Let’s face it, as insurance brokers we are not expected to be design or branding experts. For that reason, most SME brokers have been left behind when it comes to branding that is pleasing to clients and simultaneously carries the vision of the business. Have you got a brand which stands out to your clients and which they can always rely on?

We have put together some tips to guide you in branding your brokerage like a pro.

1. Get a good logo

A logo is a visual representation of your business. Logos come in different forms like word only logos, picture logos, abstract logos, symbols or a mixture of all. The logo is only limited to the creativity of the designer.

To get a fitting logo for the insurance broker market we believe that it should be simple, easy to read and visually appealing. Insurance can be a very complex thing and most clients look to insurance businesses because they believe that you can simplify the whole process for them. Let your logo reflect that.

2. Have a slogan

A slogan typically summarises the value that a business is offering to its clients in a few words. Slogans should be catchy and also be relatable to the pain-points of the client. If your businesses’ vision is to make insurance available and affordable for a majority of the uninsured, then you can use a slogan like “affordable insurance for all”. This sends a direct message to your target group and also meets a challenge that they face in insurance, namely affordability in this case.

3. Pick appropriate memorable colours

Have a good understanding of the psychology of colours and the impact that colours have on clients. Colours convey various emotions if mixed properly. Your colour choice can set your business as a serious no-nonsense corporation or as an informal startup. The colour wheel below highlights warm and cold colours.

You would want to use vibrant colours which convey a sense of happiness and joy. Colours work subconsciously on the minds of your clients so it is important to get your colour scheme right when branding your business.

4. Get online

Clients now expect every business to be well represented online and through social media. The world is moving online with more potential clients deciding to do their research online before buying. As more people move online, broker who refuse to adopt an online presence will be left behind, a bit like House of Fraser and other high street business who refused to adapt and therefore fell.

You can build your brand on social media by responding quickly to inquiries and messages through your social media channels. This requires the work of a professional as it is time-consuming. Get in touch with us if you require an affordable social media manager for your business.

5. Deliver on your promise

Let your words count by delivering on your brand promises. If you promise to get your clients the very best insurance deals, then make sure you fulfil that promise. Actions speak louder than words so the more promises you achieve as a business, the more credible your brand becomes. Clients will naturally refer a strong brand through word-of-mouth to their friends and networks.

Focusing on these tips will guaranty a strong brand. Remember that it takes a lot of effort and time to create a strong brand, but it takes even more to maintain that brand. Be consistent in your approach and with time you will have a competitive brand which can rival any major player in the industry.

Give us a call on 02071172953 or contact us here if you want to talk about branding your business.

All too soon 2018 is here. The insurance broker market had a good year and we are hoping for an even better year. The big push this year will come from those brokers who adapt to the digital age and make use of email, social media and other digital marketing techniques. Digital is here to stay so start planning for it now. 

So if there is a time to take digital marketing seriously as a broker, now is the time.

To get you on your way, we have put together these 5 things you need to consider when hiring a digital marketer, to ensure you grow your business:

1. Define Your Objectives

This is a question you should ask before you hire a digital marketer. Before you hire someone, you should have clear and specific goals that you want the person to help you to achieve. Are you looking to generate more leads for fleet or are you trying to make your business clients aware of your high net worth policies. Maybe you are trying to break into commercial after so many years doing personal lines.

Whatever your objectives, make sure that you clearly define it before hiring a digital marketer.

2. Compliance

Not all digital marketers are insurance brokers as well. As you know, compliance has to sit at the heart of everything we do. So it is important that you always find a marketer who understands the industry and compliance. Someone who knows their TCF from their FCA. A marketer who understands their ICOBS from their social media and has a team who understands what the FCA looks out for.

You will need a digital marketer who understands these terms and can make sure that all your digital marketing efforts are in line with the rules and regulations.

3. Strategy

You want to get more leads and to increase your gwp and you know that digital marketing can help you achieve that. The only problem is how am I going to put everything together? Digital marketing is very broad and can be very confusing, how do you create engaging posts or visuals? Should I use email marketing, or social media, search engine optimisation (and what is that even) or should I use videos, blogs, images, etc? The truth is that all these elements must come together in a usable strategy if you are to benefit from digital marketing.

4. How Much Are You Willing To Spend?

How much of your budget is being allocated to digital marketing? If you spend too little, you may not be able to implement the required strategies to achieve your digital marketing objectives. However, if you spend too much, you will not have enough funds for other important aspects of traditional marketing. The key is to get a balance.

Before you hire a digital marketer, figure out your budget and what is most important to you. How much of it will go into social media, and how much will go into email marketing, or search engine marketing? If you are not sure about how much you actually need to spend then fill this form for a quick assessment.

5. Level of Engagement

Another important factor to consider is whether you need a full-time digital marketer for your business or a part-time one. If you cannot match the Jelfs or your Marsh’s of this world, why not outsource your digital marketing and get it of your hands. Digital marketing is a very engaging job. It has the potential to put your business on the map and get you new customers, but you have to be ready to put in the work else, get someone to do it so you can focus on broking. 

If you need help with any of this, ask for our free advice service- just a conversation and no hard sell.

 

Brokerlink is solely dedicated to brokers and as such we understand a broker’s language.

Digital marketing, if implemented properly, can revolutionize your broker business, and increase your returns exponentially. This possibility, however, depends on hiring the right digital marketer. These 5 factors above, can guide you in making the right choice when hiring a digital marketer in 2018.

Marketing has changed drastically over the past few years and is still changing every day with the rise of digital marketing. One of the most effective digital marketing strategies today is Inbound Marketing.

The days of selling your policy to clients are over…

Inbound marketing has changed online marketing- rather than bombarding clients with direct mail, cold calling and using other outbound marketing to sell to them,…. get them to come to you.

As the name suggests, it is an inward approach that attracts clients by using content marketing, social media marketing and search engine optimization rather than just selling insurance policies to them.

Some of the fastest growing brokers such as Simply Business and Bought by Many are growing exponentially using inbound marketing.

[Watch this great video which summarises what inbound marketing is]

Aviva, one of the largest general insurers utilises inbound marketing to attract and convert users online to regular customers. The good news is that you do not have to be as large as Aviva to take advantage of inbound marketing. The right level of content and a well thought out strategy can see you emulating the success of Aviva.

Inbound Marketing is the Future

Inbound marketing is here to stay. As the world grows more and more connected through digital technology, the importance of inbound marketing cannot be overemphasised. Insurance brokers stand a chance to gain tremendously from the benefits of inbound marketing.

The inbound approach is a unique one which requires thoughtful planning and execution to achieve the desired results. A variety of content such a blog posts, infographics, videos, Memes, podcasts etc. can be used to attract, educate and empower users to make the right decision on their policies.

The BrokerLink team are not only experts in inbound digital marketing but we also understand and are focused on insurance brokers and what strategies work within the industry. Contact us now and we will map out a practical strategy that will increase your policy sales while staying in line with all FCA requirements.

Call us on 02071172953 or email us info@thebrokerlink.com

Creating the right content for your social media audience is one thing, posting the information at the right time is another very important aspect of reaching your target audience organically. Each social network has its uniqueness and hence a one-size-fits-all approach is just not practical when working with multiple social media accounts. Here is a guide to help you choose the best time to post on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or Instagram.

We have a dedicated team willing to help you create content and distribute that content to thousands of prospective clients through in-depth social media management for insurance brokers. Get in touch for a quote from us.

• Click here to read our new blog- How AVIVA increased their quote rates through email marketing

Email marketing is growing in popularity with insurance brokers and for a good reason too as more turn to the digital age and re-discover how to provide information and industry news to clients. Whether you are a personal lines broker or a commercial broker, if you are not using email marketing, here are 5 reasons why you should be:

1. £4,400 for every £1 you spend?

Out of all the various marketing strategies available, email marketing is considered to have the highest return on investment for online marketing. Campaign monitor found that email marketing has a 4400% return on investment. 90% of email gets delivered to the intended recipient’s inbox, whereas only 2% of your Facebook fans see your posts in their News Feed.

This potentially means in the insurance broking world, for every £1 you spend, you can gain up to £4,400 in commission back. The challenge we at the BrokerLink have found is that brokers are just not using email marketing properly.

Click here to read the top 5 mistakes we see from brokers when they run an email marketing campaign.

2. It is cheaper

Perhaps the most appealing advantage of email marketing is the return on investment. No print costs, no postage fees, no advertising rates. Email marketing is as affordable as marketing gets. Most bulk email service providers will allow you to send emails to about 2000 emails every month for free. You don’t need to break the bank to take advantage of this.

3. Become number 1 in your customer’s eyes

Each time you send an email, you send your target more information about their industry, your business and your brand. With strategic planning, the right design and the right targeted content, your business will be consistently building its brand. By doing so, you stay with your audience. When a customer needs an insurance policy, you will be ‘top-of-mind’ for them.  Your business will stand a much better chance of providing a quote and trusted recommendations which will lead to a sale.

4. Better targeting

With email marketing, you have the ability to control exactly who sees your email. By segmenting your contacts based on their characteristics, demographics and location etc your message can be more relevant. Targeting your emails in this way ensures that your audience receives information suited specifically to their needs. For example solicitors do not receive information about fleet insurance which might put them off reading your next email.

5. It is measurable

With new email marketing software such as Mailchimp, it is easy to measure which emails were delivered and to who, how many were opened and which users engaged with your information. You can also easily see who forwarded your emails and to who. These insights can show you the policies and information that customers want and will help you come up with the right leads for your business.

• To find out how to take advantage of email marketing, click here to get in touch and we will talk you through what you can do.

Unless you have been on holiday on an exotic beach somewhere, cut away from all information and with a mojito in your hand, you would have heard of the Wanna Cry ransom cyber-attack which hit the UK and over 150 countries in the world? (Some shown below).

Many firms have had experts working over the weekend to prevent new infections. The virus took control of users’ files and demanded $300 (£230) payments to restore access.

The spread of the WannaCry ransomware attack slowed over the weekend but the respite might only be brief, experts have said. More than 200,000 computers have been affected so far.

Source BBC.com

So basically Wanna Cry is a computer malware which takes over user’s files and locks them out whilst demanding $300 to give them access.

Why Should You Start an Email Marketing Campaign Around ‘Wanna Cry’?

The latest cyber-attack has been described by Microsoft as a wake-up call for cyber security and some experts have said this is only the start.

Here are 5 ways reasons why you should start a marketing campaign around this:

Show your knowledge

As a great broker, this is a chance for you to show your knowledge, expertise and also how proactive you are to your existing and potential clients.

Make sales

You can use email marketing to promote and upsell on your cyber insurance cover to get the maximum effect.

Be resourceful

Using email marketing is a cost effective way to reach a large number of clients very quickly and to make them aware of what to look out for.

Be unique

Running such a campaign will set you apart from 90% of other brokers in the market and will give you a competitive advantage at next renewal.

Gain a stronghold on your clients

Remember, if you are not emailing or speaking to your clients about this, is another broker doing the job for you?

If you don’t currently have the time or resource to run an email marketing campaign on Wanna Cry, click here to drop us an email at the BrokerLink and we can talk you through what you can do.

But before you start:

Click here to read the top 5 mistakes we see from brokers when they run an email marketing campaign

Also:

Click here to read about 5 key benefits of using an email marketing campaign