Why isn’t marketing simpler? Many an insurance company has had this very question. Wouldn’t it be lovely if you could simply tell people about your product instead of creating insurance marketing strategies? Unfortunately, the world of marketing seems to get more and more specialized and complex every year. In a world full of buzzwords, you need to find the marketing gems. What are the 2017 insurance marketing trends that will really impact your insurance agency this year?
1. Storytelling Rules
Storytelling doesn’t sound like a buzzword, but there’s sure a lot of buzz behind it. In 2017, you’ll be challenged to tell your story as part of your insurance marketing. Why did your company begin? Who do you help? What are their stories? Think about the story you want to tell and keep it consistent across your insurance marketing platforms.
2. AI and Bots Will Talk With Your Customers
Artificial intelligence and bots may be your new assistants in 2017. If you’d like to interact with prospective customers without having to have an employee answer the same questions over and over again, hire a bot instead. Whether it answers questions online or provides prompts to guide a visitor’s movements through your website, bots can provide you with information about visitors’ interests and engage with your leads even when your employees are not available.
3. Social Media Influencers Are Your New Friends
Do you have influence? Do you know someone who does? On social media, there are superstars. One of your jobs is to connect with these superstars so that you can ride on the coattails of these admired people. Follow and reach out to influencers in your community and in the online communities that you follow and see if they can help you promote your brand. Try to become an influencer yourself as well, by writing strong inbound marketing content and developing a consistent, appreciative audience that enjoys learning more about your wisdom.
4. Millennials Are Ascending
While a demographic isn’t really a trend, Millennials are certainly an up and coming group of insurance buyers. They’re a distinct group with specific ways of interacting with companies, and companies are very interested in figuring out how to interact with them. Millennials have high expectations of online service, and they like to be able to pay bills or engage with customer service at all hours of the day and night. They’re socially connected and will look for you online and through recommendations of friends on social media sites. For Millennials, it’s important that you have a strong online and social media presence.
Millennials also care about the ethics of the companies that they use. If you position yourself as an ethical presence in the community, they’ll be more likely to connect with you for their insurance.
At American Agents Alliance, we like the stay on top of the latest insurance industry trends. We want to help your insurance agency do the same. Whether you’re thinking about hiring or you’re wondering about insurance marketing, you can find information on our blog, access our many membership benefits , and connect with us at the annual American Agents Allliance Convention—the largest P&C insurance conference in the west. 
