10 ways to generate insurance leads

Whether you sell auto, home, small business or life insurance, lead generation is critical to help grow your business. There are a variety of ways to generate new insurance leads that will become future clients. You may try a few different methods or a combination of several approaches before you find what works best for your business. However you attract new leads, it’s key to have a process ready to follow-up quickly on prospects. In fact, according to Harvard Business Review digital leads followed up on within 60 minutes lead to seven times more productive conversations.

1. Ask for referrals and reviews

Trust is among consumer’s top considerations when shopping. They will often go to friends, family or social media when selecting businesses to work with.

• To encourage referrals, send a friendly email to your customers thanking them for their business. Ask them to refer your business to friends and family.
• Online reviews also validate your business to consumers searching for agents online. Ask your customers to leave a review for you on your Google listing. Online reviews are read by 87% of consumers searching for a local business.¹ You can also display customer testimonials on your website.*

2. Optimize your website

Your website should be user-friendly, professional and optimized for search engine optimization (SEO), using keywords that your target audience is searching for to drive more visitors to your page. The content on your website should be unique and provide value to your customer. For more about SEO, read Benefits of SEO for Insurance Agents.

• Request website visitors to fill out a contact form, also known as a lead magnet, to gain access to content that would be useful to them such as a checklist of tips, white papers, or a contact us for a quote. This will help you build a list for email marketing.

3. Follow-up with email

Use the email addresses you’re collecting to reach out to prospects about your services, explaining the value of working with your agency*. Emails are low-cost and can even be segmented for different audiences. All emails should include a compelling subject line and a clear and concise call to action telling them exactly what you want them to do. Strong calls to action might include “Get a quote” or “Call now”.

Emails aren’t just for prospective customers. Build your authority with a regular email newsletter to current customers, keeping them informed of key events that may impact their coverage or market trends that are relevant to them. Informed customers are happy customers, making them more likely to refer your business to others.

4. Post on social media

Share regularly on social networks where your potential clients go, like Facebook or LinkedIn. The content you share should be relevant and useful to your customer base.

• Posts could include customer testimonials or lead magnet offers such as whitepapers.
• Be sure to use images and video in your content to increase the engagement with your posts.
• If you want to increase your agency’s exposure, you can run paid social ads that are targeted to a specific audience.
• Your contact information should also be current and include an appropriate contact for prospects who want to reach out to you.
• Respond to comments on your posts and follow and engage with other accounts.

Nationwide offers a program to agents to help provide social media content. Email to learn more.

5. Conduct informative seminars

Prove your insurance expertise to potential customers by conducting seminars. The topic could be general or cover a niche market that you specialize in but should be informative. Seminars can be held in person or as online workshop.

6. Produce video content

Video marketing has been increasing in popularity among brands and consumers. Brand videos have convinced 84% of consumers to buy a product or service from them.² Video content doesn’t require high production value either. It can be as easy as filming a short video on your phone. Keep your video content short and engaging and include a call-to-action at the end of the video to contact you for more information.

There are different options of video content that can help drive leads.
• Gated video content, videos which require viewers to share some information to access them, can capture contact data. Or,
• Post testimonial videos from clients, sharing their positive experience with your agency.* Be sure to share with clients all the places you plan to share and confirm their permission.

7. Be active in your community

Make your business a presence in the community so your neighbors can get to know you. People often choose businesses that are familiar to them. Getting involved in the community promotes your business name and introduces you to more of your neighbors.

• Sponsor a local team or event.
• Offer a free lunch at a local restaurant and meet with community members to answer their questions.
• Volunteer for local community projects. Join professional networks groups to meet with other professionals in your area. Through these network groups you can find business contacts to partner with.

Don’t be afraid to post sign-up sheets or ask for a meeting with prospects after these events.

8. Partner with a local business

With the local business contacts you make, there is opportunity to tap into their customer base. These local businesses have already gained their costumer’s trust so they can be seen as an expert to influence related purchasing decisions.

• Partner with a local realtor or mortgage lender to refer your business to their clients.
• Work with local car dealerships for options to advertise on their website or within the dealership.
• Have rental agencies provide your information to their applicants.

9. Add a chatbot to your website

As more consumers move to online shopping, chatbots are becoming more common to provide assistance to your website visitors without requiring valuable time from someone in your office. Chatbots can provide useful information about your location, products offered and servicing options. But they can also provide you with leads by giving visitors an option to make an appointment or get a quote.

10. Advertise

To broaden your reach, try traditional or digital advertising. Your ad creative should have a clear message and a strong call to action.

• Pay-per-clicks ads can target a specific audience or specific keywords. These ads will attract consumers who are more likely to be in the market for your products.
• If you specialize in specific products, run ads in related trade publications or niche classifieds.
• Advertise in local marketing service like Valpaks or local magazines and newsletters.