If you have been working in an insurance agency for a while, you will have noticed that the traditional method of marketing insurance products is fast becoming a thing of the past.

Today’s insurance customers are not interested in long face-to-face meetings. Most do not even want to speak to an agent over the phone. Instead, when people buy insurance, they search for the products they need online.

This means that your agency must embrace online or digital marketing. This is especially true if you are trying to introduce new products and gain new audiences to grow your agency.

Understanding Your Audience

Before you get into different marketing tactics, you must know what your target audience looks like.

Do you want to reach families with young children? Does your agency offer the ideal insurance coverage for homeowners in a specific area? Does your business specialize in selling business insurance to entrepreneurs?

When you answer these questions, you can create different buyer personas. Demographics, insurance requirements, and pain points should form part of these personas. Then, you can build marketing strategies that appeal to these demographics and meet their needs.

The easiest way to get the information you need for your buyer personas is to do market research using surveys and social media listening tools. This will help you identify which insurance products and concerns are most relevant to your audience.

You can also use this data to create personalized content to ensure your audience connects with your agency.

Digital Marketing Essentials

Digital marketing strategies give you the essentials to reach your target audience and build stronger relationships with customers and prospects.

The first, and possibly one of the most important strategies is SEO. Search engine optimization will ensure that your agency’s website and contact details appear at the top of search engine results rankings.

If you have not used SEO tactics before, start with local SEO strategies to target more potential customers in your area.

Another must-have digital marketing strategy is high-quality content. With blogs, articles, videos, and infographics, you can give your customers the information they need and educate them about insurance at the same time.

Good content also helps to establish your agency as a trusted resource, which means you will attract more leads.

You should also engage your audience on social media. Share insurance news and changes in regulations that apply to your audience. Participate in conversations so that people can get to know your brand.

Social media is perfect for building brand and product awareness and showing off your agency’s expertise in the insurance industry.

Integrating Jenesis Software In Your Marketing

Carry over your audience engagement from social media to your insurance software systems. For example, you need a brand website where people can learn more about your agency’s services and products. And, your website should be a platform where people can engage with you, too.

Moreover, install a client portal for existing customers, where they can contact you or use the self-service options to get the information they need.

Jenesis can help you build your website, get more engagement, and establish a client portal. JenesisWeb is an exclusive agency website design solution that will help you drive business and increase sales. With this website design option, you will pay low fees to set up and enjoy highly affordable monthly rates.

With JenesisReach, you get agency-specific SEP solutions and social media management tools. JenesisReach offers Search Marketing programs to ensure your agency is visible online, especially to organic visitors. With the Search Marketing programs, you will get higher keyword rankings, while Jenesis’ social media management services will get you more reviews and customer follows.

The JenesisReach system gives you access to a Search Marketing Manager, and you will receive a thorough website review and audit. You will also have access to an SEO dashboard and SEO monthly planner and get two industry posts written on your behalf.

Furthermore, your SEO manager will write and submit two industry-related news articles for your website each month. Your JenesisReach team will also ensure that your agency stays on top of SEO updates and changes so you can continuously reach your target audience.

Tracking and Analyzing Your Marketing Efforts

No matter which strategy you prefer for your business, you must track every marketing effort and campaign’s progress. Analyze the results of each campaign to see where you should make changes. You can use analytics tools on your website and social media channels to get the analytics information you need.

Adapting To Successful Marketing Strategies Is an Ongoing Effort

The insurance marketing landscape is always changing. Consumer behavior differs from one month to the next, and technology is constantly improving. This is why you should consider a data-driven approach like the one offered by Jenesis. With Jenesis’s variety of tools and systems, you can streamline your marketing process while boosting your agency’s online presence. And you will continue to sustain your agency’s growth into the future. Ready to see it all in action? Request a demo, today.

Consistency should be one of the main goals of your insurance agency. Consistency ensures ongoing customer satisfaction because your customers will know what to expect. It also helps build trust and loyalty with your customer base.

To achieve customer satisfaction and make it easy for your customers to trust your agency, you must implement consistency in more than just your product offerings. You must also ensure that your insurance team’s knowledge, skills, and customer approach are aligned.

A well-trained team displaying well-rounded insurance knowledge will give your agency an unshakable foundation to build a solid reputation in the industry. To succeed in this goal, you must create a culture of ongoing learning in your agency.

 

Identifying Core Competencies and Skills

So, what does this mean for the team you have now? Does it mean starting from scratch and teaching everyone as though they are a novice at insurance selling? No, but it does mean considering your agency’s status in the market and kicking off your training based on that.

For example, you start the training with a thorough overview of every insurance product you offer. Chances are your employees will learn something new or remember something they forgot long ago. Cover everything in your initial product training, including coverage, exclusions, and claims.

Emphasize how important customer service is. Customer service is about so much more than just replying to emails on time or answering the phone. It is about having genuine empathy for a customer’s situation. It is about actively listening to their concerns. Most importantly, it is about clearly communicating with them and explaining things in a way that is easy for them to understand.

Customer service training spills over into sales training. An agent cannot sell someone something if they do not understand what they need. Every one of your agents must take the time to understand their customer’s pain points and be able to present them with the appropriate insurance solution.

Doing this will turn any customer conversation into a consultation instead of a mere transaction. It is also crucial for your team to be up to speed with industry regulations and compliance requirements. This will allow your agency to continue operating ethically, protecting your business and clients.

Jenesis Software offers a certification program for its agency management system, which will help your agents apply their training well. This program also shows off the features and shortcuts of the JenesisNow system, making it easier for your agents to stay more productive throughout the day.

 

Creating a Training Plan

With the JenesisNow insurance agency management system and your own insurance industry knowledge, you can set up a complete training program for your team.

Start by identifying any skills gaps. You can do this with performance reviews or a direct observation to give you an idea of areas that need improvement.

Get familiar with SMART goals and help your team set them over the short and long term. SMART goals refer to specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals for your training. For instance, your first goal could be to complete a training module within three weeks. If this training module is on a Jenesis product or system, even better.

Use a combination of training methods to appeal to every team member. This may include in-person, or online workshops, webinars, and online modules offered through Jenesis. This will help you cater to different learning styles and hold your team’s attention throughout the training sessions.

Create a training calendar that considers your team’s busy schedule and workload. If full sessions are impossible, consider microlearning modules for ongoing skills development. Save full training sessions for times when your agency is less busy.

Schedule team meetings once a month to allow your team to highlight challenges and revisit more complex training topics.

 

Implementing Consistent Training Methods

Different training methods will allow you to simultaneously train everyone on the same level. For instance, if you have remote agents and office staff, you can use online training modules to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Use standardized training materials and presentations and give your staff access to the same resources to keep training consistent.

You could even give a handful of team members a chance to become trainers. These agents can head different training sessions and even run workshops for their teams.

At the same time, as an owner and manager of an insurance agency, you must actively lead and participate in training sessions. You must set an example of continuous learning for your team.

 

Measuring Training Effectiveness

You must get feedback from your team and clients to know whether the training is working. Get client feedback using surveys and do knowledge assessments to see if your agents retain the training information. Track team performance like sales volume, claims efficiency, and customer retention. If you notice an improved performance, it means the training is improving positive outcomes.

Adjust your training program based on this feedback if needed. This will help you maximize the impact training has on your team and your customers.

 

Jenesis Software Can Help Your Team Grow and Learn

Consistency in training is how your team will achieve efficiency and growth. By investing in your team’s development, you provide them with the skills and confidence to communicate with customers and close deals.

Explore Jenesis Software as a valuable tool to get your training started and to empower your team to deliver exceptional customer service. This will ultimately drive your agency’s ongoing success.

The ideal journey for your insurance agency sees your brand growing steadily over months and years. Even if you start small, you want to build a loyal client base and a strong reputation for excellent products and service.

This growth, however, won’t happen without a few growing pains. As your agency grows and expands, it becomes more complex to manage. Scaling your insurance agency from a handful of staff to a an instantly recognizable brand comes with its own challenges.

Here are a few tips to help you work through your agency’s growing pains while ensuring customer service does not suffer.

Recognizing Signs of Growth

First of all, encountering growing pains is a good sign. It means your agency is achieving success. But it also means that your agency has outgrown its current way of doing things. You may notice some of the following signs at this point:

• Your team is constantly overwhelmed and struggling to keep up with data capturing, insurance renewals, and staying in touch with customers.
• It is becoming difficult to balance work and resources, which may lead to unnecessary errors.
• You are onboarding more clients than your team can handle.
• Your management system struggles to handle the sudden influx of client information and data.
• There is an unexpected breakdown in internal communication, which can lead to customer frustration.

If one or more of these things are happening in your agency, it is time to take a step back and adjust your current strategy.

Adjusting Your Strategy

Scaling your insurance agency requires a completely new approach. This is where adjusting your strategy will have the most impact.

For example, you must implement consistent steps and workflows for important tasks like client onboarding, policy renewals, and claims processing. Doing this will help save your team time and cut down on mistakes.

Your team will also grow because you need more agents to handle client growth. Empower specific team members to take ownership of certain areas in your agency. This will give you more time to plan and build client relationships.

Automation is more important than ever in the insurance industry. Use technology to automate data entry and appointment bookings. This will give your team more time to focus on more complex tasks.

Moreover, JenesisSoftware is one of the most powerful tools you can invest in to manage your agency’s growth. The JenesisNow insurance agency management system allows you to automate various tasks to streamline your team’s workflow.

Jenesis provides a central information hub for client and policy data. You will no longer need to rely on multiple spreadsheets and broken silos. Your team will enjoy functionalities like automatic quote generation, policy renewal reminders, and automated commission calculations.

The JenesisNow system also offers detailed analytics to help you identify growth trends and track team performance. Ultimately, Jenesis will encourage team communication and collaboration, which is the foundation of a successful agency.

Infrastructure and Technology Upgrades

Investing in technology is non-negotiable if you want to sustain your agency’s growth. Jenesis can help you accommodate a growing IT infrastructure, which includes an expanding team and customer data volumes. Jenesis is a cloud-based solution, making flexibility and scalability much easier.

Furthermore, as your agency grows, so should your cybersecurity measures. Protect your customer data and your IT infrastructure with data encryption and firewalls. Your agents should also receive cybersecurity training.

Insurance agency technology also extends to self-service options for customers. Implement online portals allowing clients to access their information, make payments, and submit claims. As your client base grows, self-service portals will reduce the administrative burden on your team.

Maintaining Quality Service

As your insurance agency transitions from a small company to a mid-size corporation, it is crucial to maintain excellent customer service. Here are some steps you can take to ensure there is no service decline while you scale your agency:

• Provide your team with ongoing training on new systems and technologies you implement. Also, round off this training by explaining and enforcing best practices.
• Make sure your clients stay in the loop throughout all the changes in your agency. Keep them updated about new technologies and upcoming client portals. If you receive inquiries, answer each one as quickly as possible. If your clients feel left out, you risk losing them altogether. Always be transparent about what is happening in your agency and how it will benefit customers in the long run.
• Always keep customer relationships front of mind. It does not matter how many new strategies you implement, customer service should be your goal.

Partner With Jenesis To Grow Your Agency

Growing and scaling your insurance agency is an exciting prospect, isn’t it? If you use the right technology and tools, you will get through the initial growing pains and cement your place as a trusted provider. Jenesis Software can be your partner throughout this journey, helping you streamline operations and maintain the customer service your clients deserve. Interested in learning more? Request a demo, today!