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NASPA Conference 2012
Danielle Walton
Digital Marketing & Your Agency
Marketing – The Old Way
• Magazines/Newspapers
• Radio
• Television
• Direct Mail
• Phone Calls
The Internet Has Changed Everything
• The internet creates permission-based marketing
• Marketing shifts to helping people find what they need
• Everything is measurable
Search Engines…Your New Best Friend.
• Search engine is the website you use to search the internet:
• There are 800+ million searches per day on Google in the United States and 4 billion per day worldwide.
• 239 Million people (approximately 68% of the total population) in North America search the Internet
• Nearly 97% of all consumers research a product or service online before making a purchase
What is Internet Marketing?
• Internet Marketing is the process of
increasing the visibility of your business’s
website on the web.
Pay Per Click (PPC) Search Engine
Optimization (SEO)
Prospects are looking FOR a solution! (permission-based)
ORGANIC
(SEO)
PAY PER
CLICK
PLACES
(SEO)
ORGANIC
(SEO)
PAY PER
CLICK GOOGLE
PLACES
(SEO)
• Highly targeted advertising
– by location (specific geography, radius, address)
– by specific keyword or phrase
• Capture potential customers at a time when they want your product or service
• Instant results and set budgets
Pay Per Click (PPC) or Paid Search
Targeted Ads: Create targeted ads on the search engines where
people are searching for the products and services in your area.
Set A Budget: Set a monthly budget you are willing to spend on
generating new customers.
Send Traffic: Send traffic to your website of potential customers
looking for what you offer.
Tracking: Track how many new customers contact you from this
marketing channel via email or phone call.
Pay Per Click (PPC) or Paid Search
• SEO (search engine optimization) is when
your website ranks higher than another
website in the search engine results pages
so that you get more traffic than them.
What is SEO?
ORGANIC
(SEO)
PAY PER
CLICK GOOGLE
PLACES
(SEO)
• In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page) and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine’s users.
• 70% of links search users click on are “organic”
• 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results
The Value of SEO
The SEO Pyramid
What Matters Most In SEO
• A CLEAN site – Be careful when selecting your web development partner
• Good CONTENT – not re-used or duplicated
– not stuffed full of keywords
– still readable and usable by actual site visitors
– consistently updated
• Quality LINK BUILDING – Links from Social Media Websites
– Directory Submissions
– Blog Posts/Guest Blogging
– Videos
Advantages:
• Immediate results >> your PPC campaign can be up and running within a couple of weeks, and site traffic and sales are immediate.
• Complete control > you bid on words, and you know your website will show up for every one. You can also set your budget and raise/lower it at any time.
• Bigger pool of keywords > if you want to show up for 15,000 keywords or phrases, you can.
Disadvantages:
• You’ll pay forever
• You’ll pay more for each sale
The Good & Bad of PPC
Advantages:
• Higher propensity to click > more people click organic search results than PPC ads.
• Better perceived relevance > many users feel that organic results are better quality and more relevant to their search than PPC ads.
• Is less expensive >> in the long-run for the amount of visitors that will be driven to your website + no ad costs.
Disadvantages:
• Long-term strategy
• Unpredictability > search engine algorithms are constantly changing
• Fewer keywords > with SEO, you need to select a small number of keywords to optimize your site for (1-5 key phrases).
The Good & Bad of SEO
It all boils down to gals, budget, and timing.
• First, you need to confirm that PPC can be a profitable channel.
• If yes, then the ideal solution is BOTH.
– PPC allows you to get started right away. It also shows you what words convert and which
have search volume.
– Use that to feed your SEO strategy.
– SEO for high impression, high conversion terms. Keep PPC for everything else.
• If your budget doesn’t support both, then it comes down to timing.
Which Is Better? SEO or PPC?
• Google Places/Plus plays a strong role in SEO.
• Make your listing as robust as possible, and get those reviews!
• Google now displays ratings in the organic listing.
So, Where Does Google Places/Plus Fit?
• With online marketing, everything is trackable and measurable
Tracking Is The Only Way This Works
Where Does Tracking Come From?
• You MUST have a website. No questions asked.
• Design MATTERS. People will make assumptions about your company based on the way your website looks.
– A poorly designed website is like showing up to a party in sweatpants.
• Well-designed navigation defines the user experience.
– The content on your site and the way you display it impacts the success of driving new customers from your website.
The Final Part Of The Equation
1. Average Value of a Customer
2. Lifetime Customer Value (include referrals)
3. Gross Margin
4. Website Conversion Rate
How To Calculate
A Cost Per Visitor $2.00 You Enter (CPC)
B Conversion Rate 2% You Enter
C Cost Per 100 Visitors $200.00 100 * A
D Conversions 2 100 * B
E Cost Per Conversion $100.00 C/D
F Average 12 Month Value $1,000.00 You Enter
G Total Sales $2,000.00 F * D
H Gross Margin 50% You Enter
I Gross Profit (Sales - Gross Margin) $1,000.00 G - (G * H)
J PROFIT $800.00 I - C
How Do I Know It Will Work For Me?
NASPA Conference 2012
Kate Gluck
Digital Marketing & Your Agency
A General Overview:
Blogging.
Social Media.
Email Marketing.
Blogging
Blogging: Why Do It?
Why should I blog?
• Part of a good SEO strategy – QUALITY
CONTENT
• Helps build credibility & trust.
• Easy to share.
• A good blog can become the central repository
for a comprehensive content marketing
initiative. – Post links to social media sites
– Use blog posts in e-newsletters
Blogging: What to Write
What should I blog about?
… & how often?
• Write about what you know… insurance!
• Answer frequently asked questions.
• Talk about your agency’s involvement in community events.
• Look for relevant topics by industry experts, carriers, etc. that you can
repost with a personal intro.
EDUCATE, DON’T SELL.
Blogging: Keeping the Content Flowing
What if I run out of things to say?
• Look at outbound & inbound emails to clients.
• Document key conversations.
• Follow other agents blogs.
• Monitor LinkedIn discussion groups
• Set Google Alerts.
Blogging: Helpful Tips
How can I make sure it gets done?
• Set up measurable tasks – Decide how often you will post and stick with the plan.
– Plot out topics in advance
– Create a blogging calendar.
– Set up tasks in Partner XE to ensure they get done.
– Block out a set amount of time each week to get it done.
Relax and be yourself. You know your stuff.
This is just another way of communicating it.
Social Media
Social Media – An Overview
Social Media
What it is…
• Social media is a communication channel – an enormous network
of connected customers online sharing information.
What it is not…
• The end all, be all of marketing
• A stand-alone marketing strategy.
• A replacement for one-on-one interpersonal communication
• A good customer acquisition strategy.
It is simply one piece of the overall puzzle
Social Media: Why Have a Presence?
What’s the Point?
• Increase your agency’s digital footprint – Most consumers research online before they buy.
– More ways to be found online.
– Claim more spots on “page one.”
– Establishes credibility.
– Drive traffic to your website.
• Aids with Search Engine Optimization. (Google+) – This is especially important for local search
• Provides a means to leverage content
• Additional client communication channel
Social Media: What Should Your Presence Be?
Create a profile on…
• Google+
Note: to save time agencies can/should use one single Social Media Management tool (i.e. HootSuite) to “listen, engage and measure all from one simple interface.”
Social Media: Beyond a General Presence
How else can I use Social Media?
• Network – with industry professionals
– with community groups
• Connect
• Promote content ( blog ) sharing.
• Gather information
• Recruit
• More
Social Media: Things to Consider
Things to Consider
• It’s a two way street.
• Feedback isn’t by invitation only.
• Not all comments will be positive.
• You must have a system of monitoring posts and responding to comments in a timely manner.
Can use one single Social Media Management tool to monitor all in one place.
Email Marketing
Email Marketing: Benefits
Why use Mass Email?
• It’s environmentally friendly
• It’s fast
• It’s affordable – no print and postage costs.
• It’s measurable
• People can read your message on their time
AND, for many recipients, it’s preferable to other forms of communication.
– Exact Target survey of over 700 consumers (ages 15+) determined that the vast majority ( 77% ) said email was their preferred channel of communications for promotion offers.
Email Marketing: Benefits
So what can I see/measure?
• Emails opened
• Responses
• Downloads
• Landings
• Clicks
This all = Actionable Data
Email Marketing: Uses
What is Email Marketing Good For?
• To Generate New Commercial Leads
• Customer Retention and Growth
– Targeted cross-sell, upsell and renewal
messages to increase and maintain your
book of business.
– Promote referral programs.
– E-Newsletters to stay top of mind with
current clients.
Email Marketing: Content is King
What should I include in my e-newsletters?
• Educational content
• Anything with perceived value to your customers.
• Change of life issues & how they impact insurance decisions. – Marriage
– Birth of child
– Buying a home
– New driver in the family
– Saving for college
– Retirement
– Etc.
Goal: Meet or exceed expectations. Offer content that is worth reading. It will make the recipient all that more likely to read it the next time…. Or better yet, share it with a friend.
Buy VS Build?
Should I do it myself?
Many available tools:
• ExactTarget
• MailChimp
• Constant Contact
• Vertical Response
• Others
Buy VS Build
Consider all the Angles
• Do I have the time?
• Could that time be better spent elsewhere?
• Do I have the tools and skillset?
• Do I have the content?
• Do I want to build my commercial client base?
• Is my strategy CAN-SPAM compliant?
Summary
Key Points to Remember:
It’s OK to start small
Quality over quantity
Plan to succeed
Leverage assets
Educate, don’t sell
Think long-term
