When it comes to online insurance lead generation, there are plenty of tactics that can end up wasting time and money. But these 7 methods can help you build a strong online presence and produce a high return on investment.

In this day and age, you just can’t generate high-quality leads for your insurance agency without having a strong online presence. Bringing in leads is no longer about mailing out postcards, having a listing in the yellow pages, and doing cold calls. Those are now the methods that yield the lowest return on investment.

But you already knew that…

Here’s a question for you: Where do people go when they want to find a solution to a problem?

That’s right—the internet. And if your agency isn’t showing up online in a big way, they’ll never find you.

When you have a strong online presence, online insurance lead generation is much, much easier. But besides that, it allows you to…

• Make more money
• Build relationships with your leads
• Get a competitive advantage
• Access more sales opportunities
• Guide your leads to take certain actions

The key is to take the right approach and be where potential new policyholders are…

7 Effective Methods of Online Insurance Lead Generation

The number of online insurance lead generation methods you can choose from is overwhelming. But which ones will give you the biggest bang for your buck?

Truthfully, it’s the ones that fit your business, your market, and your prospective clients the best. That’s why we always recommend developing your marketing strategy first and then using it to determine which tactics to apply. Taking this approach yields much better results in the long run.

That said, the following mix of tactics and best practices can go a long way toward bringing in leads. So, it’s worth looking through them to see where there are gaps you can fill.

1) Offer Valuable Gated Content

First and foremost, you need to be building an email list. Your list is the only lead generation source that you can actually take ownership of.

Leads on Facebook, YouTube, and similar platforms aren’t actually yours. You have no control over who really sees your stuff, and they can take those leads away from you at any time.

An email list is your biggest asset in the digital marketing world. It’s your way to speak directly to your leads.

But online insurance lead generation only happens through email if you have a legitimate way to get people on your list. And the way you do that is to offer something they want and are willing to give you their email address to get.

Some examples include:

• Reports
• E-books
• Courses
• Webinars
• VIP exclusive events

But make no mistake—people are inundated with content these days. That’s why you MUST offer something unique and extremely valuable to grab their attention.

2) Host Educational Webinars

Hosting educational webinars is a great choice because you’re allowing people to get the information they’re looking for in a more personal way than, say, an online article, but they can still access it conveniently from wherever they are.

In fact, recent studies showed that 20%-40% of webinar attendees become qualified leads.

When they sign up for the webinar, they get added to your email list so that you can stay in touch with them in the future. And if you do the webinar right, they’ll be excited to receive more information from you.

3) Develop Interactive Quizzes & Tools

As mentioned above, one of the biggest online insurance lead generation obstacles to overcome is the fact that there is almost too much information available as a result of the internet.

So, how do you get around that?

You give potential clients something fun, interactive, and personalized. You can do that with interactive quizzes, widgets, and tools.

With so much information at their fingertips, people are often seeking solutions that will allow them to access their own answers. Interactive quizzes, widgets, and tools help them do just that.

Here are some examples of what we’re talking about:

• Insurance Quote Generator – Allows people to get a quote online without having to talk to a sales rep
• Coverage Calculator – Lets them see how much insurance coverage they would need
• Solution-Based Quizzes – Help them determine what type of insurance would work best for them

With this type of lead generation, it is very easy to segment your leads into different lists and direct them to different solutions based on the results they receive. BOOM! That’s a massive win that can produce amazing conversion rates.

4) Implement a Solid Content Marketing Strategy

Content marketing isn’t really a choice anymore. If you don’t put out consistent, quality content, it’s nearly impossible to get traffic to your site and demonstrate your authority in the market.

To improve online insurance lead generation, you need to bring in traffic to your site, and that is best done by creating content that answers the questions your potential leads are typing into Google.

Plus, content marketing generates conversion rates that are 600% higher. Although it’s a lot of work, it has an extremely high ROI.

Whether your content consists of articles, videos, infographics, or a combination, don’t just produce whatever you think is interesting or valuable. Do keyword research and develop a strategy that tackles those keywords.

With all the answers people can find at their fingertips, will your article or video be what comes up when they do their search? You have to be the resource they’re looking for by providing content that answers their questions. (And to ensure the best results, you may want to take a two-tiered approach…)

5) Build Out Review Site Listings & Referral Programs

Although things like postcards and cold calls are low in terms of return on investment, word-of-mouth marketing will never go out of style. There is nothing better than getting referrals from clients who love your company.

So, develop a referral program that entices your happy clients to send their friends and loved ones your way.Offer rewards for referrals that turn into customers and always be asking for referrals through email, on your website, and in any opportunity that presents itself.

In addition to a referral program, reputable review sites like Yelp, Google My Business, Thumbtack, Facebook, and Nextdoor provide a third-party take on your company. Savvy consumers look for this type of thing because it provides a whole new level of credibility.

Request that your clients give you reviews and make it easy for them to do so. Send them an email with links to the different sites where they can provide reviews. Make a consistent effort to get more and more reviews and you’ll notice more and more leads coming from those sources.

6) Optimize Your Website

Your website has the potential to be one of the best methods of online insurance lead generation you have—as long as people are actually visiting. Once you get the traffic there, you must ensure you can collect those leads.

Is every website effective when it comes to lead generation? Unfortunately, no…

So, make sure your website is set up so that your leads take the next step. Double-check that you have the following:

• Phone number clearly visible on every page
• Mobile-friendly design
• “Request a quote” form
• A credible, lead-generating About page
• Easy navigation and great user experience

7) Utilize Chatbot Technology

If you haven’t integrated chatbot technology into your website, you should consider it now. It’s one of the easiest steps you can take to increase your online insurance lead generation.

You’ll be able to answer basic questions without having to have dedicated sales reps to do it, cutting operation costs by up to 30%. You can also begin the conversation by answering a common question before your website visitors even ask or by providing a valuable resource.

Chatbots have been shown to build trust and increase conversion rates by 300% more than email. It’s one of the best ways to turn website visitors into leads, and the technology is readily available and easy to customize for your business.

The Takeaway

There’s no question that online insurance lead generation can be a tough task. However, the 7 methods listed above can be incredibly effective when it comes to bringing in more leads to your agency. That is, of course, as long as they fit into your overall marketing strategy…

Not to sound like a broken record, but your strategy should always be developed first and then used to determine your tactics.

When you’re confident you’ve got the appropriate tactics to execute your strategy and bring in leads, then you can get to work nurturing those leads so they become loyal clients.