Ask The Expert

What's the best way to educate prospects on my site?

The more you teach them, the more they trust you. Strong educational content is great for nudging visitors to become prospects… but you can’t just pull it out of thin air.

I recommend writing a handful of articles yourself to get started. It’s not as hard as you think; you’re just putting down the same advice and information you give your clients every day. Think of the biggest questions your prospects ask, and deliver the answers in a brief article (you really don’t need more than 800 words or it starts to get long for your online reader. If you’re on a hot streak and it’s getting a little long, consider breaking it up into two different articles).

Cover the basics with simple articles like, “Tips for Selecting Health Insurance”, “Why Do You Need Insurance?” or “What You Need to Know About (State) Health Insurance”. Remember, your website visitors aren’t looking to read a novel; they just want some quick tips and information to help them understand insurance.

If you keep on top of your state’s health insurance developments, post relevant news articles on your site as well. Not only does it show you stay informed, your visitors will find it useful.

And don’t forget about your carriers. Some of their press releases may be of interest to your visitors, and the brand name lends your site credibility.

Just make sure that when you post information from carrier press releases or your local news that you re-write it in your own words. All content for your site should be original, or you could be penalized by search engines.

Next, begin a simple email newsletter once a month. Import your contacts into an easy to use newsletter tool. Your goal is to talk to people continuously, so when they’re ready to buy, you’re front of mind.

If you’re using Norvax’ SiteLever program, you can add articles to the “News” section of your site whenever you want. It’s as simple as copying and pasting your article and clicking a button. Keep adding them until you have a library of educational content. NOTE: Please, please, please don’t just copy and paste someone else’s content. Not only is this bad form, the search engines can ban your site for it. 

Our clients have had great success with this formula. While we can’t give out their sites as examples (since I know how resourceful agents can be, I can just imagine them getting flooded with phone calls), check out this site that does a great job of providing visitors with relevant educational content:

National Association of Insurance Commissioners: http://www.insureuonline.org/index.htm

Jeremiah Desmarais is the award winning Vice President of Marketing at Norvax. He and his team have won 3 awards in 2006 for their marketing initiatives that touch Norvax' client base and carrier relationships on a daily basis. He is author of several white papers, and has been a contributor to the Agent's Sales Journal, Health Insurance Underwriter as well as a guest speaker at various carrier events and workshops. He is a member of the Society of Industry Leaders. He welcomes feedback at jdesmarais@norvax.com

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