Did you know that more than 80 percent of consumers trust the information they read on blogs? Also, are you aware that blogging can actually increase your client count? In fact, blogging happens to be one of the most effective forms of marketing. It not only provides a way for you to increase your brand awareness, but it also enables you to connect with consumers on a personable level.
The basics of a blog
A blog is usually connected to a website. While the website itself promotes whatever is being sold, the blog doesn’t necessarily do this. It takes on more of a communication platform, allowing you to share your knowledge with your customers. As an insurance agent, you will of course want to center your blog around a topic that is in some way related to insurance. This doesn’t mean, however, that it has to be about auto or home insurance. Instead, it could be about effective ways to protect your family, with some of the blog postings focusing on the importance of insurance. The overall goal is to provide readers with insightful content, allowing them to see that you are truly knowledgeable about the insurance products you sell.
Know who you’re talking to
Before you start blogging, you need to identify your target audience. Building a buyer persona will not happen overnight. It involves gathering an enormous amount of data, which must be stored and analyzed. As you create a persona, it is pertinent that you focus on your customers’ behaviors. When you are able to document, analyze and predict customer behavior, your marketing effectiveness will skyrocket. While developing a buyer persona, you’ll need an IT tech team that can use the Internet to help you build customer profiles. From e-commerce transactions to social media postings, there is much consumer behavior data to be gathered online. When combining these behaviors with those that you collect via POS systems and in-house purchase records, you can then better gauge the consumers you should be focusing on.
What happens when you run out of topics?
First of all, it’s pertinent that you regularly update your blog. Blogs that go for weeks at a time without a posting don’t tend to reap positive benefits. Daily blogging also enables you to stay current with trends occurring in the insurance niche. But what happens when you run out of topics? This is when you need to start thinking outside of the box. Take for instance that your child is having a birthday party next week at your house. What insurance topics come to mind? For starters, you’ll need to make sure your homeowner’s policy covers any slip and fall incidents. You’ll also want to determine whether or not it covers fire damage? Candles, like the ones that are going to be used on your child’s birthday cake, have been known to start many fires. In fact, since 1990, fires caused by candle-related fires have grown by 82 percent. See, the scenario above makes for a perfect blog posting. And not only could you give top safety tips for hosting a child’s birthday party, but you’ll also be presenting yourself as a parent, which makes you relatable to your readers.
The Takeaway
Once you have created personas and you know exactly who you’re talking to, you’re ready to start blogging for your insurance agency. You’ll not only know who your readers are but how to effectively relay your insurance knowledge to them, which will help boost your reputation in their eyes, which means they will be more likely to purchase insurance products from your agency. You can now start to share your knowledge through blogging!
