We’ve met many insurance agents since we started this business, and we have to admit, many are very much contented to running their insurance business the traditional way. After all, they are getting the leads and referrals on a regular basis.

But just imagine this for a minute. The world is going digital, and not just digital, it is going mobile. In fact, a survey conducted by Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission found that at the end of 2017, there were 42.3 million mobile phone  subscriptions with a penetration rate of 131.2% to a population of 32.3 million. (Source: MCMC)

The point we are trying to make here is that you need to take your business online if you want to keep up with the changing environment as well as the competition. So if you still haven’t adopted digital marketing methods into your business strategies, here’s how you can do it.

3 Digital Marketing Strategies Insurance Agents Need to Start Implementing

1. Start with content marketing

Content marketing can be done several ways. You may start a blog, or just use Instagram and Facebook as your platforms to share useful information. However, a word of caution, people are tired of hearing about insurance, so the type of content you show them is crucial.

We all can learn something from Afyan Mat Rawi, a certified  Islamic Financial Planner with INFAQ Consultancy. He writes regularly, not just about the products that he promotes, but mostly current issues especially those involving personal finance and money. After all, who’s not interested in money right?

Update often. Even if it’s just be sharing of latest update about the new tax ruling (like the GST vs SST debate) and financial planning. What’s important is to include your opinion and comment to it to position yourself as an industry expert. Most importantly, offer valuable content that provides solution to problems, share tips and lessons with your readers that they can use to improve their situations.

2. Establish your own brand with Facebook advertising

Did you know, Facebook advertising can be as small at MYR 3 a day. But what to advertise you ask? Well now that we have created some content on Facebook and/ or Instagram, you can advertise those to start creating a brand for yourself. You can choose your target audience based on location, age, gender, interests, behaviors and connection to dramatically expand your reach.

There are many objectives in Facebook ads that you can take advantage of. We’ll show you one way that you can start using Facebook ad by utilizing the wonderful content that you have created for your blog or on your social media platforms. Here’s how you do it:

Every time you write a good article you know is interesting and useful to many of the people out there, advertise it.

Create “awareness” or “reach” type Facebook Ad. With the help of an effective copy-writing and headlines as well as attractive images, you can start capturing the attention of your target audience. The purpose of these ads is to reach as many people as possible and create an awareness about your personal brand. You want to be the industry expert, the personal insurance and financial advisor – the one they go to when they suddenly realize they need to get advice about insurance or to purchase a policy. The more they see your ad, the faster they will recall it when the time of need arises.

Facebook advertising is a great way to expand your reach!

3. Take advantage of online reviews

This is something we have been stressing for some time. Online review is becoming more and more important. How important? Here are some statistics:

Imagine yourself when making for hotel reservation on Agoda.com or Trivago.com.my, do you check on the customer review before making your booking? The same applies when prospects look for insurance agents online.

So how can you go about it? That’s pretty easy. If you have created a public figure page or business page on Facebook, then get your customers to leave a review and rating or now known as recommendation.

You should also take advantage of an online insurance agent directory  with a built in rating and review system such as the one below. Having a profile in an online directory not only helps your create an online presence for yourself the easy way, but also saves you a lot of effort in figuring out the complex search engine algorithm if you were to rank highly on your own.

Once you have signed up, ask your customers to leave a positive review for the service that you have provided. And don’t be shy about it either. Because according to BrighLocal, 68% of consumers do not hesitate to leave a review when asked!

Good luck with the 3 ideas above. Let us know how things go for you or drop us a line at support@ibanding.com if you need help with kicking start your digital marketing plan!