Month: April 2021

As a regional/local player, you have a material advantage over your larger, national competitors that can be pressed and aided by simple technologies. Regional insurance companies, particularly Farm Bureau Insurance Companies with in-state offices and agents, have a firsthand knowledge to cater to their clientele — especially those in rural areas — on a much more personalized basis. But whereas interpersonal relationships and referrals represented the lion share of sales and marketing efforts in the past, a new technique must be mastered for success in the future.

Today, online reviews likely have more to do with an agent’s success than any other factor. The contemporary customer shops far more extensively online, reacting to web and social advertising in real time. In doing so, the comments section on brands’ social media pages and review sites play a key role in their perceptions. Consumers and business owners alike read online reviews — the good, the bad, and the ugly — to determine which insurers are trustworthy, credible, and clearly have a history of exceptional customer service.

Consumers are willing to pay 22% more for a product or service if the company has a good online reputation. On the contrary, a whopping 94% of consumers admit to avoiding companies with negative online reviews.

Here are our top tips on how to best manage your insurance agency’s reputation online, specifically on the world’s biggest search engine and social network — Google My Business and Facebook.

Google My Business

Customers can leave reviews for various businesses directly on Google. Google My Business(GMB) is a 100% free tool that acts as a digital storefront. Any company can set up a Google My Business profile, which includes name, address, and phone number (NAP) data, hours of operation, directions, questions and answers, and the all-important reviews.

Agents need to be aware of the power of their GMB listing and, in tandem, should encourage their customers to leave a review after they have been served with a pleasant experience. We suggest developing a letter that can be sent with specific instructions. The more reviews there are — and the more positive they are — the company will be rewarded with higher organic SEO, which leads to more calls, quotes, and business.

We recommend monitoring your Google My Business page regularly to ensure the information is accurate, and any suggested edits are error-free.

Businesses of all shapes and sizes are found via search engines like Google. When a search query (e.g., “business insurance near me”) matches a specific business, the user searching for the query will be shown that business’s information, and should they want to contact them directly, they can do so.

GMB Customer Review Guidelines

• Respond directly to reviews ASAP.
• Express gratitude for compliments and thoughtfully respond to anyone who had a poor experience.
• Let your customers know you care about them through thick and thin, no matter what they have to say.

Facebook

Facebook is a hub for brands to conduct business, promote their products, and interact with fans and customers. At the end of the day, social media at large is primarily used to display a brand’s (or insurance agent’s) persona and connectedness within the community — positioning them as a reliable resource.

Most corporate brands seemingly have this figured out. However, the local advantage is apparent when agents and agencies leverage Facebook pages have to act as extensions of companies’ websites, which includes the ability for customers to post reviews for all to see. If you’re an independent agent or work for a Farm Bureau insurance company, make sure all your posts adhere to the social media policy and avoid controversial topics.

Agents should not be afraid to suggest posts be shared with others or to request an online review. Happy customers and friends often want to help, but do not know how or what to do.

In order to secure Facebook reviews, you must have a dedicated Facebook Business Page for your insurance agency. Agents may also create their own pages to promote their specialized services, news updates, and other valuable content.

Simple Ways to Elicit Customer Reviews

Testimonials should always come from a genuine place. Asking your insurance customers for reviews should feel natural, never forced. A few effective ways to elicit honest reviews from customers include:

1. Casually bring it up in conversation.
2. Call customers on the phone.
3. Ask for one in response to praise.
4. Link to your Google reviews page from your website.
5. Request one after a successful claim is handled.
6. Send customers personalized emails. (Emails requesting reviews had an average open rate of nearly 70% in 2020.)
7. Include your Google review link in your email signature.

Recognize the positive

If someone posts a positive review about your insurance agency:

1. Greet and thank the reviewer by name for taking the time to share their kind words.
2. Acknowledge the joy and satisfaction your service provided.
3. Remind the reviewer that customers are your top focus.
4. Thank them again and wish them well.

Control the negative

If you receive a negative review about your insurance agency:

1. Begin with an apology and thank the reviewer for sharing their thoughts.
2. Acknowledge the results of the negative experience so the reviewer understands you are fully aware of what happened.
3. If appropriate, offer an explanation (not an excuse) for what happened.
4. Explain what you will do to address the problem and prevent it from reoccurring.
5. Thank the reviewer and apologize again.
6. Follow up with them in a few weeks to ensure the issue has been resolved.

Watch the virtual presentation: Managing Your Brand’s Online Reputation

If you would like help setting up your Google My Business profile or social networks, or simply want to chat about how to canvass reviews and manage your brand’s online image, email bbennett@stirstuff.com or give us a call at 414-278-0040.

Local and regional companies have more advantages against the national and global players than they often realize. And when it comes to the insurance industry, everyday consumers are inundated with humorous national advertising campaigns that often tout bundling cost savings and generalized expertise.

While these massively funded campaigns are certainly effective, they share a common flaw: they cannot focus on local, often rural markets. Many of these rural customers appreciate the benefits of local insurance providers who take the time to understand their specific, localized needs. Finding these customers and building loyalty traditionally occurred through word of mouth, legacy referrals – the shingles on Main Street. Today, there is another powerful tool that can and must be harnessed: internet search.

A robust local search strategy is a must for insurance agents who want to build strong, lasting customer relationships.

Virtually all shopping starts with an internet search

Search has forever fundamentally changed how people shop. Even if they intend to make several phone calls or visit several insurance agents, customers will source their information from the internet – and 90% of those journeys begin with Google. So, what happens if your agents don’t appear at the top of the search results, but your competitors’ do? Well… you won’t write that policy.

One way to ensure your company and agents receive top billing is through the accuracy of listings on Google My Business. Most insurance companies rely on their agents to file these listings themselves, but they are generally not closely monitored for accuracy. Aside from having no standard system for entering this information, agents periodically switch companies, move or close offices, enter incomplete listings… and on and on. When these changes happen, they almost never take down or correct their previous listing. As a result, these listings are rife with error. For example, one company whose listings we assessed had 23 different referenced versions of the brand name alone.

An assessment of your company’s listings will be an eye-opening exercise that will document your brand’s relative data health. To help, STIR can arrange a detailed assessment.

Click here to schedule your assessment.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is fundamental in the way we find what we are looking for while browsing the web. Essentially, the quality, age, and integrity of a website’s content – and its consistency with Google My Business and other aggregated listings will determine its rankings on Google, Bing, Safari, and other search engines.

What is NAP and why is its consistency important?

There is one component of search marketing that is crucial when people are on a quest for products and services right in their area. NAP — name, address, phone number — is the main contact information for businesses that appears in search results. If this information is not up to date or inconsistent, the search engines and aggregators cannot trust the information, and therefore, it will not be displayed. It then becomes challenging for customers and prospects to reach you or find your business, resulting in missed leads and lost trust.

Many mobile searchers will tap the click-to-call button or link when they want to speak directly with a company. Forrester Research found that click-to-call functionality boosts ROI (return on investment) by 143%. However, if the phone number listed in the NAP listing is incorrect, that potential customer may falsely assume you have closed your doors — definitely a lose-lose situation. You’ve lost a potential customer, and they’ve lost trust in you.

NAP consistency is important for local SEO, as the legitimacy of the information increases insurance agencies’ chances of ranking higher on SERPs (search engine results pages). It also delivers search engines and customers the most accurate information about your business in real time.

How does NAP relate to search engine ranking?

Say an insurance agent changes their address. Their website, which they check regularly, lists the new address. However, unbeknownst to them, their online business listings may feature their old address. Because of this inconsistent information across the web, search engines are unable to detect which address is correct.

Search engines have the unique capability to digitally verify the accuracy of a company’s name, address, and phone number by sending their bots to crawl billions of websites. The site crawlers will eventually spot these inconsistencies, which will lower page rankings. If the data matches, though, the insurance agent will reap higher search results. Those with the cleanest data receive the top listings.

Navigating the local search ecosystem

Local search is only a fraction of the digital marketing ecosystem. This diagram demonstrates the numerous connections between the internet business listing platforms and search engines. While this map is constantly being expanded, these business data providers rely on one another, so people get the results they seek.

The rise of local intent

“Near me” search queries have grown by over 200% in the past two years alone. What does this tell us? It is a human truth that people appreciate convenience. Local intent is a search trend that suggests people are interested in what’s nearby and they often include the phrase “near me” or their city names in their search queries. Today, 78% of consumers use the internet more than once a week to find information about local businesses, and 86% use Google Maps to find local businesses.

Check NAP data regularly

At the absolute minimum, it’s recommended to check your business’s NAP data on a quarterly basis. Updates should be made as soon as the insurance agent moves companies or office locations, gets a new phone number, or makes any other change to their business. Make these modifications a regular part of your business routine.

Top indicators of success

So, how exactly is local search success measured? Some key performance metrics include:

• An increase in Google Maps searches and views (as seen in the Google My Business dashboard)
• An overall improvement in organic traffic to your website (as seen via Google Analytics)
• Higher rankings for local keywords (i.e., service + location) on SERPs
• Less incorrect/outdated data · A larger inventory of agent listings with correct data across internet directories (e.g., Google My Business, Bing, Yelp, Facebook, Apple Maps)

When it comes to insurance, some customers are local loyalists. At the end of the day, these folks would rather work with an agent right in their neighborhood. Local agents can tailor their clients’ coverage, provide personalized advice, help their clients understand and navigate complex policies, and ensure adequate coverage in the event of a disaster. Local insurance agents are known to be responsive, accessible, and knowledgeable of the surrounding area. A strong local SEO presence can help an insurance agent build their brand and establish themselves as a reliable expert — even among the giants.

How we can help

Not sure where to start? Here’s where STIR can come in. First, if you have the time, perform a quick self-audit to see where your insurance agency listing appears in the search results. This can be evaluated in several ways:

• Does your company name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation, and other information appear in Google Maps listings?
• Are there any agents missing?
• Are any agents who have left the firm appearing?
• If agents have moved, is their old address or phone number on display?
• Are there any duplicate listings?

Once you have a better idea of your agency’s search presence and data accuracy, we can perform a thorough evaluation. We would be thrilled to help your insurance brand become discoverable. To learn about our local SEO and NAP services, feel free to contact Brian Bennett at bbennett@stirstuff.com.