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What is a Video Hosting Platform and Which One Should I Use?

Posted on February 7, 2019June 12, 2019 by Mike Stromsoe

Get started with videos by selecting the right video hosting platform.

Is your agency thinking of delving into the world of video? In this digital era, it is wise to appeal to all forms of marketing, including using video. Many consumers want instant gratification – they want to hear about something before they read it. They don’t have time to read, so they watch a video instead. It’s safe to say that videos are on the rise. Now that you know you want to create this type of content, you need to pick a hosting platform. Here are a few comparisons below to help you.

YouTube

Most popular video hosting platform
Second largest search engine
Free to use
Best for videos geared towards “entertaining” audiences
Hard to draw viewers back to your website
Has their own branding and third-party advertising on your videos, which may cramp your style

Vimeo

Second largest video hosting platform
Four membership levels. Basic is free. Business is $50/month
Known as “the creative person’s video hosting platform”
Commonly used for music videos, documentaries, and other artistic elements videos
Requires strong and stable internet connection, which some viewers may not have

Wistia

Hosting platform specifically designed for marketing professionals to get viewers back to their website
Three tiers of service. Basic is free, professional is $100/month, premium starts at $300/month
Claims to be the video hosting platform
Offers in-depth analytics for the publisher
Works with the most popular marketing automation software, such as HubSpot, Marketo, and Pardot

To learn more about how to be successful in your business, contact Mike Stromsoe’s Unstoppable Profit Producer Program. We can offer guidance, helping you perfect your professional posture. We also offer a premier wealth creation program that helps you to work less, earn more, and enjoy life.

Insurance Marketing Tools to Be More Effective Every Day

Posted on January 31, 2019June 12, 2019 by Mike Stromsoe

Make the most of your marketing tools with these tips.

Marketing is an essential piece of the puzzle for any business. From prospecting, lead generation, and branding, marketing is well worth investing some time and money into. To help your insurance agency make the most of marketing tools, take a look at these tips.

Use a social media scheduler. Social media plays a key role in building strong client relationships. A professional but personal social media page can draw in prospects and connect you to clients long after a sale has closed. Posting daily to multiple platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can be time-consuming. Use a social media scheduler such as Hootsuite, Buffer, or Smarterqueue to optimize posts for client engagement, save time, and increase efficiency.

Opt for automated email marketing. Email marketing continues to be one of the most cost-effective and efficient ways of reaching prospects and customers. Making your emails consistent, relevant, and engaging can be difficult when you are busy managing the rest of your business. Improve your email efforts by investing in a platform that automates your email marketing. For example, auto-responders are ideal for sending follow-ups, birthday or holiday greetings, and renewal reminders.

Get on Google Analytics. Google Analytics may not technically be a marketing tool, but it is important to consider if you want to improve your marketing efforts. This platform allows you to track engagement, clicks, conversions, and more so that you can determine what’s working and what needs to be improved.

Top Ways to Make Better Marketing Goals for Your Agency

Posted on January 24, 2019June 12, 2019 by Mike Stromsoe

Marketing goals for insurance agencies.

Goals are tasks that need to be accomplished, and they come in all shapes and sizes. When running your agency, you might live off daily, monthly, and annual goals. To help, we’ve rounded up a few marketing goals that your agency should concentrate on this year.

Set up a marketing strategy that focuses on your goals.

Quite simply: goals + marketing strategy = win. Say you want to boost the rate of retention in your agency. This is a goal, but this goal needs a direct strategy on how you are going to achieve it. In this case, you would need to identify the steps you would take in order to achieve the desired retention rate. Collect email addresses, set a goal that is higher than your current rate, and send out monthly emails. Call clients when it comes time for renewals. Work on a plan that will limit the amount of cancellations. Your goals should not appear vague or ambiguous.

Track it.

Once you set all those goals and a have marketing strategy that is designed to help, be sure to track your progress. As with anything in life, you can see your success by reflecting on where you were last week, last month, last year. It’s easy to lose track of all of the progress, which is why it’s important to write down the progress of your goals.

Be accountable.

Hold yourself and your team accountable for the marketing goals that you are implementing. Offer incentives for your team members so they stay motivated to progress. Just as you motivate your team, let your team motivate you.

These tips can help your agency make the most of your marketing. To learn more about how to be successful in your business, contact Mike Stromsoe’s Unstoppable Profit Producer Program. We can offer guidance, helping you perfect your professional posture. We also offer a premier wealth creation program that helps you to work less, earn more, and enjoy life.

How to Deal with Fake Google Reviews

Posted on January 10, 2019June 12, 2019 by Mike Stromsoe

How to handle getting false Google reviews.

Every business understands how important reviews are for their livelihood. One review can make or break your business. But what happens when you get false Google reviews that hinder your business’s appearance online? Luckily, there are solutions.

Don’t respond with emotions. However untrue or nasty the review is, don’t respond when your emotions are taking over. If a prospective customer sees your angry response to a review, they could instantly see you as unprofessional and guilty. If your first impulse is to send an angry response, sleep on it. You may feel calmer in 24 hours to deal with it.

Remove the review. Fake reviews are particularly frustrating. They can be easily spotted due to a suspicious username and profile picture, which also may be blank. The best thing to do is to take down the review by contacting Google My Business. Be warned that the team from Google My Business may not accept your case. If you fail the first time, try again later on.

Respond. If you cannot remove the review, responding to it is your next best option. Keep your response objective and to the point. You may say that you have no record or recollection of any customer fitting this account and that you cannot verify anything about their online identity to a name in your records. Make sure to mention that if they were a client, you would like to investigate why they have left a poor review and ask them to contact you privately.

If you do receive a negative review that you think wasn’t deserved, be sure to ask for more reviews from current clients. Ask them for feedback so that you get an influx of positive feedback that will tip the scales in your favor.

How to Create an Energized Workforce

Posted on December 27, 2018June 12, 2019 by Mike Stromsoe

Boost employee morale with these tips.

In the world of insurance, agents are always connected and always working. The biggest problem with this is that it leads to workers being tired and disengaged. Worse, workers suffer greater tension and make more judgment errors. Of course, everyone needs sufficient downtime and rest in order to do well and succeed. While that is out of your hands as a business owner, there are ways in which you can inspire an energized workforce. Since happy and engaged employees lead to improved customer retention and satisfaction, check out these tips to boost employee morale.

Encourage frequent, short breaks for workers to get up, stretch, and get some fresh air. Movement will help to ‘wake them up’ and inspire new momentum.
Help team members find possibilities rather than dwelling on problems.
Empower workers to help others on their team.
Maintain an honest, open, and encouraging flow of communication.
Help employees connect to their purpose. They often want more than just a paycheck.
Recognize team members that go the extra mile for a fellow co-worker or client.
Host a friendly competition where the person who makes the most sales gets a prize at the end of the month.
Talk with a benefits specialist about ways in which you can create affordable and engaging benefits such as a flexible work schedule, travel opportunities, and giving people their birthdays off as an extra paid holiday.

The Secret Psychology of Why People Buy Insurance

Posted on December 20, 2018June 12, 2019 by Mike Stromsoe

Understand these reasons why people buy insurance to boost your customer value.

Even though you’re an insurance agent, you may have never really taken a step back to wonder why people buy insurance. State law requires some insurance, and most individuals express a want to protect their assets, but what about the psychology behind it? A crystal clear understanding of this can quickly take your agency to the next level, especially now that we’re in the age where targeting the audience has become a fine art.

Research was conducted into why exactly people buy insurance. It turns out that two separate ‘psycho-motivators’ drive the insurance decision – price and peace of mind. Convenience came third. More often than not, consumers have to decide between a policy within their budget and a policy that provides ample protection and peace of mind.

Success hinges on selecting the right customer segments, offering them a tailored proposition, then giving them a successful experience with superior service. Remember that consumers are driven by price and peace of mind, and you will want to address these two points when talking with a prospect. Ideally, all customers would care about protection and be driven by peace of mind. They would want to have a relationship with the agency they can count on. After all, the most profitable customers you could ever have want a real relationship, not just a transaction.

Loyal clients are more inclined to stay longer. They are dedicated to an agency and like to develop a relationship. In fact, research found that loyal customers are likely to refer a friend, too. This ties in with the ‘peace of mind’ reason for buying insurance – if customers feel satisfied with the service and product that protects their assets, they are more inclined to share this information with friends and family.

You can help capture more clients by delivering ongoing value and creating deeper relationships.

Top Tips on How to Earn More Referrals

Posted on December 13, 2018June 12, 2019 by Mike Stromsoe

Easy ways to ask for referrals to progress your agency.

It’s a common feeling for business owners to feel like they’re bothering clients when they ask for a referral. More often than not, customers will happily leave a nice review if they feel they’ve had particularly good service. However, it isn’t always high on their list of things to do. So that your business can get the referrals it needs and deserves, check out these tips to earn more referrals.

Think differently about referrals. Stop telling yourself that you’re asking for referrals. Instead, think of it as progressing your business and caring about customers. In fact, you could be saving your clients’ friends thousands of dollars. Changing your mindset towards referrals will help you to ask for them!

Make a referral reward program. Create an easy-to-follow procedure on how customers benefit from referring your business. If your customers know exactly what to expect when they refer someone, they are more likely to do it.

Add a recommend-a-friend section on your website. This strategy continues to be effective time and time again. Have a page or box somewhere on your website that allows people to send an email to a friend recommending your agency.

Include it in your email signature. Your email signature is a block of text that automatically shows up at the bottom of your emails. Most businesses have their name, contact information, and maybe a link to their website. This place is a great opportunity to request a referral because it’s not a direct email asking a client, but it does allow the reader to quickly forward on your contact information to friends and family.

Hand out two business cards. When you hand out your cards, give everyone two and ask them to hand out the second one. Mention that the second card is for a friend or family member.

Thank referrers on your Facebook page. When you receive customer referrals, go to your social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and thank the people who have provided referrals out in the open for everyone to see. Not only does this show the referrer how much you appreciate their gesture, which should get you more referrals from them, but it shows everyone else how you appreciate referrals, encouraging others to leave you one!

How to Increase Your Book of Business Using Existing Clients

Posted on December 6, 2018June 12, 2019 by Mike Stromsoe

Tips on how to boost your sales without taking on new clients.

Did you know that one of the best ways to increase the size of your book quickly is by tapping into your existing base of customers? Believe it or not, but there’s always more business to be had with your current client list. Here’s how to get started.

Start by doing a review of coverage with each client. This ties in perfectly to the end of the year review, and many will be thinking about going over their coverage to make sure it is in line with their current needs. Sit down with them and ask the right questions to elicit and uncover coverage gaps that you can offer to fill. What’s more, you can also talk about the benefits of raising their policy limits or tacking on additional policies for better protection. Use this opportunity to boost customer loyalty by showing how dedicated and considerate you as an agency can be.

You’ll want to start with your top premium clients and then work your way down. Introduce the idea of a personal line to commercial-online accounts, and ascertain if your personal line clients have businesses you could potentially write for them.

This is a simple and easy way to increase revenue without taking on new clients. Not only does this increase revenue and loyalty, but it makes clients less likely to move their business elsewhere. After all, they know that you are looking out for them!

The Danger of Under-Communicating with Your Insurance Customers

Posted on November 29, 2018June 12, 2019 by Mike Stromsoe

Why communicating with your customers is vital to your success.

Most insurance agencies want to believe that their clients are loyal and love the service they get. While you may provide quality service and policies, it’s likely that not all of your customers are as loyal as you think. What would happen if they got a better offer from another insurance agency? Or a flyer came their way advertising an insurance service your agency is missing? Agencies can’t rely on all clients being loyal. That is why communication is so important. You want to show clients that they are more than just a number by regularly keeping in contact. If they buy a policy from you and never hear back, they will feel like they’ve wasted money.

It’s said that most of us (around 98 percent) check our email at least once a day. This means that you have ample opportunity to send them an email (although, do not send one every day!) to let them know you still value their service. Whether you update them on office news, useful tips, or remind them of insurance reviews, it’s a good idea to communicate with your clients through email.

Quite simply, under-communicating with clients can make them feel as if they aren’t getting any benefit from working with your agency. This can then lead to them looking elsewhere for their insurance needs where they know they will work with an agent who keeps them in mind.

We’re not saying you should bombard your clients with emails, texts, and social media ads, but keep in mind that keeping in touch can lead to more clients renewing. In addition, regularly checking in gives them an opportunity to voice concerns or ask questions they have about coverage.

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