When you visit as many insurance websites as Insurance Business America reporters do, you quickly understand that some are far better and far more useful than others.
By definition, the majority of them are average, offering the basics of who and what, but little more. Blogs are often poorly written, off-point and lacking in even basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies.
Insurance Technologies Corporation, which creates websites and other marketing programs for insurance clients, also offers all kinds of free advice that every insurance agent and brokerage would be well advised to take advantage of, including a recent blog: “6 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid on Your Insurance Website.”
The first mistake mentioned in the blog is that people post blogs that are lacking in visual interest, being nothing but a cut and paste from a text file. Just like with print magazines, readers want to see attractive pages, with pull quotes, art, subheads and links.
From the blog: “We’re taught in school to write in long paragraphs, but that rule no longer applies!” Another problem with the writing people learn in school, including college is that every assignment has to be “at least XXX words” or “XX pages”. In marketing, and especially on the internet, less is usually more. If you have a blog post that goes on and on, either cut it down to size or break it into installments, and publish 300-400 words a week.
The ITC blog also says insurance businesses need to make sure their blog posts are relevant. That seems obvious, but a lot of them aren’t. ITC sells marketing solutions to insurance agencies, for instance, and their blogs tend to be centered on the subject of how insurance businesses can do a better job of marketing themselves. As with good blogs everywhere, the ITC blog makes the point that ITC is an expert in its field simply by providing material that demonstrates expertise, not by overtly trying to sell a product.
“These days the customer journey is not a straight line,” said Becky Schroeder, marketing director at ITC. “By the time a customer calls for a quote, she has likely done a lot of research on her own. Part of that research includes reading blogs and articles. She’s trying to determine if you are someone with expertise and knowledge that can help solve her problems. This is why it is so important to write blogs that are informative, helpful and relevant.
“We blog a lot on GetITC.com. Rarely will you see us promote a product or service. Our goal with blogging is to help agents, whether they’re our customers or not, get better at marketing their agencies. Our goal is not to generate leads from a blog post. If it happens, and it has, it’s a bonus. Blogging is a long game. You don’t do it expecting 10 leads the day after you publish your first post. The more you do it, the more traffic you get, and eventually you will start to see leads come from it.”
Insurance websites need to take the same approach to be effective. Blogs need to position your business as the expert in your area. Done well, such a blog will drive traffic to your website and give readers a reason to think about becoming buyers.
