Insurance Agency Marketing Tips for the Middle of the Funnel

See, Think, Do. These three simple steps are the foundation of the See Think Do marketing framework created by Avinash Kaushik. In last week’s blog, I shared marketing ideas on the type of content, messaging, and channels brokers could use to effectively implement See stage marketing. This week I’ll share some insurance agency marketing tips for the middle of the funnel – also known as Think stage marketing.

First, you should understand how the Think stage of buyer’s intent is defined in the See Think Do marketing framework.

What is the Think stage of the buyer’s intent in insurance agency marketing tips?

As defined by Avinash Kaushik, the Think stage of buyer intent are members of your audience that are thinking about buying a product or service like yours. This is a subset of your See stage audience – which is your largest relevant audience.

For you, as a benefits broker, Think stage buyers are employers who need employee benefits services and are deciding whether to work with an insurance agent.

At this stage your marketing content should be more specific. Your content and messaging should present the value of your brand, and also drive some initial direct engagement through micro-conversions. For example, capturing contact information from website visitors.

When looking at this stage from the buyer’s perspective, they’re considering their options. But, that doesn’t mean you overload them with your sales pitch. In order to effectively implement the insurance agency marketing tips I share with you today, you need to comprehensively understand this concept. Consider the image below before crafting content for Think stage marketing.

Source: See, Think, Do, Care Winning Combo: Content +Marketing +Measurement! By Avinash Kaushik

The Think stage isn’t when you go into aggressive sales mode. At this point, employers are just browsing and researching options. So this is where you introduce the value of your brand in the context of the services you provide.

When you look at insurance agency marketing tips and at content marketing from the perspective of the See Think Do marketing framework, it becomes apparent that the Think stage is the trickiest stage to implement effectively. At the See stage you’re simply making your audience aware of your brand, and for the Do stage you’re basically convincing a potential client to invest in you, but at the Think stage you’re attempting to guide your audience from awareness to the brink of conversion. Achieving that transition is an entirely different game.

Your job at the Think stage is to help their research. Create content that outlines the complex nature of employee benefits, compliance, driving employee engagement, etc. Highlight the benefits of working with a broker, and subtly outline your value props. Once you keep this key concept in mind you’ll create compelling content for the middle of the funnel. Here are a few mid-funnel insurance agency marketing tips for you to consider.

Think Stage Content

I’ve described the purpose of your content for this stage, now I’ll share some insurance agency marketing tips for the type of content that is relevant, and how you can strategically use your content to drive engagement through micro-conversions. Here are a few quick examples of Think stage content:

Guides

Guides can help strengthen your relationship with your target audience by providing rich information on industry-specific topics. We constantly refer to HubSpot in this context because they’re a pro at this strategy. Their persuasive, data-heavy guides are not only embedded in blog posts, but also pop up on related landing pages. As a Think stage marketing tool, the main focus isn’t on acquiring leads, but rather to assist the buyer in their evaluation.

Of course there are a number of topics a benefits broker can choose from, here are some examples to ignite your creativity:

• Best Practices For Increased Engagement In Voluntary Benefits
• How To Choose A Broker
• Brokers vs PEO
• Common Questions About ACA Compliance Answered
• Getting The Best Benefits Package For Your Business
• Why Online Enrollment

Check out my previous blog for a step by step walkthrough on how to create your own guide.

White Papers

A White Paper is an incisive method to share research and data about the biggest problems in the benefits industry, and how your agency is the best-suited solution. For example, creating a “State Of The Industry” white paper demonstrates your leadership by identifying issues and providing key insights defining why your agency has an advantage over competitors.

When thinking of insurance agency marketing tips, you can host your White Paper on your agency’s website with a gated landing page, and share the URL on relevant channels of your niche. Share social posts on LinkedIn and other social media channels, and create an email campaign to promote your white paper. But, remember that the main purpose of this content is to assist the buyer with their research and evaluation. Don’t focus on the sale when drafting your white paper. Focus on sharing valuable information, while soft selling your services through a consultative tone.

Webinars

Hosting a 30-45 minute webinar enables you to showcase your thought leadership by giving you an oral and visual forum to discuss a topic or idea that might be too complex to compile into a single guide or whitepaper. By sharing information both orally and visually, you provide buyers with more engaging methods of acquiring information. You can host a webinar to showcase your benefits administration software solution, or to explain complex employee benefit plans.

Webinars also subtly promote micro-conversions, as you buyers can’t register for a webinar without filling out a form and providing contact information. It’s a win/win for everyone involved. Check out my previous blog on how to get started hosting your own webinar.

Final Thoughts About Insurance Agency Marketing Tips

These are just 3 prime examples of popular Think stage content and how you can use them. The key component of these insurance agency marketing tips is to remember the main goal; assist the buyer to evaluate your agency, rather than focusing on the sales pitch.

Be a resource for your target audience, while providing an introduction to the value of your brand. If you maintain this philosophy, not just in this stage of the buyer’s journey but for all of your marketing content, it’ll go a long way into driving more conversions further down the funnel.