Looking for ways to keep long-term insurance clients? Impeccable customer service is key! The folks over at PC360 have a few tips for you:

1) Focus on your insurance agency’s culture. If you don’t, your team members won’t.

2) Manage your brand. Take ownership of situations. Be patient and compassionate with your insurance customers and prospects.

3) Encourage and reward your team members. If your staff feels appreciated they’ll be at peak performance and take optimal care of your customers.

4) Implement technology that makes your customers’ lives easier. Just make sure you maintain your personal touch.

To read the full article, click here.

As an insurance agent you have many roles to fill – particularly if you’re an agency owner. You are your own secretary, HR person, janitor, trainer…and in the case of this post, you are also your own marketer.

We know some people just don’t have the time, talent, money or desire to personally do what it takes to succeed in marketing your insurance business online.

That’s why we’re here! We also know that we’re not the end all, be all. A successful insurance agent must implement a handful of marketing strategies to close more sales and make those goals skyrocket.

We’ve shared how blogging, social media tactics and email marketing should be a part of your insurance marketing plan. Whether you do it, or you pay someone to do it, it needs to be done. Your competition is putting these things in place.

Insurance agent Ryan Hanley recommends hiring a ghostwriter to ease the burden. There are also some great DIY marketing tips on Mashable.

As always, if there’s something we’re not doing, tell us! Our goal is to empower you and your insurance business. We always want to hear where we can improve or what we can add to our services to make your experience even better.

Have a great Friday!

Interesting insight from the folks at Accenture.

To build long-term relationships with insurance customers and/or prospects, you need to understand them. Communication is not “one size fits all”. All relationships vary. To ensure you’re communicating effectively, take time to learn more about your audiences.

Insurance Journal recently published an article titled “Young Agents: Why They Stand By Their Career Choice”. They interviewed approximately 630 insurance agents under the age of 40. According to the survey, 71 percent of young agents use Facebook and 53 percent say they use social networking tools for their business.

This article offers some great insight on what the young generation of insurance agents are doing to build their businesses. Click here to read the full article.

For those of you using the AgencyIQ lead management system, you’ll be happy to know they’ve recently added a new feature that alerts you when a prospect has opened the email you sent him or her. Not only can you receive email notifications, but they’ve also added an SMS text notification function…so whether you’re in front of your computer or between appointments, you’ll have the opportunity to be alerted and be top of mind with new insurance prospects.

To learn more about this feature, head over to the AgencyIQ blog, where they have a thorough explanation of how these new features can help you.

“If you want a miracle, simply ask for one. That one mental action creates an explosion of synapses throughout the brain.” ~ Marianne Williamson

Whether you’re purchasing Internet insurance leads from us, another lead provider or generating your own leads through Facebook or your own website, implementing a lead follow-up strategy is key to closing more sales. Here are a few tips for staying in touch with your insurance prospects:

1) Determine your next touchpoint. Will you call him/her back in another 2 weeks? Have you added their email address to your monthly email newletter? Plan your next step so this lead doesn’t get caught in limbo…

2) Schedule time in your calendar for prospecting. Just like any other critical business activity, if you don’t plot out time in advance, there’s a good chance it won’t happen. Most importantly, follow through on these prospecting appointments with yourself. If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to get distracted. Not to mention, you may experience a reluctance to pick up the phone. If it’s on your schedule ahead of time, however, you’re more likely to complete the action.

3) Take good notes. We all know the insurance business is a relationship business. If you’re not staying on top of what’s new in the lives of your prospects, you may be missing out on business. Always document your conversations as they happen or immediately following the conversation.

If your insurance business has a fan page on Facebook, you may have noticed some recent changes that were launched this past week. My favorite feature is the “login as page” feature, meaning if you manage a certain page, you can can post and comment as “your page” on other pages. Previously, you were limited to posting as an individual, using your personal Facebook profile.

To learn more about these changes, check out the article on Mashable.

Are you a fan of the HometownQuotes Facebook fan page? Stay up to date with our latest news, business-building tips and special offers by “liking” our page today!

According to the International Data Corporation, 100.09 million smartphones were shipped in Q4 of 2010 versus 92.1 million PCs. (Hat tip to Duke Williams.)

This is the first time this has ever happened and likely won’t be the last.

It’s clear now more than ever…if you do not have an Internet marketing strategy or some type of interactive media strategy, you’re missing sales opportunities. How will you capture this market that will not only be looking for you and your insurance business online…but also on the mobile web?

Seth Godin regularly posts nuggets of wisdom on his blog. We highly recommend bookmarking it if you haven’t already! Yesterday’s post was highly applicable to insurance agents like yourself:

“What if you define “best customer” as the person who brings you new insurance customers through frequent referrals, and who sticks with you through thick and thin? That customer, I think, is worth far more than what she might pay you in any one transaction. In fact, if you think of that customer as your best marketer instead, it might change everything.”

I completely agree. At HometownQuotes, we value and empower every customer…regardless of how much or how little they spend with us. Whether you’re a captive insurance pro or an independent insurance agent, our marketing solutions will help you take your insurance business to the next level. How can we empower you?