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Using Post Cards to Market Insurance

Marketing Insurance with Post Cards

by Jeffrey Dobkin

Short crisp and to the point, post cards are one of the best ways to market most any kind of service, especially insurance.

Closing sales isn’t great for their short format but you can certainly make people call you.  Here are 8 great benefits of using post cards:

Generate phone calls.
95% of the post cards I create for clients have this objective. “Call for information.”  “Call for our FREE booklet.”  “Call for FREE quote.”  “Call for…”  well you get the idea. Ask clients to call you enough and they will. Every call is the opportunity to provide better service to new customers, and increase client loyalty and longevity. And oh, yes… increase sales and revenue.

Build brand awareness.
These are the other 10% of the cards I create. By mailing post cards frequently, clients and prospects keep you in the top of their mind. So when they need anything that relates to insurance, they call you – first. Like, right away.

Build relationships.
Sure, you can – it’s easy! But not with a single post card. You need to do this over time, with a series of cards.

Paint a picture.
Show clients you are on your toes and just waiting by the phone to help them. Fast quotes, industry research, business help, referrals – whatever they need, just pick up the phone and call you right now.

FREE Quotes.
One of the best offers you can make on a post card to get readers to call is to offer a FREE quote. Every piece of business you receive starts out this way – with a phone call asking for a quote. Doesn’t it?  So even if it’s just in small print, why not ask for the opportunity to quote on every card.

Generate referrals.
Just include a line on the bottom of ALL post cards saying “Thanks so much for all the referrals – I appreciate them. Thank you!” This stimulates referrals.

FREE LUNCH!
Yes, offer a free breakfast or lunch. Put a dashed boarder around the post card and make it a fun coupon. You need to meet with clients anyhow, to make sure they know who you are. This builds loyalty and longevity into your business and creates a relationship. Let them call you and receive this free offer whenever they like. It’s also a great chance to review all their policies. Hey, I didn’t say it wouldn’t be a working lunch.

FREE BOOKLET!
The number ONE way I like to entice people to call is by offering FREE information. It’s cheap to print and the value is in the relevance. The title triggers the response: in other words, the better the booklet title, the greater the response. “11 Ways to Lower Your Insurance Premiums by Friday!” Works for me.

Here’s the bottom line in marketing with post cards:
Small agency? Mail this campaign to your top 200 prospects, and your top 200 customers.
Large agency? Mail to your top 2,000 prospects, top 2,000 customers.
Really large agency?  Call me!  I’ll how you how to mail to your top 20% of your customers and how the increase in business will pay for the mailing, the first time out!

What’s a client worth to you each year? $500 each? $1,000? $5,000 each? Here’s a proposition: suppose you sent them a post card every two weeks – or 26 post cards a year. Your cost? At 50¢ each, that’s $13 bucks. Even at $1.00 each – that’s $26 bucks to generate calls, and build a relationship of loyalty and trust.

Is it worth $13 per prospect to get them to call you? How about to keep clients active and thinking about you (and how great your service is) all year long? And build loyalty and trust into a real relationship. How much does it currently cost for you to get a new client? Or keep a client? Now how does that $13 figure compare to that?

Jeffrey Dobkin will now take your questions.
Write to him at The Danielle Adams Publishing Company · Box 100 · Merion Station, PA 19066.
Jeffrey is a fun speaker who writes excellent direct mail campaigns. He has written 5 books on increasing response. Visit www.danielleadams.com. Call him at 610-642-1000 and request other FREE articles on increasing response — or better yet, buy his books as he needs the money. Just kidding. You don’t have to buy his books. Just send the money.

15 Things To Say on a Post Card —

· New types of coverage are available from our office. Now Offering

—New: Boat protection insurance
—Now: Providing New Tractor Insurance
—New LTCI
—New: Travelers insurance.

· New types of policies are available… Call now for…
· FREE Upgrade. As your providers change, some new policies offer extended coverage for the same rate. See if you can upgrade for FREE! Call now and…
· New Lower Rates: Some rates just go down. Call us for our list of cost reductions…
· FREE Policy Review. Make this a wonderful twice-a-year offering. Or “On Special Request” Call us…
· New products are available in Auto, Life, Health, LTC and business protection. Call now for…
· Our New Providers offer better rates, policies and coverage. Call now for…
· More Protection, Less Cost. Selected coverages. Call now for…
· Thanks for your business…
· Thanks for your referrals…
· Free Quotes. Always our pleasure to quote.  Just call us and get…
· Immediate quotes on most coverages if requested!  Call now for FREE…
· Free Lunch. Yes, we’re buying! Call for…
· FREE Booklet! “11 Ways to Save on Your Insurance by this Friday!”  Call now and get…
· FREE Analysis! Let me look over your policie and I’ll show you where you can save money.  Call to…

As you can see, the objective of 99% of the post cards I write for clients is to generate a phone call from the reader.  So I sprinkle this “Please call” request – in its many forms – liberally throughout the copy.  The result?  People receive the card and call.  Don’t forget to write the objective of your post card first, then draft your copy and art around fulfilling the objective.  Yep…

Jeffrey Dobkin

Jeffrey Dobkin

Bio — Jeffrey Dobkin is a marketing consultant and a writer specializing in successful direct marketing campaigns and effective direct mail. His advertising and marketing agency serves a small base of successful clients.  This particular article was written to help you get more phone calls.  If used correctly, post cards and direct mail letters can be the most effective campaign in the insurance industry.  Dobkin also offers humorous and motivational speaking presentations throughout every level of the insurance industry.  He can be reached at 610-642-1000.

You can Purchase his Awesome Insurance Sales Letters, which are tremendous marketing tools, on this site. See a FREE Sample of his Insurance Sales Letters Click HERE. Thanks for visiting our website, hope you are enjoying it. Questions and comments are most welcome. Well, the good ones anyhow.