourself as an expert and not the one who interrupts them at dinner by offering free products (reports or white papers, videos, podcasts, etc.) that answer prospects’ most pressing queries.
Turning browsers into qualified leads
When you first start out, your focus should be on getting prospects to visit your site and then qualify. Then they can contact you for further information. Direct response is a key part of the internet.
There are two basic ways to convert prospects (browsers) into leads.
- Before they receive your product, ask for contact information
- Offer them a free product, then send them to your site to get another offer.
Your goals will determine which of these two options you choose (you have web site goals!). You should not sign up if your primary goal is to get people interested in your product to share it with their friends, post it on Facebook or tweet about it. Before they will even consider passing it along, the material must be extremely valuable to your potential clients. A generic, cookie-cutter marketing piece will not do.
You should not be focusing on building a list, but rather “getting your message across”, so make sure people sign up before you send it. However, it must be of high quality and relevant to the prospect. They won’t give you their email address if they don’t believe it’s worth it.
The Secret to Online Success
Once you have their contact information, you can start e-mailing your marketing materials to them. Remember that the goal of an online marketing campaign is to build relationships, not sell.
In your follow-up emails, don’t try and sell them. You can provide more relevant, timely and highly-desirable information to your clients that will bring them back to your website. You can also include a few links to your client’s insurance needs analysis and quote proposals every now and again.
You’ll quickly establish a trusting reputation by keeping your ratio between prospect-focused and self-serving content at 90%. When they call to inquire about their insurance needs, it is likely that they will be calling you.
“The man who beats his horse soon finds he is walking.” — Proverb
