The proven digital marketing roadmap for insurance agencies.
Getting started with the 10 Baby Steps.
Marketing your insurance agency can be easy. Thousands of insurance agencies across the country and around the world are seeing success. Your agency can, too!
The Baby Steps are designed to be followed in a step-by-step fashion. So start with Baby Step 1. After that, proceed to Baby Step 2, then Baby Step 3, and so on.
Keep it simple, follow the process, and be patient as you do!
The table of contents.
Here’s what we’ll cover throughout this resource on The Forge Baby Steps.
- Step 1: Website
- Step 2: Email Marketing
- Step 3: Tools
- Step 4: Directory Listings
- Step 5: Reviews
- Step 6: SEO Blogging
- Step 7: Social Media
- Step 8: Lead Management
- Step 9: Advanced Marketing
- Step 10: Momentum
Step 1: Website
Launch a modern website focused on user experience. Include proven sales tools and features that uniquely reflect and differentiate your agency.
Your website is the hub of all activity. Prospects, clients, and referral partners often search for your agency online and visit your website before you even know they exist.
Your website is the first chance to make a great first impression. What does your website say about you? Does it help your agency look amazing, get found, sell more, and service better? If not, it’s time for an upgrade!
If you already have a Forge insurance website with us, then you’re all set with this step! If you’re not, learn more using the buttons below.
Upgrade Your Insurance Agency Website
Step 2: Email Marketing
Use your Agency Management System (AMS) to grow an email list and send regular emails showing the personality of your agency.
Sending out regular marketing, educational, and policy-related emails puts your agency in front of your audience, helping you build credibility and grow relationships with clients.
In fact, the biggest reason people switch insurance providers is that they don’t hear from them enough. So, having an email marketing strategy that allows you to stay top-of-mind can make all the difference in client retention year over year, in addition to streamlining cross-sell opportunities, policy renewals, and welcoming new clients.
To take this to the next level, you can opt for a platform like Fuse marketing automation that connects with your AMS data and automates the process of sending emails, text messages, and mail to your clients.
Get Marketing Automation Solutions
Step 3: Tools
Actively use sales and service tools to grow your business and streamline operations.
The more you actively use the technology solutions you have, the more value you get out of them. It’s important to have solutions in place that help your agency stand out and serve clients better. Here are a few types of tools you should consider to streamline your agency operations:
- Interactive Graphics
- Video Content
- Self-Service Forms
- Live Website Chat
- Custom Website Banners
- Targeted Pop-Ups
- Personalized Producer Website Links
Our Forge insurance website platform includes these sales and service tools (and more) to equip your agency with what you need to stand out.
Access Sales and Service Tools
Step 4: Directory Listings
Ensure your agency information is correct and consistent across online directories.
Ensuring your insurance agency’s NAP (name, address, and phone number) is accurately and consistently displayed within online directories and listing sites can improve visibility and may even help your website’s SEO (search engine optimization).
There are hundreds of online directories, some more important than others. Start with Google My Business, Apple Maps, Facebook, LinkedIn, Bing, and Yelp. They have the greatest domain authority, which means you’ll get the most impact out of that.
If you’re using our Forge insurance website platform, we now offer our Local Listings Add-On that automatically updates these and other top 50 online directory listings for each of your office locations.
Update Directories With Local Listings
Step 5: Reviews
Build a client feedback strategy to start gathering 5-star reviews.
Getting 5-star reviews on Google and other online services helps establish your insurance agency as the trusted, credible solution in your local area. However, there’s another benefit. It’s great for your website’s SEO (search engine optimization), too!
Google and other search engines see the reviews and prioritize the search results accordingly. Usually, this means the more 5-stars you get, the higher you’ll be in the search results when people are looking for insurance in your area.
As part of our insurance marketing platform, we have a Reputation Management solution that helps to automate Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys and Google reviews, as well as streamlining how you respond to reviews.
Learn About Reputation Management
Step 6: SEO Blogging
Focus on blogging to boost organic search engine optimization (SEO) rankings for your agency.
You have a website and the core SEO foundations, the next step is to build your ongoing SEO strategy. The best approach to this is to build upon your website’s content, and the key to that is through blogging.
Getting your agency to the top of Google and other search engines isn’t always as easy as flipping a switch. So there are a few simple things you can do if you’re serious about blogging.
- Set realistic goals for blogging (SEO, niche market, education, brand awareness).
- Plan out topics and build a content calendar to blog on a regular basis.
- Write and publish blog articles consistently.
- Lean into what works, and readjust strategies for what does not work.
If you use our Forge insurance website platform, you’ll have access to our FirstDraft AI blogging feature that writes blog articles based on your ideas in seconds, saving you hours of work and streamlining your blogging efforts.
Step 7: Social Media
Establish your social media presence. Post photos, videos, and other timely content.
Think of social media like opening the front door to your insurance agency. It’s a way to share who you are and what’s happening at the agency. So to do social media the right way, it needs to come from within the agency. Get creative, be human, and have some fun! And the more fun stuff you post, the more people will get to know your agency and want to follow along with likes, follows, and comments. Being active on social media can also help with SEO.
There’s no right or wrong social platform for your agency. Pick the one that you like best, whether Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or otherwise, and dive in. And after you get going, it’s fine to post some generic posts, but always put your spin on them.
If you want to take your social media game to the next level, our Social Media Add-On can get you there, with automated social media posts, AI content curator, and more to streamline your social media marketing strategy.
Improve Your Social Media Strategy
Step 8: Lead Management
Upgrade your lead management process with a system that streamlines how your agency manages leads.
In today’s competitive market, effectively managing and converting leads is crucial for any insurance agency’s success. Implementing a structured pipeline system allows you to systematically track, nurture, and convert leads into loyal clients. A well-organized pipeline helps ensure that no opportunity is missed, providing a clear overview of where each prospect stands in the sales process.
With an advanced lead management tool, you can streamline your entire lead conversion process. These tools offer powerful features to track interactions, automate follow-ups, and prioritize leads based on their engagement levels.
If you use our Fuse marketing automation platform, it includes our Pipelines tool. This helps your agency maintain a consistent flow of communication with potential clients, ensuring timely responses and personalized outreach. This not only enhances your ability to close deals but also builds stronger relationships with prospects, ultimately driving growth and increasing your agency’s bottom line.
Access Pipeline Lead Management
Step 9: Advanced Marketing
Take your marketing to the next level with a dedicated team.
Navigating the complexities of modern marketing can be daunting, especially when you’re focused on running your core business activities.
By leveraging our Do It For Me Marketing (DIFM) services, you can offload your marketing strategies to a team of experts, allowing you to concentrate on what you do best—serving your clients. DIFM services provide a comprehensive approach to managing and executing your marketing campaigns, ensuring they align with your agency’s goals and objectives.
Agency Revolution’s DIFM services are designed to take the burden of marketing off your shoulders. Our team of skilled professionals will handle everything from campaign execution and content management to strategy optimization and performance analysis. We work closely with you to understand your unique needs and tailor our services to fit your agency’s specific requirements.
With Do It For Me Marketing, you can rest assured that your marketing efforts are in capable hands, freeing up your time to focus on delivering exceptional service to your clients and growing your agency’s success.
Step 10: Momentum
Build momentum over time, remain patient, and focus on what works best.
As with most things in life, success requires patience and perseverance. Meaningful results take time to achieve.
Remember, the Baby Steps are designed to be followed in a step-by-step fashion. Stay focused, work your way through the steps, and see what works best for your insurance agency. Do more of what works, less of what doesn’t, and enjoy the process of growing your agency using digital marketing.
Consider using our complete insurance marketing platform to help your agency achieve your marketing goals and find success.