SimplePin is a proud partner with Big I (previously known as Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America) through the Agents Council for Technology (ACT). Earlier this year, ACT released the Customer Experience Self-Assessment for independent agents and agencies members of the Big I.
This self-assessment is meant to help these members identify where the can make improvements in the customer experience throughout the lifecycle of their relationship with prospects and customers.
Once an agent or agency completes the assessment, ACT then offers a plethora of resources and partners to help make these improvements easier to implement.
As quality customer and operational experience is a key value for SimplePin, this was a great opportunity for us to partner together to bring this webinar series to life and help Big I members nationwide. Below are some of the key points that were covered during the webinar from expert panelists Larry Neilson of Neilson Marketing Services and Kasey Connors of Trusted Choice, but it would be beneficial to watch and take notes as there are more in-depth and insightful details within the complete webinar.
A recent McKinsey survey revealed that 73% of shoppers tried new shopping behaviors during COVID and an average of 80% of them said they would not go back to their previous shopping habits. This means that insurance agents and brokers need to update their process for marketing to, and engaging with, prospects and customers.
Think about the website like your brick and mortar office, but online. You would never let your office be a mess when customers are coming in. Why let your website be difficult to use when so much business is done online now?
The ease of use for a website creates a perception of an agency’s capabilities to prospects and clients. In some cases, this is the first impression you get to make on those you’re trying to reach, so you want to make sure to put your best foot forward with a quality website.
An effective marketing plan should be in alignment with your business goals and objectives. No marketing efforts should begin without planning up to these objectives as then it comes off as throwing spaghetti at a wall and hoping it sticks without any clarity on what’s working and what’s not.
All of this can result in wasted time, money and effort.
Once you’ve established your brand (i.e. your name, mission, vision, values, visuals), it’s time to get to work on creating and implementing your marketing plan which again will always need to work directly toward your business goals and objectives. Think of branding as an investment in your business’ future as a strong brand will help your presence and make it easier for potential customers to find and research you!
The 8 Parts of an Effective Plan, according to Kasey Connors from Trusted Choice:
1. SMART goals & objectives
2. Target Customer Research
3. Digital Channel Strategy
4. Analytics
5. Technology
Content goes across all channels – website, social, email, etc – you name it and there is a type of content that goes with it.
Sometimes content generation can be difficult, but as you’re putting in the effort to create it, it’s best to come back to the question, “what will best help me to reach my ideal customer?”
Knowing the answer to this vital question will help you to better use your time and resources effectively. If you are looking for ideas or resources, Trusted Choice offers a library of content that is open to be shared. They cover everything from blogs to videos!
We’ve all heard the term SEO or Search Engine Optimization again and again. While we know the term, we may not understand the back end of what goes into creating an SEO strategy for a website.
The great thing about coming up with and creating content is that a lot of it can be repurposed for other channels. For example, if you write a keyword optimized blog, you’re helping the SEO of your site and then you can share that blog across socials or even send it out in an email to garner traffic for your site!
Overall, content can really support your reach as long as you’re staying focused on keywords and content that your target customer would be searching for and find useful. If you don’t already, consider adding a blog section and/or an FAQ to optimize your site and give your customers a place to go to help research your business as well as their options.
SimplePin is proud to partner with ACT from the Big I to bring other partners and helpful knowledge to you to help support your business and operation. If you want to learn more about Neilson Marketing, Trusted Choice or ACT, you can visit their websites.
If you’re interested in learning more about SimplePin and how this system can help you optimize your payment operations and customer experience, call our toll free number: 1 800 727-4136. You can also email us at info@simplepin.com, contact us through our online form, or request a demo with one of our product specialists.