Marketing Yourself As An Expert

[scott]

The most common question I get from insurance agents is, "How can I attract new customers?"

My reply is always to find ways to promote yourself as a valuable resource.

Here is a simple way to start.

Pick an insurance topic - any topic - and start a blog about that topic. Every day post a different idea or information on the topic. Get the word out to your community (you do have a community, don't you?) of what you are doing. Build your site into the place for buyers to get the info they need.

Post enough and you have a book that can be printed (Google "Print on Demand" to find publishers) into a book.

Here is my Bank Insurance Site - http://www.BankInsuranceBlook.com

Here is my Workers' Compensation Site - http://www.WorkCompBlook.com

Here is my General Insurance Blog - http://www.InsuranceBuzzer.com

Both sites use Blogger.com, a free service of Google. Easy to set up and use. If you have trouble, find a 12 year old to help you.

I you want to be perceived as ordinary, act ordinary. Cold call. Use lame lead services... If you want to be extraordinary act extraordinary.

[Foundersgrp]

I am new to the insurance world - Just joined an independent agency in CT as their marketing director. Prior to insurance I owned my own Ad agency and worked with many companies on branding and sales training. The key to success and ultimately growth is becoming an expert in your field - when that happens you are a trusted advisor and NOT a vendor. Price is a non-issue, and that is where any company wants to be. We call it the Mercedes factor.

What I have learned is that most independent agencies are service based and not sales based. The buying habits of people are changing and if independent agents don't change the way they sell - they won't survive.

How do you become an expert?

Blog, hold seminars, get published, network. Sitting back and waiting for the phone to ring just isn't going to cut it.
You have to differentiate yourself from the competition. Web 2.0 is a great place to start!

Visit our blog http://foundersgrp.wordpress.com/

Cindy Donaldson
Director of Marketing - Founders Insurance Group

[tsntyler]

Depending in the size of your community, you can contact your local TV or radio station and develop a relationship with their "investigative reporter." Then, anytime that something BIG in the industry comes up, call the reporter and tell them.

I have done this on several occasions and now, whenever they have an insurance related news item come up, they will normally send out a film crew and do a short segment for their news broadcast. I may not be the most photogenic person out there, but, they know that I will always give them facts that they can rely on.

GOod luck and I hope this helps!