Not Online? Not in Business

Face-to-face interactions have been immensely important to the insurance industry. Though seeing one another in person is irreplaceable, the digital age has transformed how we communicate, learn and buy, altering business as we know it.

Customers rely on finding information and making major purchases online, which is why every carrier and agency business model needs a digital strategy. Based on differing business goals, it’s likely your strategy will not mimic someone else’s. But there are certain things that every digital strategy should have. Here is a checklist we, both as carriers and independent agents, can keep in mind as we build a quality strategy for the digital age.

Be easy to find. According to the 2011 comScore Auto Survey, 80% of consumers do online research before buying, especially when it comes to major purchases such as insurance.

Our reliance on the Internet makes having an online presence a necessity, so findability should be incorporated into both your agency’s and a carrier’s strategy. If your website is hard (or impossible) to find through a simple Google search; if it is difficult to navigate; and if it doesn’t provide compelling, credible and differentiating content, that potential client will likely go elsewhere. Creating content that uses common search terms customers use will make your website easier to find online.

Independent agents have a choice when it comes to deciding on a carrier. Carriers with successful digital strategies give agents the tools they need to act as a portal to attract new ones to an agent’s local or regional business.

Carriers also benefit from providing independent agents with the digital tools they need to succeed. Strong digital strategies lead to increased customer satisfaction—and retention of customers and independent agents alike. Carriers should partner with their agents to engage with current and potential customers. This connects communications on all levels of the organization.

Be easy to use. Agency carriers must continue to enhance their digital environment to serve customers and to interact with them on the level they expect and at the pace they demand. Customers want e-service visits, and they want to pay bills, change policies and submit claims online. These transactions need to be easy.

Get personal. Reaching your customer online isn’t as easy as just creating a new, flashy website. In addition to usability, customers expect highly personalized care. A carrier’s digital strategies need to provide the same level of customized service clients expected before, but with digital components to further enhance engagement. Consumers want instant quoting capabilities, application pre-fill, interactive tools, online configurators, edutainment videos and price comparisons. Availability of these features plays a large role in their affinity for a particular carrier.

Be social, and be on time. Customers remember carriers and individual agents who make their online presence known through viral videos, Twitter, Facebookand regularly updated YouTube channels. Products will be easier to sell once a customer recognizes you, so it’s important for independent agents, as well as agency carriers, to consider how social media can help support the greater digital strategy. Having a social media presence will improve search rankings and make it easier for people to find you online.

Customers will also recognize you if you interact with them socially and in a timely manner. Customers expect quick responses, such as replies on Twitter or comments on Facebook. Apply the same etiquette you would use if you were talking with someone face-to-face. Avoid talking only about your offerings. Ask your customers questions. Provide advice and fun facts.

Go mobile. Products will also be easier to sell (and use) if they are smartphone-friendly. Mobile has become the new PC. The growing mobile generation demands always-there experiences. In fact, according to a MobiLens U.S. user study, 55% of all cell phone owners are engaged with the mobile Web.

With more than half of potential customers using the mobile Web, agency carrier websites should be optimized for use on a smartphone, allowing effective transactions with customers on their terms. Your customers buy life, car, motorcycle and boat insurance from you because they are always on the go. Their carrier should be accessible wherever life takes them too.

Get started. There are numerous tools to help connect with your customer wherever, whenever. Before you get overwhelmed, remind yourself of your greater business goals. Do you want to increase sales? Do you want to educate existing customers about a new tool or product? Then, identify how your customers get information and communicate online. Pick the tools that can act as a platform to share your message.