If you are generating insurance leads yourself (as opposed to purchasing them), you will need to know how to advertise and market your products and services to get the attention of consumers. It is best to go with tried and tested methods to ensure that the leads will come in. Here are some of them:
Advertising in Newspapers
Before you buy ad space in a newspaper, consider the following: the circulation rate of the newspaper, size of the ad, newspaper section you want your ad to appear in and how long you want your add to run. All of these have an effect on the cost and on the effectiveness of your ad. You should also know your target audience and have an idea of the following: how often do they buy a newspaper, which newspaper do they buy, and which newspaper section do they usually read. Newspaper advertising can yield a good number of leads, but only if you know how to maximize your exposure on this medium. It can get expensive, but there’s always room for haggling.
Advertising on TV and on the Radio
Most people watch TV and listen to the radio. As with newspaper advertising, you need to do your homework and determine what time slot will be good for your ad. Some time slots are more expensive than others, so you may need to do a bit of compromising and haggling.
Advertising in the Yellow Pages
The Yellow Pages may not be as popular a reference as it once was because of the Internet, but if you are targeting a more senior demographic, having an ad in this medium will still generate some good insurance leads. Also, remember that there are still people who prefer to get information using traditional methods instead of doing an Internet search.
Distribution of Promotional Products
People love freebies. The more useful the freebie, the better it is for your business, because they would keep it where they can access it easily. It makes for good brand recall, because they would be seeing your marketing message often. Make sure that your business name and contact details are printed on any promotional product you distribute.
Residential Building Advertising with Door Hangers
With so many residential buildings being built and more people living in apartment complexes and condominiums, consider doing your marketing with door hangers. You can get them printed relatively inexpensively and distribute them in highly populated areas. This way, you are reaching a large number of consumers within a short time period. This is also a great advertising method for cross-sellers.
Niche Advertising
If you are targeting a specific audience, you can put ads in niche areas like trade journals and specialized classifieds. The rules about newspaper advertising also apply in this instance.
Advertising through Sponsorships
Sponsorships give you and your agency a lot of positive publicity. However, when doing sponsorships to market your products and services, choose your event or opportunity carefully so that you get maximum exposure with a large number of the right demographic.
Conducting Free Seminars
Seminars are a great way to educate consumers on the more complex but useful topics about insurance. You need to get their attention and keep them interested enough to buy insurance. With a seminar, you have multiple sales opportunities, which is not as easy to come by with other methods. By being creative in promoting your seminars and providing them for free, you can get a decent sized group to sell your products to. If your target demographic includes senior citizens, then you will have better odds since they are the ones who have more time and inclination to attend seminars.