If you’re like most insurance business owners, you didn’t open your business to focus on marketing. And yet that’s exactly what you often have to do in order to connect with and serve your potential clients.

You’ve probably spent more time working on your website, social media pages, reviews, and listings than you ever could have imagined. And what about email marketing? It’s perhaps the best investment of your resources and time, and many business owners overlook its potential.

Email marketing provides some of the best ROI of all forms of marketing. It may be hard to believe, but email marketing generates $38 for every $1 spent. Why? Think about it — everyone has email, and everyone checks it almost daily. It’s what they do every time they pick up their mobile device and every time they sit down at their desk.

If you’re not taking advantage of this outreach platform, you’re missing out. 

Of course, if you’re new to insurance email marketing, it may be challenging to understand how best to integrate it into your insurance business. Following the best practices of marketing professionals will get you on the fast track to success.

Collect email addresses now

Imagine that someone you’ve given your business card to logs on to your website but doesn’t do anything else. You’ve lost a qualified lead. If you had their email address, you could follow up.

The first thing you should do is begin to grow your email list. Start with your stack of business cards you’ve collected from networking events, and then enlist technology. Add a pop-up form on your website to invite people to sign up for an email newsletter. 

Oftentimes, business owners will offer an incentive to get people to provide their email addresses online. It could be a discount on a policy, a white paper that outlines some tips you could share with your knowledge of the industry, or even a free consultation. The key is to gather the email address so that you can continue to connect and work to convert the lead into a customer.

Begin with automation

The best thing about email marketing is that so much of it can be automated. You will be able to save time while reaching out to people who want to learn more about your services and products. They are signing up, right? That means they are open to receiving emails from your company.

Instead of sending a manual email, you can create an automated series that will work on your behalf to engage the prospect. For example, when they sign up for your email newsletter through your website, an automated email can immediately be sent to welcome them. The next day, you can send a second email explaining the different products your company offers. 

Then, if you still haven’t heard from them, you can automate a third email that encourages them with a discount to contact you right away.

Send your blogs via email

Consistency is the key to email marketing, but at first, business owners may feel overwhelmed about what to send to keep in contact. That’s where content marketing comes in. If you have a blog, you can send it via email on a regular basis.

Blogs are an opportunity to share your expertise with your target audience. You can answer the common questions you receive as a professional, and as a result, you can position yourself as an expert in the industry. 

Try to send an email at least once a month — or even every two weeks. To accomplish this without spending too much time agonizing about ideas, sit down at the beginning of the quarter to brainstorm your marketing calendar. Don’t forget to include holiday-related topics so that your newsletter can feel timely.

Stay front of mind

Automated email marketing lets you set it and forget it. You can create emails that are sent when one of your potential customers opens an email, clicks on a link, or joins your email list. 

Remember the “Rule of 7” adage in marketing: you must get in front of a potential customer at least seven times before they are willing to take action. Email marketing is ideal for this psychology. Don’t overthink it. With simple blogs and consistent newsletters, you’ll reach that number in no time.

You don’t just have to rely on email marketing to stay front-of-mind. You can integrate social media, paid digital advertising, and even online listings services and reviews to get your company noticed. For more ideas about marketing your insurance business, check out The Download, a free guide from Constant Contact. 

Integrate email with your comprehensive plan

Another benefit of email marketing is that it can be easily integrated with other elements of your comprehensive marketing plan. For example, have you optimized your website to be usable on mobile devices? Are your web pages organically ranking highly on Google? 

You’ll need to focus on your website so that your potential customers can research you when they click on the email you send. If your domain name isn’t clear and easy to remember, you may be missing out when someone wants to check back after they’ve seen your email.

You can also integrate email marketing with paid advertising strategies. With engaging text and images in your ads, you can encourage people to click and visit your website. Then, you can add a popup or signup form that asks them to sign up for your email newsletter. Don’t be shy about asking for email addresses. Many people prefer to be contacted that way.

Don’t forget about surveys, too. You can use your email marketing platform to reach out to your current customers to learn more about what they are looking for in terms of service and products. Stay creative and dynamic as you learn what the market lacks. The better you can meet your current customers’ needs, the faster you’ll be able to grow your business.

Email marketing is a wise investment

Thanks to the strong return on investment, email marketing for insurance companies is a tool that many business owners use to grow their businesses. By sending consistent and relevant emails each month, you can connect with your current and potential customers. You can let them know that you care about their business and want to help.

Don’t forget to include holiday-specific topics in your email newsletters. The more timely your topics, the more your customers will want to take a moment to engage with you. 

Be sure to grow your email list through your optimized website while also integrating email into your annual marketing campaign. By weaving in social media, paid advertisements, and surveys, you can prove that you are an expert who’s worth doing business within your industry.

The post Insurance Email Marketing Basics For Your Businesses appeared first on Constant Contact.