As an agent you’re busy working leads, servicing policies and chasing down applications — it can be tough to come up with engaging, valuable material for your e-newsletter month after month.
Here are 7 quick ideas from the editors of the Norvax newsletter to keep your e-publication full of good content — some of it may even be lying around your office right now:
- Tackle those frequently asked questions.
Every day your office fields the same questions from different people. Chances are your readers have similar concerns or misconceptions about insurance coverage.
Why not turn those concerns into a Q & A column? As you work leads, jot down the questions you hear all the time. At the end of the month, choose one or two for your column and type up a quick answer.
- Get a guest writer.
Who says you have to do all the work? If you have any colleagues in related (or just interesting) fields, invite them to write a guest column. As an incentive, offer them a short bio at the end of their article and a link back to their business website.
(Want to contribute a guest column to the Norvax newsletter? Let us know.)
- Subscribe to lots of e-newsletters.
Take cues from what other people are writing about around the web. Sign up for several e-newsletters (you can always unsubscribe later).
Whenever you need a quick mental break between phone calls, give one a quick scan. Make note of ideas that inspire your own original articles.
- Announce your new products.
Your newsletter is a great vehicle to cross-sell your current clients. Announce new products and describe how they can make your readers’ insurance experience easier, or more enjoyable.
- Skip the last minute scramble — keep a calendar.
Once a quarter sit down and try to plan out your newsletters as best you can. Even if you only keep a skeleton of potential ideas, when it’s crunch time you’ll be glad to have even partial content to refer to.
- Announce news and events you’re attending.
Are you throwing seminars or attending any events this month? Keep track of them for your newsletter. Even if your schedule is empty, you can list events of interest around your area.
Providing your readers with a list of interesting events could inspire them to print out your e-newsletter or keep visiting it during the entire month.
- Grab free content from the web.
If you’re short for material at the end of the month, check out the many sources of free articles on the web.
Here’s a list of free article distribution sites: http://www.businessknowhow.com/internet/ezineresources.htm
