When it comes to building a list to market to, you have a lot of options, both online and offline. Webinars are quickly gaining ground as an effective way to collect pre-qualified leads, and they can be very effective for agents and brokers who work in all aspects of insurance—from commercial lines to life and health. Here are just a few reasons why webinars should be part of your lead generation efforts.

If there are two things all your customers have in common, it’s that they all want convenience—and they all have SmartPhones. Most people actually prefer using one to opening the web browser on their phones.

There’s a big push for many companies to create their own apps for user convenience—and with the weight insurance customers place on convenience, it’s no surprise that the insurance industry isn’t an exception.

But do you your customers really want or need a mobile app from you?

If you write commercial insurance, you have a broad market. Every business needs some kind of insurance coverage. However, generating commercial insurance business can be more difficult than you’d expect—as each industry’s needs are different. It’s essential to understand the industry you’re marketing to, show them you can meet their needs, and prove that you’re a better choice than your competitors.

Being an insurance broker is a challenging job. It requires some very distinct personality traits—some of which might seem, at first glance, to be contradictory. There are many different combinations of traits that make a great insurance broker, but here are a few we’ve found to be the most common in those who really thrive in this career.

In the age of social media, email newsletters, constant blogging, and more, it can feel like you’re in touch with your customers all the time. But exceptional customer service still isn’t automatic, even though the options you have to deliver that service vary now more than ever. Showing your customers you appreciate them, on a personal level, can still take foresight and planning. Here are a few ways to do it.

A sell sheet is a single-page, double-sided sales document—usually in 8.5 x 11” size—that lays out the details of your product or service in simple, easy-to-understand terms. More concise than a brochure and more detailed than a postcard, they’re ideal for any situation where you have to explain a complex product concisely.

Of course, sales sheets only work when they’re done well. Here are a few tips to ensure that when you hand your insurance prospect a sales sheet, it actually gets attention, conveys the message you want, and persuades your prospect to say yes.

If you aren’t concerned about cyber security threats, you should be. Cyber crime is expected to cost companies over $6 trillion by 2021, and smaller companies are just as vulnerable as big global enterprises—sometimes more so. Insurance companies are especially vulnerable, because they work with large volumes of sensitive client information. This means you have to be especially committed to protecting your customers’ data.

Cyber threats are new and constantly changing. Here are a few things you can do today to make your business and client information more secure.

Marketing professionals will tell you: the money is in the list. A strong list of email addresses from people who both have the money to buy from you and have an interest in what you sell is worth its weight in gold. But how do you build that list?

Buying lists can be hit or miss—and it’s usually a miss. It’s always most effective to build the list yourself. But that takes some strategy.

Here are some ideas for getting people to opt into your email marketing.

Most people don’t think about buying insurance until they need to. When you contact a prospect for the first time, you may hit them right when they need a new policy—but you probably won’t get that lucky. Here are a few ways to remind your prospects about you periodically—in a pleasant, non-invasive way—to insure that when they do need insurance, you’re the first person they think of.

How Not to Waste Your Time on Insurance Blogging

If you’ve been looking for insurance marketing advice, chances are someone has told you to start a blog. And blogging can be a great way to spread the word about your business—but it can also be a huge waste of time. Here are a few tips to make sure you get results from your insurance blog—and attract the audience you’re looking for.

There are many marketing strategies that can go a long way toward building your business and bringing in a steady stream of new referrals. However, it’s easy to make mistakes that can seriously weaken the impact of what you do.

If you’re an insurance agent, having a website is non-negotiable. Customers expect to be able to check you out, learn about your products, and even get a quote online. But just because you build it doesn’t mean they will come. If you’re finding you’re not getting as much traffic to your website as you’d like, here are a few tips for generating more.

It’s practically inevitable. If you’re marketing your insurance business on social media—and in this day and age, it’s very difficult to avoid it—then eventually you’ll get a negative review online. This can be a challenge to deal with—both professionally and personally. But the way you deal with it can actually bring you more business, if you do it right. Here are a few tips.

It’s tough enough keeping yourself inspired sometimes. If you’re leading a team, it’s essential to keep them engaged and motivated to earn more money—both for themselves and for your business. Here are a few tips for keeping your sales team inspired—and sustaining your revenue.

A successful insurance sale often starts with a conversation. And that conversation is crucial to landing a sale. Here are a few tips for making sure it goes the way you want—with a new customer at the end.

Marketing your business doesn’t have to be expensive. There are plenty of ways to get the word out, build an audience, get traffic to your website, and generate leads that don’t have to cost a cent. Here are a few ideas.

Prospecting can be the most difficult part of an insurance agent’s job. You can do it actively—scouring places like LinkedIn or visiting your local business organizations to find those who need the insurance you sell—or you can do it passively, with a properly SEO-optimized website and a good referral program, among other ideas. Here are a few tips for driving insurance prospects to your business.

People still watch television. According to a recent Nielsen report, people watched approximately 141 hours of television per month in the third quarter of 2014. But with all the other ways available to reach your prospects these days, is television worth the investment? Here are a few things to consider before you decide.

White papers, e-books, and other types of long-form content are becoming more and more popular as a marketing tool across numerous industries. But they also take a great deal of effort to produce—and aren’t always worth it. Here are a few things you should ask yourself before making the commitment.