50 Ways to Market Personal Lines Insurance

By Alan L. Shulman
With apologies to Paul Simon’s classic song, there must be at least 50 ways to promote personal lines policies. Below is my list. I stopped at 50 due to the song, so if you wanted more, it’s Paul’s fault, not mine!


12 Social Media

Fun video where you "fast read" all the potential [car] policy discounts you offer.
Run radio ads on YouTube as audio behind a slideshow.
Post Vine and Instagram mini-videos touting services or discounts.
Policy-specific Facebook ads and promoted tweets targeted to local prospects.
Offer free "executive level" insurance reviews to LinkedIn connections.
Display entertaining mini-posters on Pinterest linked to relevant landing pages.
Post fun personal insurance quizzes. Have prospects contact you for the answers.
Post tip sheets to inform shoppers of personal insurance basics.
Tweet insurance-related images along with your text.
Offer free insurance tips to first-time home buyers.
Display images of the many recreational vehicle types you insure.
Post vehicle-specific promos for pickups, minivans, crossovers, etc.

10 Captive Audiences

Poster-type ads in restrooms.
Car insurance flyers placed under windshield wipers.
Display ads on busses and taxis.
Ads on supermarket shopping carts.
"Fishbowl" business card drawings for free lunches at local restaurants.
Entertaining insurance handouts at county fairs, etc.
Offer outdoor quotes at sidewalk sales (strip mall-based offices only).
Give a business card to neighbors of new home insureds "in case of emergency."
Present condo insurance tips at homeowners association meetings.
Work with property managers to offer renters insurance to tenants.

6 Web-Related

Offer online real-time personal lines quotes.
Feature quote request forms when real-time quotes are unavailable.
"Blind" Web banner ads with a single promotional message.
Clicks to a landing page revealing who you are.
Post discount checklists for major personal lines policies.
Display typical agency new business dollar savings by policy type (when known).
Post a graph comparing premiums for the same policy specs among multiple insurers, when you have winning rates.

5 Internal Marketing

Offer personal lines to commercial lines insureds.
Cross-sell "missing" policies and upsell needed coverages to agency insureds.
Resolicit desirable cancelled policies and failed quotes.
Solicit group auto insurance from employers and groups you insure.
Ask quality clients for "just one" referral.

5 Office-Based

Limited weekend and evening hours.
Offer teen driver insurance seminars to the community.
Provide defensive driver courses to attract prospects.
Waiting room slideshow of recently paid property claim photos (with permission).
Provide old insurance paper shredding sessions for new prospects and insureds.

6 Printed Places

Use personal URLs in conjunction with diret mail (and email) campaigns.
Add QR codes to direct mail to send folks to online quote pages.
Advertise in local road rally or vehicle-specific auto club publications.
Place inserts for various personal lines policies in area newspapers.
Consistently run small 2-inch ads in newspapers that focus on a single policy.
Buy front-page Post-It note ads that direct readers to a special Web landing page.

3 Giveaways

Distribute door hanger bags with a policy price comparison graph and small giveaway.
Give kids kites imprinted with the message "If your family [auto] policy premium is too high…"
Give drink umbrellas to eligible shoppers to entice them to get an umbrella quote.

3 Team-Ups

Join up with non-competing pros for a financial fair.
Exchange permission referrals with car dealers, marinas, etc.
Tout the cumulative value of stacked discounts… Multi-policy, pay in advance, digital policies, etc.



Source: Insurance Journal