Building client relationships is a great way to acquire new clients in the service industry. And insurance is no exception. In fact Insurance brokers that continuously build and strengthen relationships, will win more customers and foster greater loyalty than those who don’t. So to stay front of mind with existing and potential clients you need to proactively identify, build and manage relationships. But where do you start?
At We Are Savvy we have more than 15 years of experience in insurance marketing and in this article, we share tips for insurance brokers who want to build stronger client relationships. Let’s get started!
1. Segment.
First off, start by identifying the groups of people with whom you want to build relationships and learn about them. Create profiles for your target audience groups, consider their:
- Demographics: age, sex, culture
- Education
- Interests and how they communicate
- Needs or wants and what problems they need help with.
- Value for your business today versus the future.
This information helps you understand your customers so that you can:
- undertake marketing activities that will be seen by your desired audiences
- create content that will interest your target audiences.
2. Listen.
Getting to know your clients and building relationships is a long term game. So keep learning about them and listening to what they say and what they do.
A big part of listening is asking. Send short surveys following key interactions so that you can learn what customers believe you do well and areas of improvement. Using free tools like survey monkey or google forms can make it easy. Reading google reviews and social media comments is a free source of information that also helps you to understand more about clients needs, the sectors they work in and their businesses.
Another part of listening is monitoring the client’s actions. If clients are leaving, find out why. If clients are staying, find out why.
Asking and listening will help you stand out and create deeper relationships with your clients.
A final tip when listening. Identify points of commonality among different customers. Use that information to create content that appeals to the broadest audience possible.
3. Strengthen relationships.
Once you know your audiences, actively build relationships through consistent contact. Use a variety of personal and digital channels to keep your contact fresh and engaging.
In developing relationships two things are key:
- Consistency: whether it’s sending quarterly “how are you?” emails, regular social media posting, phone calls or attending events consistent communications and marketing keeps you front of mind. Reaching out only at renewal time won’t help you build loyal relationships.
- Personal touch: use client’s names to add the personal touch and find ways to include them in your marketing. Ask them to take a selfie when you are meeting, or give them a shout out on your social media business pages when they achieve a milestone. Thank clients publicly and privately.
Remember there’s nothing more effective than picking up the phone and talking with clients. Don’t underestimate the regular face to face meetings and asking how they are doing. Personal communication shows that you care.
We Are Savvy’s marketing strategies always take into account how you can build and strengthen client relationships. Get in touch at hello@wearesavvy.com.au to see how we can help.