We've all heard claims that e-mail is dying and that the next social media platform—whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest or Snapchat—is the new silver bullet for marketers.

But e-mail marketing is far from dead, and every agency owner should place e-mail ahead of social media efforts. This is not meant to steer you away from social media, but to help you prioritize your efforts by focusing on “low-hanging fruit.”

The fact is, 60% of consumers prefer communicating with brands through regular e-mail updates and newsletters, according to MarketingSherpa. Here's why you should master e-mail before social media:

  • You already have the e-mail addresses of your clients. A seasoned agency may have 2,000 to 4,000 clients, and hopefully has e-mail addresses for the majority of them. Contrast that with social media; even Facebook superstars are only going to convince 10% to 20% of their entire books to join them on social media. This number is even less if the demographic is older.

  • Your clients or prospects don't have to “join” a new social network to engage with you. This one is key. Almost everyone has an e-mail address, but not everyone is on social media. What you can be sure of is reaching your clients via their inbox through e-mail marketing.

  • E-mail marketing is the best option for customer touchpoints. If you're going to make the effort to create awesome content, then get the most out of your efforts by sharing it with your entire book of business.

Leverage automation

For birthdays: Not every service provider has the birthdays of his or her clients (such as mortgage lenders, realtors or auto dealers). As an insurance professional, this is a unique opportunity to reach your clients on his or her special day with automated e-mail marketing. Two of the more popular e-mail marketing service providers are MailChimp and Constant Contact.

For welcoming new clients: After a new client has joined your agency, a best practice is to (automatically) send them a series of onboarding e-mails.

Here's an example of a welcoming sequence of e-mails for new clients:

  • Day 1: Thank you from the agency owner, with a link to a survey.

  • Day 7: Meet the team, with staff photos and contact information.

  • Day 21: Convey that the agency offers full service and can help with all of its clients' insurance needs.

  • Day 35: Ask for feedback and online rviews on Yelp, Google+ or other platforms.

  • Day 90: Ask insureds if they have had any changes in their lives, such as marriage, children or big purchases. Remind them that bundling coverages could save them money.

  • Day 270: Focus content on the importance of an annual review.

Measurable results

A great feature of these e-mail services is that you can measure open rates. If low, tweak and test other content or subject lines. This will help you gain insight into what is effective for your e-mail list.

If an e-mail is sent to 3,000 people and has a 15% open rate, you just reached 450 people who have already done business with you. Compare that with a boosted Facebook post about Flood insurance to an audience that may not even own a home.

These actionable steps will get you started on e-mail marketing:

  • Decide which e-mail marketing platform works best for you.

  • Focus on the type of content you want to curate or create.

  • Choose the frequency at which you want to connect with your e-mail list, and keep it consistent.

  • Measure results.

Once you conquer this, social media and other forms of marketing can be used to amplify the foundation you have set in place. Much of the content you create for e-mail will also be good for social sharing.

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