Insurance agents used to get most of their leads from referrals and networking events, or old school methods like placing print ads in the newspaper or Yellow Pages. But these days, it’s so important for you to have a website that performs.
With an extensive offering of online tools, it’s easier than ever to create and optimize your website.
Here are some of the basics to get you started:
Google’s status as the world’s best search engine was cemented right around the time its name became a verb. But most insurance agents don’t realize that it’s also one of the best tools to capture local leads—which is why it’s so important for your site to pop up in search results, whether on mobile or desktop.
Being a local business Location Authority is the new SEO when it comes to Google and its associated apps, like Google Maps. Why is it so crucial to have a Google My Business (GMB) listing? Because the stronger your profile, the higher Google is likely to rank it—which means MORE LEADS! If your GMB listing doesn’t appear when you search its name or doesn’t rank when you add the city and/or state, it’s likely because your listing doesn’t exist or isn’t complete.
To set up your Google My Business profile:
Download the mobile app, which allows you to access additional features. Get the Android App • Get the iOS App
Verify your GMB page (the method varies, but options include via postcard, phone call, e-mail, or instantly online).
Complete your GMB profile, ensuring your name matches naming conventions across other profiles and social sites where your business appears.
To ensure you’re securing the top local search every time, complete as much of the profile as possible, including:
Lastly, you should make it easy for Google to form associations between your GMB, website, and social links by adding all that apply in your profile header and footer.
Building a GMB listing can have an immediate impact on new leads as more people start discovering you. It’s an easy, low-cost way to maximize your Google ranking and start getting more attention from the people who mean the most to your business: clients researching how to protect their families.
Word of mouth can help you find leads, but these days, we live in a review economy. Online reviews are the new word of mouth.
That’s why you should encourage customers to leave your agency reviews on Google. Both quality and quantity matter, as they’re prominently displayed on your listing page.
Ask your new customer to leave you a Google rating and review. Or send out a follow-up email, giving customers the link to your GMB page with a kind request for them to leave a rating and review.
Most people don’t leave reviews for a variety of reasons—they may be too busy and forget, or they might not know how to leave a review. Maybe they don’t think you need them. Whatever the reason, you may need to follow up with them several times. But remember, you should never pay customers to write you a review. This is a non-compliant activity in most major brands’ compliance guidelines.
The frequency of reviews also matters. According to BrightLocal, 70% of consumers believe that reviews older than six months are outdated and not relevant to their decision. To keep reviews fresh and current, practice putting scheduled time in each week to focus on reviews.
Using these three methods, you can make a significant impact on your business’s bottom line. Optimizing your website, building your Google presence, and getting customer reviews are three of the most important marketing investments you can make to increase your lead generation efforts.