Digital marketing and communications strategies take time and money to develop. If times are tight but you need to enhance your digital communications to reach out to clients more effectively, how can you enhance your digital communication on a budget?
Prioritize Your Digital Tools
When it comes to business development, having a full suite of updated digital tools would likely make your insurance agency look very tech-savvy, but when your budget is tight, you need to prioritize. What do you actually need to do to facilitate better customer transactions? Your first step to a less expensive digital transition is to learn more about your needs, your clients’ needs, and the tools available to your business.
Create Client Information
Not all digital communication needs to occur in real time. If you don’t currently have a FAQ page and a blog, consider adding these. A FAQ page is the simplest way to communicate key information to your current and prospective clients. It can cover logistics such as “How do I renew my insurance?” You can also link to blog posts. For instance, if clients are wondering what is covered by home insurance, you can create a blog post as a guide for your new clients. That way, some of their questions are answered before they talk to an actual person.
Younger generations prefer digital communication over talking on the phone.
Develop Simple Digital Communication Channels
Digital communication is key in today’s world. According to Forbes, younger generations do not like talking on the phone. They “grew up with the gradual introduction of instant messaging, texting, email, and other forms of written communication.” Many younger people prefer texts or social media over email as well. As you move into digital communication, consider adding some of the following to your digital communications:
- Text communication
- Apps such as WhatsApp
- Social media messaging
As you add digital communication tools, make sure that you can efficiently manage whatever tool you choose. Start small and focus on one tool at the time rather than trying all of the tools at once.
Create Better Email Lists
While email may not be everyone’s preference, it’s still a way to communicate with your audiences efficiently. If you don’t have an email list, tools such as MailChimp are easy to use and quick to set up. You can also add smaller lists to focus on segments of your audience and more efficiently target those segments. Consider using a tool such as HubSpot to start managing your digital communications and gathering data to help you segment your audience.
Consider Live Chat
Chatbots and live chat features on your website can greatly facilitate digital communication. As you move forward into the digital world, consider adding a chatbot to your website. These bots help your clients with basic questions and can help them find simple information so that your employees can focus on the more challenging questions from clients. According to HostPapa, “41 percent of customers prefer to use live chat to communicate with businesses.”
As you build your digital presence, American Agents Alliance is here to help. Look at our many continuing education resources and our suite of membership benefits and contact us today for more information.
