Fish Are Biting, But Are You Realing Them In?

Written By : Clifford Blodgett

If you’ve followed the previous blogs in this series, you’ve learned how to improve your website traffic by utilizing your blog, social media, email, and search engine optimization (SEO). You should be getting greater exposure as people learn about your business, but how many of them leave your website without turning into a valuable lead for you? Most likely, you aren’t generating many leads yet. You now have a fully-stocked pond and the fish are biting your hook, but you may have to do a bit more work in order to reel them in.

Once again, you have to think like the fish if you want this to work. Fish bite a hook because the bait because it’s attractive. In much the same way, remember that  people surf the internet for worthwhile information.  Be the one providing it and you should generate traffic.

But attracting people to your website is only part of the battle.  You still have to “reel them in” and get them to tell others that you are offering great insurance guidelines.

Consider this scenario…

A web surfer lands on your site looking for specific information but after they find it, they go on to something else.  Although you have provided perfect information, you’ll probably never know that the person was there and you’ll continue to wonder if your marketing efforts are working.

Most advisors fail to incorporate strategic lead capture into their websites.  While they may promote newsletter signups or “no obligation meetings,” these types of offers rarely generate leads or build your list.  The key is to take the time to carefully examine the needs of your intended audience and provide an innovative offer in exchange for their contact information.  Video seminars, whitepapers, and consumer reports tend to work well for lead generation.  The more unique and valuable your offer is, the more leads you should generate.

Online audiences are typically passive, meaning they are there to read, absorb information, and leave.  It’s up to you to get creative, capture attention, and provide value.

Why is this so important? Today’s consumers are wary of nonstop sales pitches and you must build rapport and credibility.  In the online world, this means innovative content.  When you perfect this strategy and effectively incorporate lead generation, you transform your website from an online brochure into an online asset.

All good salesmen know that the sales process does not begin at the first in-person appointment. It begins when a potential buyer first hears about you, forms their first impression of you, and makes contact with you. Your website’s Call To Action is your way of directing the process.  You have the ability to turn a first impression into direct contact.

While this seems like a simple, common sense concept, it frequently goes ignored by advisors.  However, if your website doesn’t include effective lead generation, you may be getting “bites” without catching any fish.

FOR INSURANCE PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR USE WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC 14196 – 2015/3/5

Filed under: Financial Advisor Marketing