Why Does Almost Everyone In Insurance Hate Blogging?

No seriously, it’s 2017 so why am I still arguing with agents about blogging?

There is large a giant misperception about blogging for insurance agencies. Yet it remains one of the most powerful tools you can use to tell your story and throw your own parade. In every agency I get the honor to visit, I see continuous acts of amazement. People helping people. This could be in the form of community service, serving our insureds when they have a claim or assisting people protect what they work hard for. Yet for many agencies we want to hide that deep away and continue to allow the conversation to be around price… even though we don’t sell on price, right?

Here are our top 5 misperceptions on blogs for insurance agencies:

1. I don’t have anything to write about – This means you have 0 passion for your business.
2. Hiring someone to write without insurance knowledge is too risky – Untrue.  You need to write to the lowest common denominator.
3. No one wants to read insurance blogs – No one wants to read any blogs that suck.
4. I don’t have time – You don’t have time to generate positive PR for your agency?  I think what you meant to say is you just don’t want to.
5. I don’t buy from blogs so why would my prospects – Very few people buy from blogs, they instead get educated from them and then select the vendor that best serves them. You can’t be considered if you aren’t present.

We have two core problems in marketing our agencies:

• First, we hide all the awesome things we are and do. It’s like we want people to do business with us just because we exist. We fail to capitalize on marketing us as people, what we do for the community and how cool we are. Newer scratch agencies have adopted this principal and are taking off.  Check out the IAOA Facebook group page to see. But for many of us we are stuck in the mud and think we have nothing special to talk about. If you think this, you are wrong.  Find your special and find your passion!
• Second, we still believe all of our marketing is about direct response. It’s not. In today’s world people educate themselves before calling you. Your blog serves as your story, of who you are, how you can help and what experience they may receive. In today’s modern marketing work you need to invest in tools that help you see who is visiting your blog and where they go next to drive results. An educated prospect sells faster, buys more and has a better chance of closing. When your website is flat and there is no activity you can’t scream WHY YOU!

Now you also can’t subscribe to just doing crappy blogs. That won’t work. And stop buying mass produced insurance blogs. There is a high likelihood that your California agency will end up with a blog about protecting your snowmobile if you aren’t careful. Blogging can be fun and not a burden if you make it one. Here are some tips on how to make your insurance blog not suck:

• Your agency needs a brand. Yes a brand. Checkout some we have created. When you have a brand, you will see your tone. When writing, you want to match this tone. Our APP tone is  witty, knowledgeable and direct. Now re-read this blog. We nailed it!
• Stop only blogging about insurance right now. You need insurance content for Google no doubt but even Google would fall asleep only reading about insurance. Blog about your business. Your good work, your activities, your team, your business philosophies. Make it about running a small business in America and your community.  Then you win.
• Your subject lines should be bad ass. Yes something that is grabbing attention. For example, The Expense of Youthful Drivers or Top 5 Ways To Get Your Teen Home By Curfew.   See, the second one is way more fun. Hint, make them pay their own auto insurance too!;-)
• Your content needs to be about the things your target market loves not about the policy. For example if you start writing about race cars and weave insurance into it, you have my husband. If you start talking about comprehensive coverage, deductibles and theft, you have lost him.
• Next, your blogs should have a call to action to read another blog, connect on social media channels, or contact your agency. You always need a next step in your blog.
• Finally, share the thing. Share it on social media and personal social media channels. Insurance blogs aren’t going to be found on their own. Instead make them be known.

We get it, you went to school for insurance not marketing. If you need help you can always contact us. We can work to build your brand and strategy from people who know insurance and marketing.