24-05-2022 |
One of the biggest challenges for a life insurance agent is getting more customers. Traditionally, in the absence of digital modes of communication, agents relied on word of mouth. They sourced contacts offline, through friends, family, existing customers and so on. It was difficult, tiring and required physically visiting each prospective customer and repeating the same pitch.
With the advent of digitisation, there are newer, easier modes of customer acquisition. Life insurance agents can now rely on phone marketing, SMS marketing, WhatsApp marketing, social media marketing and email marketing tactics to source new clients.
In a job that thrives on customer acquisition for commissions, it is important to follow the right marketing tactics to target the correct group and practice ethical yet attractive methods of communication.
In today’s article, we will discuss some email marketing strategies and tactics for life insurance agents.
What is Email Marketing?
Email marketing involves sending a commercial message via email with the aim of pitching/advertising a product/service, sourcing business/clients, acquiring new customers, soliciting donations and so on. Generally, all the emails sent to prospective customers can be termed email marketing.
Life insurance agents can use email marketing to acquire new clients, advertise new products/services to existing and new clients, highlight USPs and awards of the insurance company and so on.
Let us look at some email tactics for life insurance agents.
Email Marketing Strategies and Tactics for Life Insurance Agents
Here are some tips for email marketing for life insurance agents:
Write an interesting subject line: The subject line should in just a few words highlight what the email is about. However, you need to ensure that the subject is interesting and attracts the attention of the reader. It should push the reader to open the email and read it. But make sure not to make the subject too spammy or insensitive.
For instance, if you are marketing one of the online life insurance plans from Tata AIA Life Insurance Company during the January to March tax-saving months, your subject line can read:
“Tax-Savings + Sampoorna Rakshakaran with Tata AIA Life Insurance Plans”
Add relevant images: A picture speaks a thousand words. So, one of the crucial email tactics is to add a descriptive email that helps carry the message better. You can even add an infographic to explain a new product/service or any processes. However, avoid adding a very big image that ends up blocking the relevant content.
Add a formal signature: You are sending this mail in a professional capacity. Make sure you create a professional signature with your full name, designation, name of your company and contact details. This gives a formal look to your email and also enhances its reliability. You can even add the official logo of your company to the signature.
Always interact with your readers: Readers might have queries about your email, some may respond to it with interest, and others may just mark it as spam. You need to interact with all the responses and ensure you give them satisfactory replies. You may lose a prospective customer if you take too long to reply. Always keep a 24-hour reply rule.
Do not forget the call to action: No marketing message is complete without a call to action. But do not market or promote too much. Your email should not sound like an advertisement, it should rather explain how it can add value to your readers’ lives and why they need the product/service. One or two CTAs are enough to put the message across and satisfy the objective of the mail.
Observe the seasonal trends: A lot of insurance companies offer discounts on premiums and other attractive benefits during popular festivals and holidays. Make a point to design and schedule emails during those days. You can find the data regarding when individuals look for life insurance. January to March is one of the best times as most people are looking for life insurance to save on taxes. You can concentrate most of your tax-saving emails during these 3 months.
Also, make a point to understand the email marketing trends for your industry. Know statistics related to the best day in the week to send the email, the best time in the day, how many times should you follow up and after how many days, how many emails should the existing customers get, etc. This will help you avoid unnecessary emails and ensure targeted marketing.
Use various tools and apps for designing and sending the mail: There are various tools and apps in the market that help you design attractive and catchy emails. Popular tools can help you with ideas for designing extremely creative and eye-catching emails.
You can also use tools for scheduling emails. Now, with the development of various applications, you do not have to sit at the laptop on a Sunday to send emails that day. You can schedule all your weekend emails on Friday itself before you log off for the week. Individual email applications allow scheduling. You can also use tools to not only schedule emails but also to send bulk emails.
Send the mail to an alternate test email address: Once you are done designing the best email to send, do not send it out immediately to the clients. Create an alternate email address to send test emails. Send the email to this alternate address. Check how the email looks - the formatting, text alignment, spelling, design elements, etc. Check for any errors. Once you are satisfied with all the details, send out the email to your client list.
Optimise the mail for mobile view: In today’s times, a majority of people use their mobile phones to access their emails. Generally, if you create an email on the desktop, the email application automatically optimises it for the mobile view. However, you need to confirm the same before sending.
As we talked about sending a test mail to an alternate device, ensure you check it both on a desktop as well as a mobile phone to ensure both the views are properly optimised and none of the important information is missing.
Send informative emails: Do not restrict yourself to just marketing and commercial emails. Clients appreciate an insurance agent that goes beyond simply selling a policy and offers advice. Send some emails explaining and simplifying certain processes at the company.
For instance, you can send an email explaining the renewal process for all life insurance types. In March, you can explain how they can claim a deduction for their life insurance premiums.
Conclusion
Email marketing offers an efficient, easy and effective platform to interact with prospective and existing clients. The above email marketing tactics will help you connect more with your existing clients and source more clients for your business.
L&C/Advt/2022/May/0999