By Justin Brown
It wasn’t long ago that the majority of business communication was done over the phone or via U.S. Mail. You remember, the days when we couldn’t text message people or had to know how to format a return address for the post office? Nowadays, however, it seems communication between company and customer, company and vendor, etc. is done mostly via email.
Just like with your traditional communication methods of yesteryear, it’s a good idea to put your personal stamp on all the digital correspondence you send out; not only for brand recognition, but for consistency as well. You can do this by setting up a custom email signature, which can act as your online business card.
Having a custom email signature is a popular trend in online business today, as it gives people the chance to locate the sender easier, and of course creates brand consistency with a subtle touch of personality. Plus, by including your agency’s signature, your messages will be less likely to be marked as spam.
What Should Your Custom Email Signature Include?
At the very least, your agency signature should provide basic contact information, including your phone number, email address, and website. (Be sure to make your website name a hyperlink so that one click will bring readers to your site). But that’s just the beginning. You can also add photos, logos, social media buttons, testimonials, special offers and more.
A quick note however about adding too much “flare” to your email signature; there is such thing as too much “flare”. Everyone thinks they are a designer at times but a wide spectrum of photos, fonts, colors, and pictures can have an adverse affect. Live by the rule of “keeping it simple” and you’ll have hit the mark with a custom digital signature that promotes your business as a professional and organized insurance agency.
Here are five email signature ideas designed specifically for insurance agents or risk managers:
Link to your “Get a Quote” page. This is probably the most important. The easiest way to do this is to have text at the bottom of your signature that says something like, “Get your free insurance quote.” This should link to your optimized contact form or quote landing page.
Pro Tip: Take this one step further with a response email. After the prospect has submitted their information, send an automated “trigger” email letting them know you’ve received their information and have begun working on their request. Of course this email should also have your agency’s branded email signature.
Link to your social profiles. There’s no easier way to grow the number of Facebook fans, Twitter followers, and LinkedIn connections you have than by making it easy for people to connect with you. Add direct buttons to your signature that people can click on. In addition to growing your professional network, this also builds credibility because people who do not connect with you may still learn more about your company while trying to decide whether to buy insurance from you.
Link to a YouTube video or channel. If you’ve been interviewed by a TV reporter recently, or have a commercial running for your insurance agency, add a link to your digital signature that prospects can click on to learn more about you.
Ensure that any social channel you link to from your signature is well developed, not just a single post or video. The more developed each of these channels, the more credibility your pages and ultimately your insurance agency will have.
Showcase a startling insurance fact. By connecting yourself with your industry, you can showcase yourself as a leader. A good fact to provide may be something like this: “Average apartment fire claim: $21,000; Average renter’s insurance policy: $.75 a day.” Numbers like this might pique someone’s interest. Remember that it’s easier to get people’s attention when you’re talking about their money.
Link to online reviews. Having positive online reviews for your insurance agency on Google, Yelp, Yahoo Local, and others can boost your search rankings and increase phone calls because you look more trustworthy. If you’re very confident in the quality of your service, add links directly to those profiles to make it easy for people to give you a review.
While you may think all five of these ideas are good ones, don’t overdo it!
Pick one or two to try. If you give people too many options they tend to ignore all of them because they don’t know what to do or you end up re-directing them away from your intended goal of getting new contacts and new business. Having too many links in your signature can also land your message in a recipient’s SPAM folder, a place you don’t want to end up!
About The Author
Justin Brown is an insurance marketing expert working as the Marketing Content Manager for the Bankrate Insurance companies NetQuote, InsureMe, and AgentInsider. He provides insurance agents and risk management advisors with the latest news and marketing tips to help them grow their business.