How Insurance Agents Are Like Journalists
The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud has just published its annual Insurance Fraud Hall of Shame. The dishonorable mentions in this list often make good material for news stories. This a great way for the Coalition, founded in 1993 by a diverse group that includes insurers, consumer advocates and government agencies, to attract the attention of […]
Insurers vs. Agents on the Internet Battleground
Agents have been aware for quite a while now that their business model is being threatened. And there has been no more threatening battleground for the past ten years than the Internet. Traditionally, people have bought insurance from agents who live and work in their community, whether they are direct writers or independent agents. As […]
Surprised by Insurance, Part Two
A couple of months ago, in an article I called “Surprised by Insurance,” I advocated using the concept of surprise as a distinguishing feature of your brand. While you might expect surprise to be a distinguishing branding feature in sexier industries like fashion, food or entertainment, it’s a fairly unusual phenomenon to find in the […]
Put QR Codes in Your Insurance Marketing Tool Kit
Quick response codes (QR codes) are two-dimensional codes capable of holding thousands of alphanumeric characters of information. They are similar to one-dimensional bar codes, except they can hold a lot more information. By scanning one of these codes with your iPhone, Android or any other camera-enabled smart phone, you can access digital content on the […]
To Build a Successful Insurance Website Focus on Your Marketing Goals
If you’re thinking about creating a website for your agency, your first step should be taking the time to think through why you want a website in the first place. Sometimes an insurance agency will create a website simply because everyone else has one. In other cases, an agency decides it needs the equivalent of […]
Insurance Industry Image Update
I’ve been thinking of writing about public relations for insurance agencies, so I started reviewing a little booklet that I wrote on the subject a few years ago. I was surprised to recall that in the 1990s, insurance agents rated “image” fifth in the top 15 factors critical to agency value. What does “image” even […]