You’ve probably heard one or several at some point and were not completely sure of their meaning. I’ll go through each of them to illustrate what they are and how they can help your content marketing strategy.

Here’s the list:

• Blog
• CMS
• Conversion
• CTA
• Landing Page
• SEO/SEM

Keep reading below to learn more about each of these terms.

Blog

Blog stands for “Web Log”. It’s used as a  “news” website with articles of niche-related content.

There’s no written rule as to how frequently it should be updated but the more often, the better. A few times a week is a good start.

A Blog is used to keep visitors informed of current events and updates from your field. It helps to position the website as an authority on your niche. It can also help with the SEO efforts (look for that term below).

The more content you publish, the more possibilities you have for people to come across you when searching for related queries. For example: you can take advantage of current events in the news to share advise that is relevant to your target audience.

Another practical example: a search engine won’t list your site in the result pages for terms that you’ve never published on your site/blog.

CMS

Stands for “Content Management System”. In our web context, it’s used to describe a system that serves as a medium to update add and content in a website without the need to manipulate code (such as HTML).

With Empowerkit, you can take advantage of Content Mode, a built-in CMS that allows you to post content without having to worry about codes or technical details.

Conversion

A successful conversion happens when a visitor of your site takes a specific action, persuaded by your marketing assets. This action is generally the actual goal of the site.

It’s tied to the term described below: CTA. Keep reading to see common examples of actions that visitors are often prompted to do.

A derived term from this is “Conversion Rate”. You can obtain your conversion rate by dividing the number of visitors converted by the total number of visitors.

CTA

Stands for “Call to Action”. It’s a marketing message that invites visitors to do something specific.

These “specific actions”, as stated above, are the actual goal of the website.

For example, these can be:

• buy a product
• subscribe to a newsletter
• download a file
• call a number

Landing Page

A landing page is any specific web page used as an entering point for visitors to a website. It’s not necessarily the homepage, as people may “land” there directed from search results or ads, which target an inner section of the site.

Landing pages, for example, are usually set by website owners to target specific terms that people may be searching online. Those terms are keywords of your site.

The landing page of your main keywords may be your homepage, but then you may have other “long tail” keywords for which you’re trying to get your site ranking high on a search engine (see SEO/SEM). You can set a landing page for those.

For example: your site’s main keywords may be “life insurance Chicago”, so your site’s content will be set around this. But then you could have potential customers searching for “casualty insurance in Naperville” (a city close to Chicago). If you offer these services within the proximity of your main area of coverage, you’ll probably want’ to set a landing page to target these potential visitors.

SEO/SEM

SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization”, while SEM for “Search Engine Marketing”.

Though they are technically different, sometimes are used interchangeably. This is because their implications and goals are very similar.

Both disciplines basically encompass a series of techniques used to get a website to “rank” (be positioned) higher on a search engine. This means, for a given search for a set of keywords (or terms), SEO strives to get a site listed among the first results (if possible: the first one).

The difference lies in that SEO is a component of SEM. The overall marketing strategy being the larger picture, and SEO a part of it. Perhaps the biggest and most important part, but still a subset. The other part of SEM is basically paid advertising.

We can list a few of the specific techniques of SEO that you can start using right away (diving into the SEO world is beyond the scope of this post) :

• find the general keywords for which you want your site to rank (usually: name of your company, trade, city or cities of influence)
• create structured content that uses these keywords (organize all your content into logical sections and the more you describe your products/services, the better)
• build links from within your own site to other sections (tie your articles together with relevant references)
• build links from external sites, with for example, guest posting (write a guest article for a third party with a link back to your site)

Get Empowerkit

All these are helpful assets to a marketing strategy, specifically a content one. You can take advantage of all of them with Empowerkit (and some third parties, such as Google Analytics for A/B testing).

The post Content Marketing Terminology appeared first on Empowerkit.

Target an Audience

This is a pretty basic one but people forget it from time to time. If you have not identified a target market, you should!  Just as you have a certain group of people that you target when selling insurance, you need to be specific about who you’re writing to as well. The more specific you get, the better you can focus your efforts.

Once a target is set, you must talk to that market in your articles. This is important, because you address people differently according to whom you are speaking to. For example, you will want to set a tone for speaking to engineers who work in large international corporations, and another for grammar school teachers. It also has to do with the kind of insurance you are selling. For example: selling premium life insurance is different from economic auto insurance. You will want to set a different tone for each product.

Hook Them In

People read selectively online. Actually, according to a study by Jakob Nielsen (the “king of usability”), people do not read online; but rather scan web pages. This means we do not go word by word, but look for things that stand out and grab our attention. So in order to catch their eye, points must be made clear quickly. Thus creating an interesting title, an “attention grabber”, is fundamental. The first paragraph is also important, it should summarize what the article is about and if possible, why is it relevant to the reader. Images, infographics and videos may also help visitors stay and go through your posts for a longer time.

Use Scannable Assets

Derived from the same study from Nielsen (linked above), using text assets that ease the reading is also good for your posts. You should be already familiar with them, since they are used everywhere around the web, some of them include:

• headings/subheadings
• lists
• formatting (bolding/italics/etc.)

These assets make it easier to scan through an article. They are all useful and important but the ones that stand out the most are the headings. They should briefly summarize what the next few paragraphs are about. A few words that contain the essence of the idea being developed next. This way, readers will know what your post is about and will be able to decide if they want to read the whole thing or not.

Use RSS

The acronym RSS stands for Rich Site Summary, but is most popularly known as Really Simple Syndication. It’s a technology that allows the articles you publish, to be “syndicated”. Syndication consists in making a feed of updates (this feed being the posts you write on your Blog) available for indexing by a host of devices, software and websites. For example, if you make an RSS feed available for your posts, any one can subscribe to it with different tools like Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, Feedly, and a lot more. This way, similar to the way that emails work, every time you publish an article people subscribed to your list will automatically receive an update.

Remember SEO

In your Blog, you should be speaking to a specific audience, conveying a helpful message with valuable information. That is the priority. Yet you should also remember that you are building on the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. SEO is all about being the first results for a specific query on search engines (such as Google). For example, if someone searches for a trending topic or something that you write about, you will want to be among the first results. Obviously, this will grant traffic to your Blog, where you and the products you offer will gain exposure. Here’s some advise on how to keep SEO in mind while writing about your topics:

• Use the general keywords on your posts for which you want your site to rank (usually: name of your company, trade, city or cities of influence).
• Use the specific keywords for a given topic on a specific article (for example, if you are shedding insight on recent events such as the implications of the gun regulations on life insurance, make sure to use those: “gun, regulation, law, life, insurance”, etc. on that specific article).
• Build links across your articles (referencing the existing ones from new ones you publish and updating old ones to point to new posts).
• Create references (links) from external sites. This tactic may require a few different approaches. For example: contacting the webmasters of other sites to request guest posting, or  a plain link back on their “resources” section, participating on forums and other blogs, etc.

Get There with Empowerkit

If you are serious about Content Marketing, take advantage of our platform and start building your Blog with Empowerkit today! Let potential customers find you and come to you instead of you going after them!

Have questions or comments? Let us know!

The post Blogging Tips for Insurance Agents pt. 2 appeared first on Empowerkit.

If you’re an insurance agent that already has a Blog, or are about to start one, this article will be of your interest. It’s the this first out of two articles that will give you some general advice on how to put your Blog to good use so you can take advantage of all the perks that come with it.

So, without further ado, here are some things to think about when blogging!

Post Frequently

A Blog with constant updates will encourage people to come back often to find out news. Plus, it will let know the search engine that you mean business!

That’s Obvious

This may seem like an obvious statement but it’s common that after the few initial days of excitement, people feels unmotivated to continue and eventually abandon their content marketing strategy.

You must remember at all times that, even though it may feel like a leisure activity, it’s a marketing strategy that aims to generate leads. Keep that in mind and set goals to publish as often as possible.

How often?

Good question. There is no written rule as to a fixed amount of articles required in a specific period of time. There are websites that are powered by a dedicated team of editors and writers, and produce several posts per day. Others have less than one per month. It also depends on their niche.

For starters, you can begin publishing 3-4 articles per week. It’s a very achievable goal, specially if you keep them short. Check out this posts on how to create an editorial calendar so you can start managing your content!

How long should a post be?

That’s also hard to determine, but about 600 words or less, can be described as a short post.

Of course there can be shorter posts, and larger ones too. Again, this is not written in stone. A post should be “as long as it has to”. It’s ambiguous, but true.

Note that if an article is coming out very largely, you can split them into two or more (like with this blog tips series). Then you’ll have instant inspiration for the following posts.

Also remember that you shouldn’t write just about anything, which leads me to the next point.

Relevancy

Posting just for the sake of it, or just because you have some goals set, is not good. Content should offer valuable information to the reader so they are engaged and want to come back to you. This means that they should be of the interest of your target audience. You must think, research, and come up with relevant, quality material.

For example, you can get inspiration from the news, global events, trends, etc. The kind of news that will let people think about their current (lack of) insurance. Find opportunities to share your knowledge and explain the benefits of getting the insurance(s) you work with.

Also, you can search for an interesting topic that has not been covered thoroughly, or locally, or that you can give more insight, or that is otherwise relevant to the type of people you’re trying to attract.

Inspiration can be tricky, be sure to check out these posts for content ideas for life, p&c and health insurance.

Encourage Interaction

Once you begin publishing articles, try leaving some channels open for engaging with your audience.

Invite readers to interact, leave messages and encourage them to take action. The most illustrative example: enable a commenting system on your posts. Let them share a thought, ask a question, or answer to somebody else.

Offering means of contact, such as email or phone numbers is also basic. If your audience is so engaged that they start commenting, you know you’re in the right track!

Integrate Social Media

Social media is not an enemy of the Blog. It’s a perfect complement.

Use your networks to let people know about your Blog and your newest posts. And let them promote it for you!

A good part of what makes a post go viral (shared widely, by a lot of people), is to have connections and people that knows and trust you on your network.

Beefing up your friend/followers list is not an easy nor a fast project. Specially if people think of you as a door-to-door sales man. But remember that a Blog helps build your name as an expert who can offer solutions for people’s insurance needs.

The other part (to creating viral articles) is making quality content. See “Relevancy” above.

Also having links to your social media profiles on your Blog is a good idea.

Join the Community

You want to people start noticing your Blog but you are just starting, have no ranking in Google and no visits?

You should join the community and participate on specialized forums, leave comments on other Blogs, link to them and even ask them directly to feature your Blog and/or posts too.

Don’t be afraid to contact a publisher via their website’s contact form and ask kindly to quote you, or leave a link on their “Sites of Interest” section. Not all of them will even answer, but you’ll be surprised as to how many are willing to help out.

Remember that this will only be good for you and your Blog’s ranking and popularity if you do this in your niche. This may seem obvious but, look for contacts that are relevant to your business: if you are an insurance agent, don’t try participating on a design consultancy context.

Empowerkit is Here for You

Take advantage of Empowerkit today to support your Blogging efforts.

Look for the next part of this two-post series in the coming days!

Have any questions or comments? Let us know!

The post Blogging Tips for Insurance Agents pt. 1 appeared first on Empowerkit.

Nonetheless, it’s easy to see why they do it: it’s popular and they think that it requires less effort than having a site. But is it as effective?

According to a study held by online business community, Manta, even though small businesses are increasing their time working on those platforms, most of them aren’t seeing the results they have hoped for.

And a lot of this has to do with wrong expectations. They may think that social media is the answer to all their marketing prayers and that it could work as a replacement for a solid website. But this is where they get it wrong: social media shouldn’t be a standalone strategy and here’s why:

Why a Social Media Strategy is not Enough

You need a content hub

As I’ve stated before, content is the way to go. It’s the fuel that keeps your online marketing strategy running. The reason it’s so important is because it adds to your SEO efforts and it gives value to your readers. This way, when users are searching for something related to your business, you appear first in the search pages and you retain their attention with quality information.

Social media alone lacks in this department: 140 characters won’t do when you’re trying to engage visitors with content. You need a place to redirect your visitors so they can learn more about you and engage with your business. A site represents this opportunity for you! Don’t drop the ball and make sure your social media strategy redirects those eager to learn more about insurance from you to your content hub!

You’re losing control

Design speaks a lot about your business. From colors to typography and placement, you are expressing who you are! Social media gives you a predefined profile where you can add images and your information, but it doesn’t really portray what you’re about correctly. This means that you aren’t in control of the message being sent to your visitors. This is incredibly important because a first impression is difficult to recover from. On the other hand, if they happen to come across your social media page and then are redirected to your site, they’ll get a better sense of the way you do business!

A site can portray a more trustworthy business

Tied up to the point above comes the trust a site represents. A Facebook fan page is easy to put up, specially since you don’t need to think too much about the details. It’s for this same reason that people trust a site more (as long as it’s updated and well designed): it takes time and commitment. This can say a lot about who you are as an insurance agent. You’re put out there as someone who takes care of and value the clients’ time, interests and concerns.

You don’t have the same possibilities of capturing leads

A site’s main purpose is to get visitors to convert or become leads. Everything is made so that this purpose is fulfilled: clear and visible CTAs, content that will give your visitors a sense of who you are, prominent contact information, among other things. Social media is about a lot of things but capturing leads isn’t one of their strong suits. Sure, you’ll be able to include your phone number there, but your main CTA will be missing from your profile. Which means visitors coming in are often not becoming leads.

More over, social media can be very distracting: one second people are looking through your page and the other, they get a new notification or start to chat with others and they lose interest in your profile. Plus, ads are constantly coming up and one of them may be from one of your competitors! Now, who would want their competitor’s face appear when they’re trying to close a deal? To sum it up, you need a platform where all the efforts are focused into capturing leads!

SEO may suffer

One of the main reasons you have a site is to gain visibility online. A stand-alone social media strategy may be hurting your chances of ranking in the search pages. As you know, social media is great for getting exposure but some of the main elements to consider in SEO are missing. For example, with every page in your site, you have a possibility to rank for a different set of keywords, making your chances of getting found greater. In social media you are somewhat limited in this aspect. At the same time, one of the opportunities that you have when working on SEO is the chance to grow and learn from your visitors’ data. Through Analytics you can track what is working and what isn’t in your site so you can use this information in your favor and improve your online marketing strategy! Though some social media does have some limited access to this information, you may be missing out on the possibility to better your site’s potential!

Marrying Social Media with Your Main Site

Now, of course you should use social media! They are a great platform to gain more exposure, be constantly in your clients’ minds and get feedback from them. You can open communication channels through your profiles and create a community around your business. But remember that social media is the backup that supports your main strategy: your site. Still, a question may arise: how will you merge the two of them together?

You not only need to have both elements in your marketing strategy, but they also need to be integrated. It’s common to see social media icons where you can click to be redirected to or share a particular site. In Empowerkit, you can add social media buttons and feeds to your site so visitors can “like” your business or even read recent posts directly from your site.

On the other hand, social media can work as a way to drive traffic into your site (and even filter those who are interested enough to visit your site). By sharing links to blog posts or inviting people to visit your site, you’re allowing a direct connection between both platforms. In other words, social media can be the hook that leads your client into your main site.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that you should have both elements in your marketing strategy: social media presence and your main site. After all, it’s all about getting noticed out there and joining the conversation regardless of the platform. Remember that social media may be easy but, if you’re just working on facebook profiles, your business and overall messaging may be suffering. Take advantage of both opportunities and grow your business in the world wide web!

If you have more questions about this post or Empowerkit, feel free to ask!

The post Why An Online Marketing Strategy Focused on Social Media Is All Shine And No Value appeared first on Empowerkit.

Due to this, many are resorting to content marketing. Still, and while it has many benefits, content may be a bit hard to produce. That’s why, in order to try to help you get in the habit of creating content, I’ve put together a list with a few tools that could make your ride easier!

Content Tools!

Checklists

To get into a routine, you need to follow certain steps. Nonetheless, at first, you may be a bit overwhelmed and may overlook some of the essentials when producing content. One of the first things you may need to do is have a checklist for yourself. What have you been doing? What’s next?, etc. This will keep you on top of things, which will make your work easier. A checklist will make sure that you have everything in-check!

Here are two examples of online tools that allow you to make checklists, reminders and a schedule for yourself: Wunderlist and Scribble.

Editorial Calendar

I’ve said it before: if you want to get into content, you’ll need to start thinking like an editor! An editorial calendar will help you achieve that. With it, you’ll be able to organize your content ideas, keep track of the posts you’ve already published and manage your strategy. Remember to update it as you go so you know exactly where you are and where you need to go in terms of content. Below you’ll see an example of an editorial calendar. If you’d like to learn more about it, click on the link above!

Outlines

Outlines are the way to organize a particular post. In it, you should include the main ideas that you want to cover and the secondary ideas that will support each section in your post. By doing so, you’ll have a general concept of what your post will turn out to be, you’ll be able to create a flow for it and make sure you have your ideas right before you start writing.

A tool you can use to create outlines for your posts is WorkFlowy, which allows you to add topics and subtopics as you like. This way, you’ll be able to judge how a post will turn out before you write a single word.

Content Management System

A content management system or CMS, is basically a way to write, edit and organize content in a site without the need to learn how to code. Coding may be a plus in the web design world, but it’s no longer a requirement for others that don’t have the time, money or interest to learn the secrets of computer programming. Specially, if you’re an insurance agent, you’re probably tight on time.

For example, Empowerkit is a tool that will allow you to make your site your own (in terms of content too) but with which you won’t need to worry about coding. It allows you to manage a number of sites from a same dashboard and it gives you the flexibility to alter design and content with just a couple of clicks.

Dictionary

Nobody knows everything, so it’s always good to have a backup. A dictionary can come in handy when looking up spelling, conjugation, the meaning of a word and even synonyms or antonyms. The internet has lots of options out there, but the dictionary I use most frequently is WordReference. I go to it whenever I’m having trouble getting the words out. Plus, it has forums and threads where people can help you out with phrases and other spelling/grammar questions.

Online Editor

You should proofread every letter in your posts. Nonetheless, it’s possible that, from time to time, you make a little mistake here and there. Grammar, spelling and style are tricky and may be harder to conquer (especially, if you don’t have a writing habit). An online editor will give you a little push in the right direction. By copy-pasting chunks of your text, the editor (like After The Deadline) will correct and suggest changes in style, grammar and spelling for your texts to make them more readable.

Conclusion

Content is necessary but, sometimes, complicated. Make the most out of your site with a content strategy that will get you all the leads you need as an insurance agent. If you need a support system, make sure to come back to this list of tools and check out this and other similar options that will definitely allow you to have a smoother content creation process.

If you have any questions about this post, or Empowerkit, feel free to ask!

The post Tools to Make the Most Out Of Your Content Strategy appeared first on Empowerkit.

Content needs to be done right if you want the results it can bear. If you want some of that action, you need to think like an editor! And an editorial calendar may just be what you need to achieve it: it’s a tool that can help you control the consistency of your posts. After all, regular blog posts are extremely beneficial:

A calendar allows you to stay organized, manage content and keep track of what you already published. Plus! it can help out with inspiration!

Editorial Elements

The content creation process has a bunch of steps and elements to consider in your calendar! These are some that I think you should include to be able to manage your content properly. Still, remember that these are mere suggestions and if you’d like, you can include more or steer away from some of these elements!

DATE

How often will you publish new content? As seen in the image above, it’s best to do it a couple of days a week. But that depends on your skill and your ability to organize your work. Still, you should include a “date” column in your calendar so you can keep track of where you are and where you want to go with your posts.

PUBLISHING DATE

The date you start a post in is often not the same date you publish it. That’s why it’s important to establish in your calendar when you published a particular post. That way, you’ll be able to see how much time you take between posts and you’ll be on your way to gaining a constant publish flow of 2-3 times a week.

WHERE

Sometimes, an online marketing strategy expands beyond a blog. From social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), to newsletters, your blog and even guest posts, you must stay on top of where you’re publishing your content. This will also help out with the kind of post you should write, the type of people who will read it and the exposure it will have.

TYPE

What kind of post are you working on? Is it a tips & tricks? Q&A? Real Use Case? Recommendation? Tutorial? or Other kind? Being able to visualize which type of post you did last, can help you have a wider variety in your posts!

TITLE

You should always include the title because you’ll be able to keep your calendar more organized. Plus, it will make it easier for you to look it up in the future.

TAGS

Tags allow you to organize your blog by the topics you approach in it. For example, does your post fall under health insurance, life or p&c? Again, this will help you stay on top of the content you post and will allow you to bring more diversity into your posts.

STATUS

How far along are you in the process with a particular post? Is is still an idea or outline? Is is a draft? Are you proofreading it? Or did you publish it already? Be sure to go back to the status as you advance on the post so you know which are done and how far you need to go to finish one.

COMMENTS

Posts aren’t always perfect when we first publish them. A comments section in your calendar will allow you to externalize any concerns you have about it. Did you miss a link? Do you want to look for images before publishing it? By writing them down, you’ll be able to come back to them and work on them until they’re worthy of the public eye!

LINK

Paste the link to the post once it’s done. This way, if you need to come back to it for some reason, it will be easier for you to get there!

SUBJECT

In the subject portion of your calendar, you can put together a little paragraph explaining what the post was about. By doing it, you’ll remember what every post you did was about without having to read them again. Plus, it will help you stay focus on what topics you already did!

RELATED IDEAS

Often times, when creating new content, the ideas start to flow. You may be doing a post on tips for life insurance and you find the need to write a follow-up post on health insurance. This happens a lot but, if you don’t have somewhere to put your ideas on paper, you may forget them soon. In this column, you can put together ideas for new posts!

Example

This next spreadsheet shows an example of what an editorial calendar would look like. You can use it as inspiration to create your own. I used a Google doc spreadsheet to organize this calendar but you can do it on Microsoft Excel or on one of the options the internet has to offer if you like.

As I mentioned before, you don’t necessarily have to do it the same way I do. But this could help as a guide if you’re planning to get serious with content!

In this example, you’ll see that this calendar only includes dates for Tuesdays and Thursdays in the month of May. I’ve mentioned before that content can be very time consuming and if you’re an insurance agent that doesn’t have much time to begin with, you’ll need to establish some days or hours to concentrate on content. The goal, as you know, is to post quality content 2-3 times a week to start gaining the leads you want and you deserve, so that’s why I’ve only included those two days for content.

As you can see, that all the fields are updated as the post progresses. That’s why, to avoid any confusion, the post that’s being currently worked on, is highlighted in a green shade. Make sure to keep everything as organized and clean as possible!

Conclusion

If you want to do content right, you’ll need to stay organized. You may think that an editorial calendar may be some extra work but, in the long run, it will help you come up with new ideas and to keep track of where you are in your online marketing strategy. Get your content on and start counting the leads coming into your site!

If you have any questions about this post or Empowerkit, feel free to ask!

The post Keep Your Content Strategy on Point With an Editorial Calendar! appeared first on Empowerkit.

Still, these CTAs can be perceived as “pushy” for some of the visitors in your site that aren’t ready to take that step yet. Around 96% of visitors in a site are in the “research” stage, which means that, while they’re interested, they’re just looking around. Those CTAs won’t work on them because they’re not convinced that they want to work with you yet.

96% is a BIG number of potential clients that are just coming in and out of your site without a trace! How can you speak to those visitors and maximize lead generation? This is where premium content comes in!

Premium content is a secondary CTA that delivers valuable information that can be traded off in exchange for that visitor’s information. This way, they’ll feel like you’re providing value to them in that research stage and giving you their information won’t be as harsh and intimidating.

This can be done in the form of downloadable goods that they could be interested in and that they can “take away”. If you’ve put together a really comprehensive ebook on tips for insurance, you can provide it as premium content so the user will have to fill out a form before actually getting it. And you’ve captured an interested lead right there!

What’s more, if that piece information is valuable enough, the moment that lead needs to convert, they’ll probably come to you!

Examples of Premium Content

Here are some formats that you could use to present your premium content in your site:

E-books

An e-book, like the name implies, is an electronic publication that pretty much resembles a book. This come with different implications: it needs to have a certain length, it’s made up of mostly text and images and it needs to be original material. With an e-book, you could put together a comprehensive guide that help readers with something related to your business.

This can be great for insurance agents. Since you work in the professional services field, an e-book could be an exceptional instrument to communicate your knowledge in the matter and start gaining prestige in the business. You can go over various related topics to fully explain a situation!

In this next example, you’ll see that, in order to get that free E-book on “How to Protect Yourself and Your Business with Today’s Insurance”, you’ll need to first, fill out the download form to the right. This way, you get a new lead and they get valuable information.

Articles

If you have a content marketing strategy, you may have already started writing articles. But, if you have a topic that you know could capture the attention of those visitors who are just looking around,  you should consider giving it a premium content status. Articles can be perfect to provide value because it goes over a specific topic in a readable and friendly way, which can engage your leads with your business. Whether it’s “Do’s and Don’ts”, “Top 10″ or “Tips & Tricks”, make sure your premium content is good and attractive enough so your visitors may want to become a lead in order to get it!

Checklist

Checklists are easy to do and fun to read. They can be informative by providing a list that your visitors can go through to make sure they are on the right track in a certain topic related to your business. A checklist to “Know if you’re paying the right amount for health insurance” is compelling, helpful and an attractive subject. It’s a win-win situation!

White Paper

A white paper is another great alternative to gain authority in the field. It’s a comprehensive paper that gives advice on certain insurance-related topics. In this next example, this insurance agency give out tips on hospital risk. Obviously, this topic is right up their alley since they provide their clients with health insurance. As you can see, in order for visitors to learn more about patient safety, they’ll first have to fill out the form below. Premium content in action!

Webinars

As an insurance agent, it’s more than likely that you’ve been to or have given a seminar to a group of people. A webinar, as the name implies, is a web conference given to a group of people through video chat. More often than not, webinars are later posted on YouTube for others to watch. Still, you could take advantage of this opportunity and offer your workshop or lecture as premium content. Put together a compelling presentation and allow visitors to download it in exchange for their information.

Premium Content Tips

Now the same old question: “What to write about?”. Content inspiration is hard to come by and it can be increasingly difficult if it needs to be interesting enough to fill the ‘premium content standards’. All in all, it can be easier said than done, so here are some pointers that you may find useful!

Timing:

Think about topics that can transcend the “time” barrier. Unless you want to be updating your premium content regularly, you may want to focus on subjects that can be understood and useful despite of the context. They need to be timeless and stay relevant for long periods of time.

Importance:

Take some of your biggest tips & tricks and make them premium content! Think about what’s concerning your clients: what are they asking you? what do they need? Make them feel like you value them by sharing valuable information!

Personable:

Think of customization! Don’t produce generic but important topics; bring them down to a level where your visitors will want to read them. Make it about the town you work in, the interests your clients have, among other things. Give the content personality and relatability!

If you need more help with content inspiration, you can check these posts on ideas for Health, P&C and Life insurance agents. Remember to follow these pointers and give your subject that extra spin to make it interesting, different and appealing.

Conclusion:

Make the most of your site with premium content! Not every visitor is there for the same reasons, so don’t try to treat them the same way. If you want to take advantage of the amount of traffic coming into your site thanks to your content marketing strategy, be sure to add a secondary CTA that will capture the attention of those who aren’t ready to buy (yet!). Remember that these are leads that are interested in your business but need a bit of time and nurturing before becoming your client. So, in the long run, appealing and informative premium content will bear great results for your business!

Feel free to ask any questions about this post or Empowerkit in the comments section below!

The post Get More Leads With Premium Content! appeared first on Empowerkit.

In marketing, information serves as a way to enable conversion. Potential clients need certain information from you and about you to make sure they’re doing the right decision by working with you. Remember that these people are trusting you with their lives, homes, and health, etc. If you have a site and you want it to be an effective marketing strategy, there needs to be certain key elements that let the visitors know who you are, how you work, among other things. By ignoring them, you may encounter a bit of trouble:

According to research by User Interface Engineering, Inc., 60% of the time, people can’t find the information they seek on a website. What’s even more alarming is that, an investigation by Forrester Research states that half of potential sales don’t follow through because users can’t find some of that basic information and this causes 40% of visitors to steer away from a site (and a business) after that negative experience.

Basically, what this means is that, while an online marketing strategy will help you get more quality leads, a lack of information may very well be pushing those interested potential clients away from your business and into your competitor’s arms!

To make sure this isn’t happening to you, go through this checklist and audit your own insurance agent websites. This way, if there’s anything missing, you’ll be sure to step up your game and be ready for interested visitors!

Back to Basics: A Checklist

Contact Information:

This is a no-brainer: your phone number, email, your office’s address, among other information should be in your site. Preferably, in a prominent and visible spot across all the pages. If people want to find you, make it easy for them and give them a way they can contact you. Let them come to you!

Service Hours:

Tied up to the point above, are the service hours. At what time are you available? You can’t have people calling you at 9pm when you’re trying to have dinner with your family. By establishing limits, you’re letting them organize their day in a more effective way.

In this example, you’ll be able to see these first two information basics in action. Make sure you include them to give your visitors the information they need to get in touch with you!

Call to Action:

A Call to Action (CTA) is one of the most important elements of your site. It’s the hook that reels in and separates those who are ready to convert from the ones that are just researching about your business. Your phone number is one, for example. Others are buttons or links that capture their attention or interest. Do you offer free quotes? or the first consultation for free? Let them know!

In the image below, the Call to Action is in a prominent space: on the top, right corner. The “Get QUOTE” button can be effective to get those visitors that are interested in you but that still need a little bit of convincing.

Services / Types of Insurance you Offer:

Insurance agents are varied in their services and the type of insurance they offer. This can be often confusing for potential clients and if they don’t find the information they’re looking for, they’ll move on to another agent really fast. By including the services you provide, you’re making it easier for potential clients to decide whether they want to work with you or not.

In this section of the site, this insurance agent provides a list where he states what kind of insurance he offers and who could benefit from it. Be sure to do the same to tilt your customers in your direction!

About You:

In insurance, it’s sometimes required for you to have certain credentials. People want some reassurance that you know what you’re talking about. By including your education, for example, they’ll have some validation that they’re dealing with a real insurance agent that can help them with their needs. Remember that they need to trust you, so give them an idea of who you are in the business!

This example shows a picture and some information about the agent. From what he studied and where, to part of his curriculum. Make sure to keep this information updated as you grow in the business!

Testimonials

These are very important: people want to be sure of what they’re getting, if they can trust you, etc. Testimonials are a great way to do this because they give your business credibility. By sharing the experience of current or previous clients, you’re letting leads know that you are trustworthy and that you have clients to back you up!

Conclusion:

Information is a great tool to get business rolling. People are looking for you but they want to find the information that will get them to convert. Go through this checklist and make sure you aren’t missing the mark and with it, quality leads!

Have a question about this post? Feel free to ask!

Image source:  http://www.nickruickoldt.com/

The post Tips On Basic Information Your Insurance Agent Websites Should Have appeared first on Empowerkit.

Nonetheless, content can be complicated: it needs to market your business at the same time that it gives value through compelling posts to your readers. If you’re a bit stuck on how to achieve this, don’t worry! In this post you’ll find some tips and content inspiration that can help you in improving your marketing efforts.

Tips!

Before moving on to the content inspiration, I’ll go over some basic tips that will help you get started in content with the right foot.

1. Speak to your target audience.
2. Remember that images and video are also content and you should use them to have a more dynamic blog.
3. Use hard data to make your point.
4. Keep a friendly, approachable and professional voice.
5. Give a spin to your content ideas: fit them to your local audience or think of a new angle to make them more specific.
6. Remember to add your basic information to your site (phone, types of insurance coverage you offer, your credentials and testimonials!).

7. If you need more inspiration, you can always look at what your competitors are doing.

Content Ideas

Now, for the content inspiration! In this section of the post, you’ll find several ideas that can help you move forward in your content strategy. Remember that you should take this and make them your own, give them a unique perspective and customize them to fit your local audience! Now, without further ado, here are the content ideas!

Tutorials / Tips & Tricks

Health and insurance are areas that present a lot of options in terms of content: from posts related to insurance to others that offer tips on how to take better care of yourself. Be it by a step by step guide or by providing pointers, tutorials and tips & tricks should be light posts that give the visitor an easy but highly informative read. These could also be in the shape of “Do’s and Don’ts” or “Top 10″ posts.

In this next example, this insurance agency took a highly covered news (about the passing of Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs) and turned it into a post about healthy living where they point out some of the key personality traits Steve Jobs had and why you need them to have a healthy lifestyle.

Q&A

Health is a very delicate issue because being healthy should be the first priority in everyone’s book. Without it, nothing else makes sense. Still, to stay healthy (or to stop being sick), you need to make a considerable investment. That’s why your clients may have a lot of doubts and concerns regarding health insurance. By answering their questions, you’re giving them value.

This is an easy source for inspiration because you already know that they are interested in knowing more about the subject. Plus, it can be a common concern, so by posting about it, you’re foreseeing other clients’ necessities.

News, Trends & Events

This next idea draws inspiration from life around you. News for example, are an renewable source of content ideas. Everyday something happens that can impact people’s lives. From Obamacare to a new study on the effects from smoking cigarettes, there’s always new topic that need to be brought up (since health is such a basic need). Talk about them, give your own input and make sure you let your readers know how these affect their health or insurance.

Another tip is to look for topic inspiration in trends. Be it in pop culture (there’s a healthy kick going on right now) or customer trends (have you been getting more calls from clients with a particular disease?), trends can help you write content about situations that are popular now. This next example takes a very popular discipline right now and lists the health benefits it provides. I’m aware that yoga is not a “trend” per se but, as I mentioned before, there’s a growing trend of healthy lifestyle and yoga has become a big part of it. By posting about it, you’re staying current and you’re relating it to your business.

Lastly, there are events. Is there a fair going on in your city? Is there a big sporting event happening? Are you giving a seminar? Stay involved with current events in your area so readers know you care about your community. You could even write a bit on how to stay healthy at the next fair, for example. Make day to day life your source of inspiration!

Real Use Cases

This is a no-brainer. Did you work hard with a client to get him exactly what they wanted and you’re proud of the results you achieved? By sharing real experiences, you’re showing your readers how you work and how you help clients. This is a perfect opportunity for them to learn about you! Just make sure you notify those clients to confirm they’ll let you share their experience!

Recommendations

From time to time you may encounter a key piece of information that you think that anyone that’s interested in health insurance should see. Be it a video, an article or an info graphic, you should share these with your readers! By doing it, you’ll be spreading the word on something that you think is worth sharing in the health or insurance world. Plus, you can add your own commentary and write up a summary on that content. There goes an easy and friendly post!

Conclusion

Remember, content can be the answer to all your marketing needs but you should take good care of it! If you do, it can bring you great benefits in terms of marketing yourself, getting quality leads and growing your business. And who wouldn’t want that? Just make sure you’re giving everything you got to content!

If you’d like to read a post about content inspiration for Life Insurance and P&C, click on the links!

If you’re interested in a similar post aimed at another type of insurance, let me know in the comments below.

If you have any questions regarding this post or Empowerkit, feel free to ask!

The post Content Inspiration for Health Insurance Agents appeared first on Empowerkit.

But content is tricky. For it to bestow on to your business all the great results that you know it bears, you need to give it time and attention. It should market you and your business at the same time that grabs the attention of readers by delivering valuable information.

But don’t be overwhelmed! If you’re a property and casualty insurance agent, this post is here to help you with tips and ideas for writing up content so you can climb up the online marketing ladder!

Content Tips!

Before moving on, I’ll give you some useful tips that will help you do content the right way. So when you get an idea for a post, nothing stops you from achieving your content potential!

1. ‘You Talkin’ to Me?:

I’m sure that you are well aware of who your clients are. This is because it’s a waste of time going after people that don’t meet a certain profile because, more often than not, they won’t be interested in what you have to offer.

Content is the same way: you need to have a narrative and a demographic that you’re looking to target! And when you do, you need to find out some of their interest so you know what to write about.

2. Images Are Worth a Thousand Words!:

Content is often interpreted as the written word. It is true that in the world wide web, most of the information is transmitted through blocks of text, but this doesn’t mean that they’re the only way to create valuable information and get your point across!

Videos, images, info graphics and audio are ways to inform in a more dynamic format! And any of the ideas that you’ll find below can be done in these media. For example, if you’re going to put together a tutorial, you can do it on video. This way, if there’s steps in your “how-to” post, you can show them instead of just telling them how to do it!

3. Knowledge is Power:

Insurance agents deal with a lot of numbers and need to have knowledge in different areas (economics, law, etc.). That’s why it’s important to send forward a professional message. By using hard data to back up your main ideas, you’ll be aiming towards becoming an authority in the matter. So use that information, but use it wisely!

4. The Color in Your Tone:

One of the main tasks in your job is to build relationships. To do this, you need to be professional but friendly and approachable. So this is exactly the way you should write. A very technical and strict tone can be often perceived as condescending, so be sure to give your content a bit of the personality and charisma people want from their insurance agent.

5. Spin Them Around:

The internet is a vast space with millions upon millions of information. It’s probable that almost every topic has already been discussed in there. This can be discouraging: what’s the point of making content that’s already out there? This is where your creativity should kick in! Give each generic post a spin and make them your own. Think of an angle that’s more unique and specific (which will ultimately give more value to your audience).

6. Tailoring Needed!:

Speaking of specific, make sure your content fits your context. A P&C insurance agent in Kansas offers different policies than one stationed in New York. This means that your target audience also has different needs for content. Make your texts, videos and images as locally relevant as possible. This will give you a different perspective and will give them compelling and relatable content!

7. Information You Can’t Miss:

If you want to have a successful site, you’ll need to give your visitors some basic information that let them know who you are, how to contact you, the services you offer, among other things. Check them out and make sure you’re not missing any of these!:

a. Phone
b. Areas You Service
c. Areas of Expertise / Types of Insurance You Offer
d. Company (Companies) You Represent
e. CTA
f. Testimonials
g. About You (with credentials)

8.Sizing the Competition:

Inspiration is sneaky! It’s hard to catch and when you do, it can easily slip through your fingers. If after this post you still feel like you can’t catch a break, it’s a good idea to look around. Read blogs, newsletters and even go into your competition’s content to see what their doing. This can help you get ideas on what course to follow in terms of content!

Content Ideas

Now for the good part in this post: content ideas to fully achieve your online marketing potential!

Tutorials / Tips & Tricks

Property & Casualty insurance has a lot of variables and it can get complicated. That’s why you need to help out your readers the best you can by giving them pointers or step by step guides to topics regarding your business. Tips & tricks are very sought after by visitors because they’re easy to read and give punctual and valuable information. Be it in the form of Do’s and Don’ts or “Top 10″, make sure to gather the information your clients need and present it in a very easy but substantial way.

Look at this next example: this insurance agent rounded up “10 Ways to Lower Your Home Insurance Premiums”. The topic and title are eye catching and I’m sure more than one stopped and read the whole thing.

In this next post, the agent gives value to the user by presenting ways to do better car shopping (which, ultimately, affects the P&C insurance a person has). The thing is to think of the whole process that goes into this kind of insurance and find a way to help your readers protect their house for a thunderstorm (for example).

Q&A

Since Property & Casualty deals with basic assets (you need a roof over your head to have better quality of life), it’s natural that your clients will have doubts and concerns. Answering customer questions has more than one benefit. On one hand, you’re giving value to that particular client but, at the same time, you’re also anticipating that others may have that same question.

The example below, “Water in The Basement Is Often Not a Flood”, addresses what may be perceived as a common misconception. If you think about it, it’s a win-win situation: you know your leads will be interested in the topic and you get a freebie in terms of content inspiration!

News, Trends & Events

Life around you is also a great and easy source for inspiration. What’s happening in your line of business and community? What is going on in the world that could affect your customer’s p&c insurance?

In this first example, is a post on Hurricane Sandy. As you know, this was a natural disaster that sadly struck the east coast of the United States and wrecked the home of many. This has to do with property and casualty insurance, so it’s fitted to let the readers know after Mayor Bloomberg announced new measures to aid homeowners.

Trends on the other hand can help you draw inspiration from pop culture and what you see in your business. Are more of your clients getting into car accidents? Let them know about the dangers of texting and driving! At the same time, there are often some topics that are constantly being reproduced. For example, movies love to imagine the disastrous ways nature can strike us (from The Day After Tomorrow, to Volcano, Twister, 2012, among many MANY others). Twisters, earthquakes, sudden drops in temperatures. The right information can take some of these common themes and give the generic P & C insurance post a spin!

Lastly, you should get involved with the events happening in your community! People are social beings so it’s natural that they care about what’s going on in their own town. In this next example, you’ll see that this agent posted about a flash mob and even attached a video to show how it went down. Little posts like this can be fun, easy and really entertaining for your site’s visitor!

Real Use Cases

Another easy source for inspiration: real life experiences. Maybe you have a touching story about one time you helped a customer. Posts like this will not only prove to your readers that you are good at your job, but that you care about your clients. Let them know what problem you had at hand and how you helped your client solve it! Of course, you should ask for your client’s permission before sharing their story!

Recommendations

Did you read something that you think your visitors will appreciate? Maybe you saw a video that perfectly explains an issue about p&c insurance. Share these key pieces of information with your readers and give your opinion on the matter!

Conclusion

I can say this a thousand times if necessary: content is where it’s at. You need to have a solid content strategy to improve your online marketing strategy! If what’s stopping you is the lack of inspiration for writing, go through this post, read blogs and keep an eye out for content opportunities. By posting on a regular basis, you’ll see an increase in the traffic coming into your site and the quality of your leads in no time! So get started now!

If you’d like to read a post about content inspiration for Life Insurance and Health, click on the links!

If you’re interested in a similar post aimed at another type of insurance, let me know in the comments below.

If you have any questions regarding this post or Empowerkit, feel free to ask!

The post Content Inspiration for P&C Insurance Agents appeared first on Empowerkit.