In insurance sales, efficiency could be the only difference between steady sales and record-breaking success. It comes down to the best use of your time, one of the only limited commodities you have. Implementing an email marketing campaign, while it sounds time-consuming, could be the best strategy for saving you time and continually filling your sales funnel.
WHY EMAIL MARKETING WORKS FOR INSURANCE PRODUCERS
Email marketing can reach thousands of prospects and help establish personal relationships, which is why it works for insurance producers. Once your email marketing strategy is built, it requires only a few minutes to reach a wide audience.
Carefully worded content targets your emails to a specific market segment, which, to the consumer, feels almost like a personal message. While you are closing deals with face-to-face appointments, your email marketing campaign is contacting new leads, moving qualified prospects through your sales funnel, and building relationships with current clients.
BEST PRACTICES TO MAKE SURE EMAILS RESONATE
Email marketing may be a time-saver, but it is successful only when it strikes the right note with your audience. Here are some best practices for insurance producers to follow when developing an email marketing strategy:
- Add the Personal Touch: Personalize every email with the name of the recipient, your name, and a conversational tone. The email should read like a message to someone you already know and address the topic from the perspective of your customers. They want to know that you understand their needs.
- Define the Action You Want the Prospect to Take: At the end of the email, tell the recipient what to do next. No matter what type of information you send, there should always be a next step – and make it very specific. So, instead of “Call now,” use “Call me to learn more about how to save on your homeowners insurance.” Instead of “Visit our website,” use “Visit our homeowners webpage for tips about saving on your insurance premium.” The call to action on marketing emails is like asking for the sale. To make it happen, you have to ask.
- Write a Subject Line That Entices Them to Click: You want to avoid clickbait, which promises something and then doesn’t really deliver. Instead of a sensational cliff-hanger, use a straightforward subject line that teases the information contained in the email. Make the reader curious enough to open the email, and then, deliver on your promise of news or information. Some good examples include:
- How to Save on Your Homeowners Insurance
- 3 Auto Insurance Must-Do’s When Your Teen Starts Driving
- 60 Seconds to a Life Insurance Quote
- Send Only Valuable Information: No one likes to receive junk mail, which is what you are sending if your email does not deliver value. If your purpose is to generate qualified leads, your emails should be educational. Teach your prospects about liability and the value of insurance, one small nugget at a time, so they understand why they need your products. Money-saving ideas are always valuable.
As with all marketing materials, your emails should be genuine and factual. Imagine you are speaking directly to each person individually and building the rapport you need for them to trust you with their business.
TYPES OF EMAIL CAMPAIGNS TO TRY
One key to successful email marketing is to segment your leads list so you can be more detailed and personal with your email copy. Each segment of your list might warrant a different type of campaign. Here are some email campaigns you could try:
- Educate Your List About a Topic or Event: An educational campaign could be focused on an upcoming event, like a new website launch, or a niche topic like umbrella insurance. By informing your audience, you will empower them and develop credibility as both an industry expert and a trusted advisor.
- Follow-up Emails Can Help Keep Your Name in Mind: When a prospect responds to your email or reaches out to you through your website, it is not enough to simply send the information they requested. You should also put them on an email drip. Follow-up emails may reinforce the information already provided, add new information that could be relevant, and continue to demonstrate your availability to help and the value you bring.
- Remind Current Clients About Policy Deadlines: It is a good idea to set up an email campaign for important reminders like open enrollment or policy renewal deadlines. Clients may require more than one reminder before they act. Your emails could include some refreshers on the type of insurance they have or the reason for open enrollment. This could be a good opportunity for cross-selling additional insurance coverages.
- Onboarding Emails Are a Nice Touch for New Clients: A welcoming message expressing your gratitude for their business is a nice way to establish a new client relationship. You might also include some helpful information about your company and instructions for navigating your client portal. If worded properly, this could also be a good opportunity to cross-sell additional products.
If you don’t have the time to build the right email marketing campaign for your insurance business, LIGHTSTREAM is here to help. Contact us today to learn how we can increase your efficiency through an expertly designed and executed email marketing strategy.