You know who you are, but does the public have a strong sense of your agency's brand story? Your brand can help connect you to your clients. What is branding, and why is it a critical part of your insurance marketing strategy?
What is Branding?
Branding is what comes to your client's mind when you mention your business. It's a unique image, reputation, story, or even tone that you set. Some elements of branding are very tangible, such as your logo and your colors on your signage and website. Others are less so, such as the tone you use when you respond to clients or create emails. Branding is not just for athletic equipment or popular snack foods. It's for every business, and you should consider what your brand is as you develop your insurance marketing strategy.
Finding Your Brand Story
Businesses exist for a reason, and your insurance agency is no exception. You don't just have the best service or the lowest prices. You have a story that makes people feel connected to your business. As you work to discover or reconsider your brand story, think about the following points:
Why does your business exist? What's your mission statement, and what are your goals?
Think about your history. Where did your business come from, and who founded it?
What is your current reputation in your community and online? Is this something you feel comfortable with, or would you like to change it?
Consider your audience. Who do you connect with, and what are their interests and needs?
For example, you might be a small auto insurance agency with community programs that focus on child safety in vehicles. Your founders were a local family with a love for cars and several small children. You're well-connected to families in your community, and you want to expand to new audiences as you draw on this strength.
When Can Branding Help?
If insurance marketing is your goal, branding is part of your map to get there. It tells you what you'll look like and how you'll act because it's who you are. How can branding help you in your insurance marketing?
If you're redesigning your website, making a new pamphlet about auto insurance, or recreating your insurance agency's logo, branding can help you develop visuals for your insurance marketing that not only speak to your audience but also transmit part of your brand story.
As you create inbound marketing content for your insurance blog, branding can help you develop both your topics and your voice, so that your clients get to know who you are.
When you're developing edgy new marketing strategies, your branding can tell you whether this strategy is really a good fit or whether it's taking you in a direction that you and your clients do not want to go.
Are you friendly and casual? A traditional, respected member of your community? Use your branding to develop your voice on social media, so that you can keep the images and tone that you use as consistent as possible.
As you develop your insurance agency's marketing plan, work with and learn from others in your field. With the American Agents Alliance, a national insurance association for independent insurance agents & brokers, you'll be able to network with other insurance agents and take advantage of offers such as our keyword marketing plan for small insurance agencies. Contact us today for more information.
