Insurance agency marketing is experiencing a paradigm shift, from the old days of pure reference based marketing and face to face networking, toward a more current, digital marketing based plan. This is not to say that the days of networking and reference selling have come and gone, but rather that agencies seeking to optimize growth need to augment these traditional activities with the improved economies of scale and increased scope relating to web based marketing activities.
One of the foundational elements of a comprehensive web based insurance marketing strategy begins with an up to date, professional, optimized website. If the website is an open source website, and includes an easy to use content management system, agents are often able to do many basic edits quickly and easily on their own, a path more likely to ensure their content is current and relevant. In addition to up to date content and look and feel, there is a new and innovative technology applicable to insurance agency websites, which is called prospect identification mapping (also referred to as visitor mapping, IP mapping or visitor ID). This technology allows insurance agencies to learn:
- Which companies or organizations visit their website
- Location of the company (division or branch) visiting
- Keywords the companies used to find the website
- Initial page they visit (landing page)
- All subsequent pages they visit
- Visit duration by page
- Time of day visitor arrives
- Historical metrics on visits
Though Google analytics offers some of the basic information relating to the metrics above, a quality prospect identification mapping solution will do much better job of this. Data collection estimates vary depending upon the mapping database and type of companies or organizations targeted by agencies. Overall, it is estimated that up to 75% of the companies visiting an insurance agency website can be identified. That said, it is important to distinguish the company which visits, versus an individual from the identified company, that has visited the agency site. Though a quality prospect identification mapping technology will typically do a very good job identifying the company or organization visit, it does not identify the individual person who is visiting. In other words, it will not say the Mike Jones from Smith & Jones Widgets is visiting. It will say that Smith & Jones Widgets in Boston, MA is visiting your insurance website, and include all the metrics noted above.
The prospect identification mapping also offers excellent insight into website visitor behavior, content interest, blog efficacy, keywords used to find the site and other important clues about insurance agency web marketing. Granted, some of this information is available in Google analytics and other analytic packages. However, the prospect identification mapping solutions can successfully augment many website analytic solutions. This technology helps agents determine new prospects indicating interest in their agency, and if current prospects in their respective insurance pipelines have been visiting their website.
Some of these website prospect identification mapping solutions offer instant lead alerts. For example, «Smith & Jones Widgets from Boston, MA is on your website right now». They can also offer on demand reporting by day, week, month or year. Some include a dashboard for custom visitor identification reporting, including automated or scheduled reporting. As insurance agency websites become increasingly more integral to insurance agency marketing plans, agents should consider the addition of a prospect identification mapping solution to improve the insurance lead generation efficacy of their website.
Source by Alan Blume