Content Marketing for Insurance Companies

Will content marketing work for insurance companies? Absolutely!

Content marketing is not a new idea, but it is taking over from traditional advertising. Modern consumers seek out information as part of their path to purchase, long before they talk with a sales representative. The better your website is at providing that information, the more likely they are to call you.

But that fact means that insurance companies end up being publishers, not just advertisers.  According to former PepsiCo president, Brad Jakeman:

“20 years ago, brands created four pieces of content a year, each taking about four months to make, with a budget of $2 million. Nowadays, brands are pushing out more like 400-4,000 pieces of content… four months has changed to four days to four hours.”

What’s special about content marketing for insurance?

Jakeman’s remark is true for brands in general — though his budget suits a brand like Pepsi. What’s different for insurance companies in particular?

• Insurance is a topic that confuses many people. Hundreds of points small and large need clear explanation. And your customers will go to Google first. When you come up in the search results, you’re providing value to your visitors. The more questions you can answer before your prospective client contacts you, the more likely they are to make that contact.
• Consumers make insurance purchasing decisions on the basis of brand trust. Positioning your company as a thought leader in your community puts you in a strong position.
• Research reported in the New England Journal of Medicine found that consumers are “overwhelmed” when choosing among health insurance options. Only 14% of insured adults in the sample were able to answer simple multiple choice questions about their coverage. Most don’t understand common terms used to describe insurance, and options were described differently, making it hard for consumers to compare plans. Other kinds of insurance are similar in their complexity. Offering solutions to this stressful situation will increase your value to consumers.

What are potential insurance buyers searching for?

Google Trends tells us the searches people are making. When it comes to insurance. American consumers look for a wide range of questions, from “Does renter’s insurance cover pet damage?” to “Are life insurance payouts taxable?”

They’re looking for brand names, too, and for “insurance agents near me.” Phrases like “best car insurance” also appear on the lists of most common searches.

But optimizing your web content for “best insurance” won’t be the silver bullet. Insurance shopping is stressful and unpleasant for most consumers. Content that helps make it less stressful is valuable. But people don’t shop for insurance if they can avoid it. Offering content that helps and interests consumers before they start looking for insurance helps keep you top of mind.

Then, when your potential customer needs to look for insurance, he or she will remember your company and respond to your brand name.

Ongoing, strategic content marketing

Producing excellent content on a regular basis is key to success in content marketing. Quarterly campaigns are fine, but they work best against a backdrop of quality strategic content. Blog posts, articles, social media, downloadable lead magnets — this type of content has to be produced regularly to drive traffic to your website and establish your thought leadership.

Then prospects will be receptive to promotional content.

Contact us to discuss how you can make content marketing work for you.