Insurance is all about numbers, right? Yes, but it’s also about relationships, especially for consumers. While agents rely on establishing as many leads as possible, consumers really focus on “who they know.” The agents that come to mind — the ones with whom they’ve had some type of positive contact — are the ones that consumers call the most. If you’re an agent looking for auto insurance leads, it’s important to create meaningful points of contact. Here are a few tips for finding auto insurance leads:

Ask for Referrals

The best (and perhaps easiest) leads are the ones you get from friends, family, and past customers. Ask your clients, family members, and acquaintances for names of people who might be looking for auto insurance coverage. Then, reach out to them!

Acquire a List of Leads

Of course, utilizing a leads list from a reputable vendor can be a great way to secure a custom list of qualified prospects. Indeed, buying auto insurance leads can jumpstart your business, providing you with instant access to hundreds (even thousands) of potential clients and, thus, allowing you to get working immediately. 

But, all lead lists are not made the same! It’s important to look for details that you can customize your marketing around. For example, using Haines Criss+Cross™, you could start creating a list of leads by filtering our database by age, income, and credit score in your desired location. Then you can get even more specific by finding the vehicle make, model & year of these individuals. 

Develop a Digital Presence

Studies show that nearly 50% of consumers start searching for information about a business or product online, and, of those people, over a third click on the first link that pops up. Thus, it’s not hard to surmise that a digital presence helps agents get leads. Design a website and join social media (like LinkedIn and Facebook). Create relevant, consistent content (via curated videos, presentations, webinars, or a blog) and set alerts that allow you to respond to inquiries mentioning your name or specific keywords (such as “auto insurance”). To really get ahead of the game, think about using search engine optimization tactics that help your website rank higher in organic search queries and/or utilize pay-per-click advertising to actively direct web traffic. A solid online presence will help you get noticed and keep you top of mind.

You can also build your digital presence by combining leads lists with a customized digital marketing strategy. Take the example above with the information we gleaned from Haines Criss+Cross™. We can customize email content based on how old their car is. If they have an older car, it may be time to talk about new car buying perks your insurance company offers. If they have a newer car, it may be time to talk about accident statistics in your area and how you can better protect their new purchase. We can adjust paid advertising with more relevant photos and content.

Network

Word of mouth is also highly valuable in today’s business world. Join your local Chamber of Commerce, social clubs, business groups and associations. Attend lectures, fundraisers and other civic events. Go to city council and school board meetings. Volunteer. If you’re busy, send someone from your staff in your place. Introduce yourself and mention your business, but don’t dominate conversation with only insurance talk. Instead, work to develop a professional relationship with as many people as possible. Hand out your contact details (a digital business card, perhaps) and then follow-up (with a personal call, email or message) at some point in the future. The goal is to have people remember you. You can worry about selling them auto insurance down the line!

All of the above benefits your networking events too! When your face is attached to marketing via traditional or digital means, you’ll gain more recognition when networking in your community.

The Haines Advantage

We might be a bit prejudiced, but our team here at Haines believes buying auto insurance leads can be one of the most effective ways for insurance agents to score new clients and maximize their ROI. Unlike other lead sources, our proprietary software allows our clients access to up to 300 searchable data points, meaning they can target potential clients right down to the smallest detail. To learn more about using our custom lead generation software to improve your prospects, as well as your profits, please contact us today.