Insurance referral program: your automated warm lead pipeline

Trust is the currency that fuels growth for insurance agencies. Only 1% of sales reps ask for referrals, but 99% of customers report that they would be happy to refer new businesses to services when they are satisfied¹. Would you like to have a steady stream of warm leads flowing into your agency – prospects who come with a built-in level of trust?

Benefits of an insurance referral program

• Around 92% of people (a percentage that is growing) trust friendly recommendation before making a purchase decision.²
• Businesses using referral programs report 71% higher conversion rates compared to those who don’t.³
• Referral customers have a 37% higher retention rate than non-referred customers.⁴

These stats translate into strong benefits for insurance agencies, with the added value that referral programs are relatively cost efficient to implement. Referrals are trust being transferred from satisfied customers to potential future customers who are likely to be satisfied with your level of expertise and service.

What is an insurance referral program?

An insurance referral program is a strategic marketing approach that encourages existing clients to share their positive experiences with family and friends. When clients refer potential future customers to your agency, it creases warm leads that are typically a good fit for your insurance offerings. By delivering strong customer service that nurtures strong client relationships, your agency can then leverage marketing and technology to ask satisfied customers to refer their friends and family.

How insurance referral marketing works

Here’s the topline on how insurance referral marketing works.

• Build trust: through insurance expertise and customer service.
• Motivate customers: to spread the good news about doing business with your agency.
• Recognize efforts: deliver a reward to the referrer, and perhaps to the warm lead.
• Digital automation: develop a digital solution, including a QR code to bridge the real world to the digital world.
• Recapture time: for your team to manage the more complex work, including sharing insurance experiences and building relationships…to foster more referrals.

The value of any incentive and the rules of the referral program should be customized based on your agency’s business objectives and cost per acquisition (CPA) benchmarks. Consider using internal competition to incentivize your staff to ask for referrals. Would your agency benefit from an Insurance Agent Referral program? You can structure the referral program at the agent level if that fits within your agency culture and you have multiple producers. Have fun with the strategy and consider how you can internally motivate your staff too. Referral marketing programs are a productive way to thank your customers for their loyalty while generating warm leads.*

Create an insurance referral landing page on your agency’s website

• Design a dedicated webpage explaining the referral program.
• Highlight benefits, rewards, and how referrals work.
• Include a simple form for clients to submit referrals online.
• Pro tip: Create a QR code and print it on physical marketing materials that are distributed at lunches, community events and through direct mail marketing, for satisfied customers to provide referrals in a safe, measurable, and convenient manner.

Ready to launch or refine your insurance referral program?

Your agency’s excellent reputation and satisfied customers are valuable assets that are too easily overlooked. Referral programs often have the lowest CPA of any marketing channel. Leverage your agency’s first-party data effectively through an automated digital referral program. Your agency will have a warm lead pipeline with higher conversion and retention rates as you interject a trusted friendly voice into your future customers’ insurance shopping journeys.