Becoming a master communicator when it comes to email is essential for insurance agents aiming to create client relationships and help grow their businesses. When using effective email strategies, you’ll be able to connect with more prospects, keep your current clients happy, and increase your overall revenue. One of the greatest things about email is how powerful it is. All you have to do is type up your message, and with one click you can reach thousands of people. Unfortunately, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you may have a hard time getting people to respond or engage with you.
With that said, in order to properly harness the power of email, you need to understand the best practices and the things to avoid when using it as a communication or marketing tool. Luckily for you, we’ve compiled some guidelines, showcasing some of the ways to use email as an agent, and the top do’s and don’ts of this communication method. If you’re able to follow these rules, your emails will be more impactful, more engaging and will help to grow your brand into the future.
Types of Emails for Insurance Agents
Having a solid understanding of what you should and shouldn’t do when composing an email is important. But before we get to that, it’s a great idea to have a grasp of some of the most popular types of emails. When an insurance agent uses email, the main goal is to establish contact with interested individuals who could turn into potential clients. This could mean selling directly to individuals, where you introduce new products, discounts, special offers and more. You could also use it as a way to keep your subscribers up to date about your brand, so that you stay top of mind. To give you a better idea of how agent’s can use email on a daily basis, here are some of the most relevant types of emails:
Welcome Email
A welcome email will serve as your first point of contact with a new subscriber. Commonly used content in welcome emails include:
A message describing what they should expect from you going forward.
A message encouraging them to download your app (if you have one).
An invite to connect on another platform such as social media.
A discount code or special offer to welcome them.
No matter what you decide to include, make sure that you approach them with open-arms as they could eventually become a client. Additionally, you should always thank them for their time.
Content Emails
These are generally emails that you will send to people who are already subscribers. This content’s purpose is to connect consumers to your brand, so they’ll know what you’re all about. Some ideas include a light story or experience related to insurance, health tips, or any other interesting material. Though these emails may not automatically trigger a purchase, the consistency will keep you in subscribers’ minds.
New Product Updates
Product update emails give you a chance to entice users, by showing them what your new product can do for them. Really lean on your persuasive marketing copy for these emails and be sure to include:
The name and description of the product
The benefits
A form for interested consumers
Post-Purchase Email
Even after making a sale to someone, you still should consider staying in touch via email. Maintaining your relationship through email will encourage clients to renew with you or provide you with referrals. Within these messages, express your gratitude, provide contact information if they need any help, and if you have one, link a referral URL too!
Renewal Alerts
Whenever a client’s renewal date is coming up soon, you should send them an email reminder. You can even send a couple of these messages to make sure that they don’t forget. In these emails, include all of their policy information and the benefits of renewing. You could also add information about other products that you think they may find relevant.
The Do’s
Work to Build a Target List
Creating a targeted list of consumers should be on the top of the priority list for insurance agents. When building this list, try to focus on adding consumers who have already expressed interest in your services or who have opted in to your content. The list could include people such as current prospects, clients, or anyone else who engages with your content. By focusing on people who you have already gained insight, they will be more likely to engage with you and eventually convert into clients.
Make Your Emails Personal
A key to running a successful email campaign is to personalize your emails depending on the recipient . To help this process, try to segment your email list into similar groups. Some ways that you can segment include location, industry or preferences, so you’ll be able to include content that addresses each user’s individual needs. To try to form a connection more easily, it’s also a good idea to use people’s first names in the email salutation and to remember personal events like birthdays. Also pay attention to the tone that you decide to use. Depending on the type of email and the person at hand, your tones may differ. For example, if you’re just checking on someone, use a light-hearted tone. Whereas if you’re reaching out to a prospect, be conversational, but a little bit more reserved.
Use Compelling Subject Lines
You should always take the time to put together a subject line that is clear and concise but also grabs the attention of the recipient. Subject lines should make people think, become curious, or offer some value right off the bat. A good practice is to test and experiment with various strategies such as personalization, questions, or urgent messages to see what works best. A subject line is the first impression that a user will get, so make it count!
Create a Strong Call-to-Action
A strong call-to-action (CTA) will help guide consumers towards the desired action that you want them to take. When forming a CTA make sure that it is clear and straightforward in suggesting the path you want the user to go down. To aid in this, you can make your CTA into a URL or add a link, so that users will easily be able to take action.
Use Clear and Easy-to-Understand Language
Always avoid using insurance jargon or any hard to comprehend terminology. You want people to be able to easily identify the point you’re driving home, so make things simple and focus on clarity.
Remember to Optimize for Mobile
With so many people using smartphones and devices throughout their day, you must remember to use email templates that convert properly to mobile devices. No matter how large or small the screen they’re using is, the user experience should be seamless and should never feel cumbersome.
The Don’ts
Don’t Use Purchased Email Lists
In general, purchasing email lists from third-party vendors should be avoided. They can often lead to users who don’t wish to be on the list and feel as though they are receiving unsolicited information. Instead, focus on growing your own email list organically. An organic list will ensure you that the consumers being targeted are genuinely interested in your services, which leads to higher success rates.
Avoid Using Sales Pitches
While you do want to promote the services that you offer, it’s important to make sure that this isn’t the only focus of your emails. When agents lean on sales pitches in their emails too often, it feels like a pushy tactic to consumers. Instead, try to find a balance between offering your products and displaying other useful information such as resources or industry insights. By including helpful and relevant information, you will establish yourself as a trusted and credible advisor, and not just a greedy salesperson.
Don’t Make Emails Too Long
It’s important when crafting emails that you consider the recipient’s attention span and free time. To do this, try to make your emails concise, to the point and visually appealing, instead of long and drawn out. A good way to make an email easier on the eyes is to incorporate bullet points, or subheadings. Always remember — the quality and messaging of your content is far more important than the length.
Don’t Forget to Test and Make Changes
It’s always beneficial to get into the habit of testing your emails for errors and making sure that they display properly on different devices. Additionally, you should never forget to test different versions of emails against each other. By checking for accuracy, visual appearance, and utilizing A/B testing you’ll be able to effectively optimize and edit your emails to make them as well-rounded as possible.
Don’t Forget to Include an Unsubscribe Button
To comply with email marketing regulations, you must make sure to include an unsubscribe option. Additionally, having this in place will show consumers respect, allowing you to maintain an upstanding reputation.
Wrapping Up
By following the do’s and don’ts of agent email marketing, you will be able to create the most engaging, effective and concise email campaigns. In order to make sure your emails resonate with recipients, it’s crucial to start building a targeting list, include personalization, and utilize strong subject lines, call-to-actions, and clear wording. In turn, you’ll want to avoid making mistakes such as purchasing email lists, using sales pitch-like phrasing, making your copy too long, or forgetting to test emails for inaccuracies or display problems. With our list of common email types, you should also now have a solid understanding of what style of email you should use for common situations. An effective email has the power to reach thousands of potential clients, so what are you waiting for? Follow our strategic approach, nurture your relationships and you’ll be on your way to more clients and a successful business.
If you’re interested in boosting your sales and return on investment, you may want to consider using our insurance lead generation services. At Benepath we offer data leads and inbound phone calls all of which are exclusive and produced in real-time. We offer leads in a variety of different verticals including: individual health, group health, Medicare, life and commercial insurance. To see what our leads can do for you, or to learn more about the generation process, fill out a form or give us a call at 888-684-3121.
