Launch day for a new business can be one of the most exciting times for entrepreneurs in any industry. Make sure the grand opening banner is hanging in just the right spot, open the door, and let the people run through the doorway. At least, that’s how you hope it happens. What if there aren’t any customers? Especially in the beginning, it’s essential to have strong marketing support for insurance franchises. Otherwise, an awfully boring launch day will be the least of your concerns.
Both new and long-existing businesses need marketing support. Without it, startups crash and burn and veteran companies fade away. With that said, what can an insurance company do, from a marketing perspective, to ensure they succeed early and maintain momentum?
Designing the Digital Customer Experience
It’s hard to make an insurance website entertaining, so don’t try. There’s no need for dancing mascots or fancy color schemes. Instead, focus on efficiency. When designing the digital experience and strategizing your marketing plan, your primary goal should be to eliminate friction. Make it easy for your customers to find what they’re looking for by putting information where they expect to find it with as few distractions as possible.
Use white space to surround critical areas of engagement. Find out the most common reasons your customers use the website and design calls to action to address them. Don’t make them search through every drop-down menu and hover over every word to find out how to get a quote, file a claim, or make a change to their policy.
Although chatbots and phone trees may be gaining popularity, a significant portion of your client base may still prefer to talk to an actual person. Don’t hide the customer service number by forcing the user to click through three or four pages to get it. Put a “contact us” link on the landing page with a phone number, email address, and physical address. Many people will appreciate this and will likely have a pleasant interaction with your representatives.
Also, if you know you provide great service, tell people about it. Customer testimonials can go a long way in increasing conversion rates in your lead generation efforts. Positive feedback from real people doesn’t need to be on the landing page, but you should find a place where visitors can access it.
Finally, no features are more important than performance. Ensure your technology team is able to keep your website up and performing correctly. Pages should not take more than a second or two to load. An optimal online customer experience is one of the most effective forms of franchise marketing support an insurance agency can have.
Going Mobile
Fifteen years ago, it would have been acceptable to just deliver an outstanding website experience, but today, people want to access your online presence on the go. Consumers have smartphones, tablets, and two-pound laptops they take with them wherever they go. To meet the demand of a public that’s on the go so often, you must optimize your website for mobile devices.
Your technology team will need to make a decision: do they adapt the website to work well on mobile devices, or should they design a completely different application? The former is referred to as responsive design, while the latter is called mobile optimization. Whichever they choose, marketing support for insurance franchises must include mobile-friendly online experiences.
Lead Generation Services
What happens when someone goes online to request a quote? At that point, it’s up to your sales team to convert the lead into the sale of an auto, home, life, or other policy. You can also generate leads by leveraging social media, building a community presence, writing blogs, and other creative methods.
Of course, depending on the level of franchise marketing support available, you can also buy leads in a variety of ways.
- Online search – Paid Google ads or clicks can provide leads from a prospect’s internet search. This is often referred to as Pay Per Click (PPC).
- Real-time – These leads tend to be the most expensive but also the most effective. Real-time leads come from a prospect filling out a form, which means they’re actively seeking a purchase, making them quite valuable.
- Live Transfer – A call center serves as the middleman in this process. They receive a call from a prospect and transfer it to a salesperson who attempts to convert the lead.
Generating leads via inbound sales calls or through a third party is the lifeblood of an insurance business. Resources must be allocated to acquire enough opportunities to convert sales.
Providing Excellent Customer Service
When a potential or existing client interacts with your company, what service do they get? Are your representatives knowledgeable, helpful, courteous, friendly, empathetic, and professional? By providing excellent customer service, any insurance business will receive a boost.
Word gets out fast about exceptionally good or bad service. While inferior customer engagement can be disastrous, superior interactions keep your existing customer base happy and pay dividends with customer referrals.
Being a Franchisee Comes With Established Marketing Support
Franchisees generally get superior marketing support over their independent counterparts simply because they have access to more resources.
As an independent agent, you might exhaust your resources simply by getting a business off the ground and open for customers. Finances can be scarce, which can, unfortunately, lead to customers being scarce. Conversely, entrepreneurs who own and operate a franchise can lean on the franchisor’s resources. Most companies that have become large enough to franchise likely have already established deep financial pockets to reinvest.
If you’re interested in joining the insurance franchise with the best support, contact Freeway Franchise today at 1-877-822-3024 or fill out our quick online form. We have a proven track record and spend millions on marketing each year to boost our franchises.
