Ensure digital marketing success in the wake of the pandemic
Insurance marketing messages and brand communications have changed along with the rest of the world.
The property & casualty insurance industry had a particularly rough year in 2020 with lost premiums and high claim volumes resulting in harsh hits to bottom lines for many companies. Though the insurance industry overall is poised for recovery in 2021, many P&C insurers will be slower to bounce back as the pandemic leaves lasting effects on some service lines. For example, the initial wave of unemployment will likely continue to stall the sale of workers’ compensation insurance, and small business premiums will be slow to recover as shops keep their doors closed or more decide to shut down.
With a slow rebound ahead, insurance agencies can take some charge to speed things up with thoughtful and effective marketing tactics. But the way marketers should go about brand messaging and communication has changed as a result of the pandemic as well.
A changing marketplace calls for a change in marketing
As people continue to work remotely, limit outings, and socially distance, insurance marketers are running into new limitations when it comes to brand reach. Traditional out-of-home marketing tactics are no longer effective, and without the ability to meet with prospects face-to-face, agents need a new means of engaging audiences.
The key is to refocus marketing attention and efforts into the digital realm. But people are looking for valuable digital experiences, not just promotional brand messaging about your products and services. To enhance your marketing efforts and begin bouncing back from the broken bottom lines of 2020, make targeted digital experiences the focus of 2021. Start with these tips:
No. 1: Don’t lose your human touch.
Eighty-four percent of consumers want to see brands using social platforms for the purposes of community-building rather than overt marketing. Sharing promotional messaging and material simply won’t provide the value that will get your prospects’ attention.
What is more likely to pique their interest/? Real people. Humanize marketing campaigns by putting individual employees behind brand messages. Enable and empower them to share valuable content and engage with prospects from their own accounts. This approach, known as social selling, can expand brand reach and improve customer engagement more than branded interactions alone.
To spur employees into action on social media, marketers can create preapproved libraries of content, customizable messaging, and other necessary materials from which agents can easily pull to share on their own pages. This makes posting easy for agents and helps marketers ensure brand consistency and compliance.
No. 2: Personalize the digital experience with landing pages.
More than 75% of consumers said they’d be willing to provide personal information in exchange for more tailored services. Insurance companies have the opportunity to capture valuable consumer data through the use of customized landing pages.
Let’s say you’ve worked up a campaign for a specific demographic. An agent looking to target that demographic shares a post highlighting a valuable piece of information, then directs followers to click a link to learn more. The link goes to a landing page on your website where users can input their names and email addresses to receive more resources. Consumers appreciate the relevancy and value of the information, and you receive the data you need for reaching out and guiding them to conversion.
While creating a customized landing page for every campaign and target audience might sound overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be. The right software can help simplify and scale the process by offering customizable templates, so even someone with no web design experience can build effective landing pages.
No. 3: Get strategic with digital advertising dollars.
With tightened budgets, insurance marketers need to focus on marketing tactics that drive the highest conversion rates. Retargeted digital ads are a great option. It’s a low-cost strategy that brings high engagement rates by serving relevant ads targeted to customers who have already shown interest.
To get the best results, segment your audience by source or need. For example, website visitors who looked at a blog post might be interested in receiving a guidebook on the same topic, while those who lingered on a product page might be ready to have a conversation with the sales team about that product.
Separating one segment of potential customers from the next ensures that a retargeting campaign speaks to a specific need as opposed to simply blanketing a message to anyone who might’ve visited your website. Segmentation allows you to drive specific consumers to the most relevant landing pages, improving the chances of conversion.
Much has changed in the past year for the P&C insurance industry, but companies can get back on their feet quickly if they learn to enhance digital experiences in the wake of the pandemic. Remember to leverage targeted landing pages, direct consumers to relevant and valuable information, and do it all with a focus on the human element. You’ll drive more conversions in no time.
Gregory Bailey (gbailey@denimsocial.com) is president and CPO at Denim Social. These opinions are his own.
Bailey is an entrepreneur, angel investor, and former corporate executive with more than 25 years of experience in roles focused on product leadership, innovation, strategic marketing, marketing communications, P&L management, cross-functional leadership, strategic planning, sales, distribution, and business unit leadership. He is seasoned in leading digital, social media, and mobile experiences at the intersection of marketing and technology.
Also by this contributor: How to protect your insurance brand while maximizing social media