Many financial services businesses have waded into the world of online annuity marketing over the last few years. This is where insurance companies compete to get in front of you, the consumer. With your attention, they hope to convince you to buy their product or service. The best way to do this is through online annuity marketing.
What is online annuity marketing? Simple, it is the use of interactive websites, social media, and mobile messaging to gain exposure and drive traffic to your web page. Why should you care about online annuity marketing? It is the most effective way to get in front of your target audience without having to rely on traditional advertising methods. Here are the key differences between online annuity marketing and traditional advertising:
Personal
While traditional advertising uses general demographics to reach the masses, online annuity marketing focuses on one group; your target audience. This way, the chances of your product or service being seen by someone who really needs it is much greater. In addition, online annuity marketing allows you to create and maintain a relationship with your audience. You can have a conversation with your customers and gain some level of trust. It is, ultimately, a far more effective strategy. Traditional advertising is like throwing a dart at a map and hoping to hit the target market. With online annuity marketing, this is easily avoided. One of the biggest advantages of this strategy is that you can do it yourself without needing to hire expensive advertising agencies.
Cost Effective
Traditionally, advertising costs money. You are paying for the ad, potentially, multiple views, and the cost of the product or service being advertised. With online annuity marketing, all of this is cost-free. You are not spending a penny if you want to advertise online. You can run ads on free platforms such as Google AdWords and Facebook. In addition, you do not need to pay for expensive TV ads if you want to reach the general public. The only expense you have is your time. Traditional advertising methods can be effective, but they are very expensive and, in most cases, not sustainable.
Targeted
When you run a traditional ad, you are reaching a huge audience. It is difficult to determine how many people you will reach and whether or not they will be interested in your product or service. With online annuity marketing, you have the precise targeting tools at your fingertips. You can determine what type of person is visiting your site, reading your blog, or interacting with your business on social media. It is the old maxim, “You never get a second chance at a first impression.” With targeted advertising, your odds of getting a positive response are much greater. It is also far more efficient. You are not wasting your time and money if your target audience does not match the people you are advertising to.
Creative
The most effective ads are those that are creative and memorable. Many insurance companies have used interesting images and videos to capture the attention of consumers. In addition to this, they have used creative copy, paired with relevant links, to draw in more traffic. The more unique and creative you can be, the more likely you will stand out among your competitors. The key is to keep things interesting and make sure your target audience does not get bored. A good rule of thumb is to avoid using text-based ads.
Innovative
As online annuity marketing develops, more and more businesses are coming up with innovative ways to promote their products or services. Some of the more innovative ideas include:
- Virtual Shopping Experiences (VSEs)
- MatchingMate
- Relevancy Ranking
- Video Briefings
- Interactive Quizzes
- And More!
These are just a few examples of innovative online marketing strategies. The point is to come up with ways to get the attention of your target audience. The better you do this, the more likely you will be able to drive sales.
What are the steps to effectively use online annuity marketing? First, identify your target audience. This is not as difficult as it sounds. You can start by looking at the demographics and psychographics of people who have shown interest in your product or service. From here, you can determine who your ideal buyer is and create buyer persona’s; characters that represent this group. Then, you can flesh out supporting details; skills, motivations, and strategies.
Next, pick a platform. This is where you will spend the majority of your time and resources. You have a few options here; WordPress, Blogger, or static HTML. If you go with the latter, make sure you have a marketing person to help you set up your blog in the first place. The best platform for marketing is WordPress. It is very versatile and has a large community of experts who can help you get up and running smoothly. If you do not have the time or resources to create a WordPress blog, try Blogger or Medium. They are both free and very easy to use. In addition, these platforms offer analytics tools, which you can use to track the success of your efforts.
Once you have chosen your platform, jump into creating content. This content should be of value to your target audience. It could be an informative blog post, an FAQ, or a guide. Whatever you create, make sure it is worth consuming. You can use a tool like Google Trends to easily find topics that are trending and popular across the internet. Use this content to attract potential customers to your website. Make sure you use keywords or tags as you are creating this content. This will help Google and other search engines to identify your content and thus, your business.
Now, you need to get the word out there. Start by using multiple platforms. This is vital to reaching your target audience. There are numerous free tools out there, such as Google AdWords and Facebook, that can help you do this. Make sure you create a separate ad for each platform. For example, you can run a paid Facebook ad to attract potential customers to your website. You can also use this platform to promote your next event or to find volunteers for your nonprofit organization.
Doing business online is easier than ever. With the help of WordPress, you can have a blog set up in no time at all. In addition to this, you can use social media tools to get the word out there. This is a free and easy way to connect with potential customers and gain credibility. It is also a great place to find and engage with customers. You can create memes and use hashtags to find and engage with customers online. Many businesses, large and small, have used social media to great effect.
Another vital piece of the puzzle is to make sure your website is optimized for SEO. This stands for Search Engine Optimization. Basically, SEO is the process of making your website as search-friendly as possible. It is all about following the guidelines set by Google (and other search engines). Keep in mind, if someone is searching for your product or service, they probably have a particular need or use-case in mind. For example, if they are looking for a travel insurance policy, they might have specific needs relating to travel. If you can meet these needs, you will be able to guide them to a purchase that is right for them. This means more sales and a higher conversion rate. An experienced SEO company can help you get the most out of your website and ensure you are meeting the needs of potential customers. For more information, check out this helpful guide from Google.
Back To You
This is the end of the lesson and you should now have a good idea of how to get started with online annuity marketing. It is a broad subject and there are many different ways you can go about attracting and engaging with your target audience. Make sure you have fun with this process. Coming up with innovative ideas and creative approaches is how you will stand out above your competitors. So, don’t be afraid to be creative.