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The Internet transformed the way that we conduct business, especially when it comes to marketing and these days there are many different ways that insurance sales professionals can promote their services via the Internet to generate insurance leads.
Blogging has been put forth as one of the most proven, effective tactics. The problem for some insurance sales professionals is a common one – the idea of having to take the time to sit down and write a blog is simply too time consuming, or they simply feel that they like the writing skills to get their thoughts across in the kind of informative and succinct manner they would like.
One possible solution is to outsource content writing to a professional writer. For some insurance sales professionals that method works well. They share their expertise and ideas and their writer turns those thoughts into engaging content.
There are a vast number of insurance sales professionals who are not comfortable with this concept, however. They want to express their ideas, advice, and opinions themselves – in their words and with their personality. For these dedicated insurance sales professionals, there is an alternative to “regular” blogging that is growing in popularity – vlogging.
What is Vlogging?
The one thing that every successful insurance salesperson is good at is talking. Vlogging is – as you may have guessed by now – video blogging. Instead of laboring over a written post, an insurance sales professional films themselves delivering his or her thoughts on video. The type of content they can choose to share is vast and from a personal branding standpoint can be far more effective than a written offering.
A traditional blogging platform, like WordPress, is still used to take advantage of all the SEO tools it has to offer but instead of written posts video posts appear instead.
The Pros and Cons of Vlogging
There are pros and cons associated with vlogging versus blogging.
Pros of Business Vlogging
• For those not comfortable with writing, Vlogging is a simple way to get their point across in their own words, retaining that “personal touch.”
• The learning curve for vlogging is fairly short. The sales professional only needs to learn how to work a simple video camera and how to upload a video to the Internet, neither of which is very difficult.
• There are a great many places where you can distribute your finished vlog apart from on a blog. Increasing numbers of business insurance prospects search for new services online, often using sites like LinkedIn as resources. Posting a video to such a social media site gains visibility quickly and is often more likely to stand out to prospects than a blog post or article.
Cons of Business Vlogging
• Vlogging can be more time consuming than traditional blogging.
• The initial costs involved in vlogging are often higher, because of the need to purchase video equipment ($~100-$200) in addition to all the usual costs associated with a blog – software, hosting and other incidentals.
• Videos must be tagged properly to ensure that they have the same search engine visibility benefits that a well-written blog post has to offer.
The best solution of all may be to combine both types of content – written blog posts and vlogs - in a single place. This allows insurance sales professionals looking to generate leads to take advantage of all the many distribution channels available and provide a variety of content. By engaging in this type of marketing, insurance sales professionals cement their reputation as a trusted expert in their field and provide great content for their clients and prospects alike.
Do iPads Have a Place on Sales Appointments For Insurance Sales Professionals?
Tablet computers are popping up everywhere these days. The iPad, the numerous Android-based tablets, and now the Kindle Fire are the new “toys” that professionals are using, everyone from doctors and lawyers to, you guessed it, sales professionals. Statistics on InsuranceTech.com saw that 80% of Fortune 100 companies are using iPads on a daily basis.
There is no doubt that these tablets can be very useful to most insurance sales professionals in their everyday lives. The question, though, is if you should use it when you head into a sales presentation. Here are some of the pros and cons of using a tablet computer as an insurance sales professional.
Pros:
• Your Tablet Computer Can Simplify the Meeting:Your prospect is a busy person and although they have made the time to meet with you to discuss business insurance products, their time is still limited. If you have facts and figures you want to share with them, doing so on an iPad is easier than shuffling through piles of paperwork trying to find just the right pieces of information. You can easily display your presentation, without having to bring a USB, heavy laptop, or a stack of papers to the meeting.
• It Can Lighten Your Load: Because so much of the information you want to share with a business insurance prospect can be put onto your tablet rather than printed out, you walk confidently into a meeting and give your “pitch” unencumbered by numerous file folders and a huge briefcase. An added bonus is that storing this information electronically saves money on printing costs in the office.
• It is Easy to Visually Relay Statistics: After you have found your prospect through an insurance lead generation company, you can easily display why the coverage or other products you are selling are vital to their business. By visually showing the prospect the all most convincing statistics, you turn those potential buyers into loyal clients. It also eliminates the risk that a presentation you leave behind will be seen by another salesperson and used as leverage.
• The Ability to Write a Policy on the Spot: A number of insurance carriers are now offering branded iPad apps that actually give you the ability to write a policy right on your iPad right on the spot. This means less paperwork and a faster close to the deal.
Cons:
• Thinking It Will “Wow” Your Prospect: If the only reason you are taking your tablet into a meeting with a prospect is try to “wow” them with how technologically savvy you are, just leave it at the office.
• When Your Tablet Has Personal Information: Your prospect is getting interested in what you have to say and asks to look at your tablet to further study a certain piece of information. But with one accidental sweep of a finger they are looking at all your personal (and maybe even rather embarrassing) information.
• Battery Life: When some apps are in use, the iPad uses a lot of power rather quickly. Running out of juice in the middle of a presentation could be a real problem and bumbling around a prospect's office looking for a place to plug your tablet in is simply not very professional.
• Becoming Blinded By the Science: It is easy to get a little too carried away with all the technology your iPad puts at your fingers. You simply can’t become distracted from the real reason you are there – to present a clear representation of what you have to offer to your prospect.
Raising Your Public Profile to Increase Your Insurance Sales
It is rare for an insurance sales professional not to have plenty of competition. There are always going to be other insurance sales professionals who are targeting the same businesses and offering products not all that different from yours. The need to stand out is greater than ever. When you can’t compete on price, you have to come up with other ways to raise your visibility.
One way you can do that is establish yourself and your company as respected members of the community.
With that in mind, here are several “musts” to consider:
• Become a member of the Better Business Bureau, your local Chamber of Commerce, or other specialty groups like the National Association of Women Business Owners. Not only will this give you greater credibility, but it also puts you in touch with new prospects. Place the organization’s logos prominently on your website. Don’t forget to fill out your profile completely on their online directories as well. This is great for your search engine optimization! To continue to benefit though you will need to participate. Mark each meeting on your calendar and try to attend at least 50% of them.
• Even if you are in the business of selling business insurance rather than individual insurance, the respect of the community is essential. At first it may seem that your business is not one with an obvious connection to community organizations, and the long-term benefits of increased community involvement may really not be that obvious.
However, there is almost always a way to establish a bonds to mutual advantage. The returns may take some time in coming and may arise in some surprising ways. For example, it may very well be that the chair of a local charity your company chooses to sponsor is also runs a business that turns out to have a need for the products and services you have to offer.
A special fund-raising event is an old but good idea. This is a great way to do good while raising your company’s public profile. Consider something easy, like a happy hour for your favorite charity. Better yet, poll your staff for their favorite charity to support. Bonus: You boost employee morale! To make the most of the PR aspect of the undertaking, send out a press release announcing the event 2 weeks beforehand.
You can also consider following the big boys' lead and get your company involved in sports sponsorship. Not only does this offer the opportunity for your company to gain local media visibility every time the team you sponsor plays, but if you opt for youth sports sponsorship you never know what the participants parents and family members might do for a living, some of them may be great prospects for you.
• While you are busy following the current hot marketing advice and making connections on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, do not forget how valuable local media outlets can still be. Offer to write an informative piece for the local paper’s business section or even to author a regular column. When you send out a press release, send it to the editors of local publications with a personal note rather than just as part of a generic mass email campaign.
Remember – people prefer to buy from those they know, like, and trust. By following the ideas above, you will be able to increase your presence and standing in the local community and perhaps even beyond that. This will mean that you will become the insurance professional others will think of first if and when the need arises.
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