Over 80% of today’s consumers will research your business online and decide if they want to do business with you before you ever get the opportunity to introduce yourself. The question is, how do you get your message – why they should choose you – in front of them if you’re waiting for a phone call?
Publishing your own content is one of the most effective ways to create a positive first impression online. A blog is your chance to show you are an expert and allow someone to feel like they can get to know and trust you while they are doing their online research.
Before you cringe, let’s make sure we’re being clear. You don’t have to be an award-winning writer, and you don’t have to write an article a day. I’ll outline the simple steps below to effectively blog without traumatic flashbacks from college English 101.
The right timing for your insurance agent blog
Consistency is just as important as frequency. While it’s best to post as often as you can, you can write an article once or twice a month to drive results. Here’s the catch: You have to keep it up. Skipping a post or two will catch up with you quickly and result in missed opportunities. It takes time for search engines to recognize you are an expert in the insurance space. To gain traction, it will take eight to 12 months of consistent blog posts to start seeing results in terms of both search engine ranking and traffic to your website.
Planning effective blog content
There are two types of content you will need for an effective insurance agency blog:
- Content that will show up in search results
- Content that will build trust with readers
To maximize search engine results, focus on niche content. Your agency sells 100 different products in 8 different product lines? Great! But pick one or two to write about. For search engines to rank your website strongly you need to show a niche expertise. This means focusing on a specific product (home, auto, drone, vineyard insurance, etc) and writing about it over and over again. The goal is to show you are the expert in a specific, niche topic to rank well for that product. Once the client is in the door or on the phone, you can always share what else you offer. There are free tools like, www.semrush.com, where you can track what key words your website is ranking for. Over time you will see your website ranking better that niche product line, (auto insurance), in search results.
In addition to focusing on a niche product line, you want to write about topics that will interest prospects and build trust with them. One of the best ways to build trust is to adopt the “They Ask You Answer” philosophy developed by the folks at: https://www.thesaleslion.com/. Take the most common questions your agency gets everyday and address them on your blog, even the painful ones. “Why did my rates go up?” “What am I not covered for?” “Who are the best competitors in the market (besides you)?” While it may seem a bit counter intuitive, facing these questions head on shows transparency, builds trust, and creates an opportunity to generate more leads through your website.
Key Words – There are three key phrases you want in every one of your blog posts:
- City and State your business is located in
- Name of your agency
- Niche product line (Auto, Drone, Vineyard Insurance, etc)
These three phrases should be in the first paragraph and last paragraph of each post. Month after month search engines will identify these key words over and over again and your website will start ranking higher and higher on search results when prospects search for those terms. Again, using a service like, www.semrush.com, www.hupsot.com, and Google analytics, help you track the results of your efforts.
If you would like help in talking about a program for your agency specifically Contact Us Here and we can help design a program at no cost.
Check out the State Auto Blog for more articles and keep an eye out for more stories on how to integrate analytics, technology, and digital marketing into your business.
Author:
Clinton Houck
Technology, Analytics and Digital Marketing Consultant at State Auto Insurance
