We know, it’s counter intuitive, but don’t be fooled by actuarial tables, lists of legalese and piles of ridiculous paperwork – because insurance marketing isn’t nearly as boring as you may think. Like a 2011 Forbes column by Ronald Shelp pointed out, despite the stereotypical image of the industry as incredibly boring there are some pretty freakin’ creative content marketing ideas out there you can use.
Since most insurance agencies offer extremely similar, basic products – a solid content marketing plan can present an awesome opportunity to show consumers and potential customers what makes one individual agency worth considering. And that, our friends, is where the creativity comes in.
Here are five content marketing ideas to help set your insurance company apart from the rest:
Experience
If you’re looking for a unique angle to demonstrate why customers should purchase a policy from you instead of your competitors, search for some positive time-related metrics that the competition may not have, like: maybe years of training? Certifications? Availability? Customers who have policies for an unusually long time? A greater number of local and national awards from different industry groups or local organizations? Thank-you letters from satisfied clients? Health and life insurance policies are currently the leading drivers for consumers, especially in the US market since the launch of the Affordable Care Act. So perhaps using your content marketing to emphasize your successful experience within these markets can set you apart from your competitors.
Here’s an awesome example, Independence Blue Cross pretty much owned this concept for their Live Fearless Mantra TV commercial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCRXzIwbb8
Unusual policies
Every agency offers the bare bones – the basics: home, auto and life. But who’s offering extra coverage for high-dollar/high-maintenance wine collections? Or rare baseball cards? Or an antique car that spends more time in the garage being pampered rather than actually firing that baby up. Certainly any agent can learn the basics of how to put a policy together, but someone who markets themselves as being “the knowledgeable choice” in certain subject areas or advertises in places where this audience frequents (collector/enthusiasts sites or specialty blogs) could get some serious attention from potential customers.
Better costs
Most insurance agents will pitch you this little gem, “you’ll be happy that you paid more for extra coverage when disaster strikes.” However, we all want to be wise stewards of their money and will instinctively look for any easy opportunities to save. Some of the national insurance companies even make a point of emphasizing their affordability for basic coverage. While emphasizing the quality coverage and not offering something too drastic and bare-bones, agencies can promote their ability to offer different discounts like reductions for certain conditions – good student/good driver/safe driver/multiple policies. Also, try crafting this dry message in a way that everyone can contextualize. Just because your policy is a snooze-fest, doesn’t mean your marketing message needs to equally as lame. Maybe position your message in a way that reads – “that’s the cost of a two Starbucks lattes a week.”
Mention the scary stuff
We know it’s risky to ‘sell fear,’ and normally, that’s certainly not our holistic approach. However, insurance agencies probably know more than anyone else how quickly a bad turn of events can happen, that’s part of their reality. However, they also know that they can serve as an aid to their policy-holders who wisely made choices to invest with them. So rather than your commercials being filled with frightening natural disasters, multi-car fender-benders, or burning buildings, the agent’s message could also focus more on their role – which should ultimately be to provide comfort in a disastrous time for their customers. In an industry that’s overflowing with complaints and dissatisfied customers, sometimes a heartwarming, even light-hearted, loyalty-building approach might just be the way to go.
Side note: either Minnesotans are the coolest people in the country or they have the weirdest sense of humor, ever. MNsure does a great job of “showing the scary stuff” without providing a literal translation to that statement. In this video, they are essentially making their customers aware of the scary things that could happen while living in Minnesota. We think it’s pretty genius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSZn6X8JRVw
Emphasize the good stuff
At the end of the day, the essential reason for an insurance policy is peace of mind and general security. With proper planning, you and your family will ultimately be protected. Even if you avoid filing major claims, you’ll still be protected – and that’s worth celebrating. Testimonials from clients being thankful for their foresight in purchasing policies can be really powerfully promoted. Visual assets of clients enjoying their time doing pretty much anything else besides thinking at about fire, hurricanes, flooding (insert your long list of natural disasters here), health, life – could be a smart strategy.
New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange’s TV ad for their “accidental spokesman” sums this up in a pretty clever way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXNttD03tmc
