Out of sight, out of mind. It’s a basic human tendency with as many implications to marketing as it has to more personal areas of life. One of the most common marketing mistakes is to quit marketing to a prospect once the initial sale has been made. Client retention is of great value and, in a competitive marketplace, is often difficult to ensure. It is important to work just as hard to keep your current clients, as it is to generate new business. One of the most optimum ways to remain top-of-mind among clients is through an ongoing newsletter campaign.

Whether in an email or print format, effective newsletters can inform clients about relevant issues, promote products and services, reinforce the agency’s professional image and get the point across that keeping them informed about issues related to their insurance needs is one of the agency’s utmost priorities.

The Value of Newsletters Is Proven

While newsletters provide more intangible and hard-to-quantify benefits than other marketing techniques, such as advertising or direct mail, they are no less valuable to the insurance agent. Enhanced customer loyalty, knowledge and improved client relationships are key contributors to successful sales. Standard & Poor’s recently released the results of a thorough survey-based study conducted in conjunction with Northeastern University that underscores the immense marketing value of newsletters for the insurance and financial services industry.

The survey of 4,000 financial services and insurance clients found that respondents “rely on newsletters as an information source, find value in the content and are often motivated to act as a result of what they read.” 

A full 83 percent of respondents read most or some of the articles and three quarters of survey participants found the content so valuable they saved articles for future reference.   

The most impressive evidence of a newsletter’s marketing value is the action the respondents take as a result of reading newsletter articles. To varying degrees newsletters were shown to generate website traffic, produce referrals and urge clients to consult with their advisor about topics discussed in the newsletter.

What Makes a Good Newsletter?

Every marketing tool is a direct reflection of the agent and the agency. As such, every aspect of a newsletter should reflect professionalism and be consistent in quality. Effective agency newsletters have the following traits:

·                    Informative Content

To be truly useful and thought provoking, the primary goal of the newsletter should be to educate clients on topics related to their needs. 

·                    Keep Direct Self-Promotion Secondary

Educating clients is a form of indirect and effective self-promotion that helps foster a relationship of the agent as a trusted consultant. Any direct self-promotion should be secondary to providing focused, timely and informative article content.

·                    Short, Concise Articles

Clients will probably only give a few minutes to absorb the key points of newsletter articles so it is best to focus on a few informative articles written in layman’s terms. 

·                    Clean, Attractive Design

If the newsletter looks cluttered and is hard to read, clients will likely not give it the time it deserves. Develop a professional design that is consistent from issue to issue.

·                    Prominent Contact Info

Contact information should be prominently located for easy reference and to ensure that clients are clear about who sent the newsletter. Refer readers to a website, email address and phone number where they can get more information and assistance regarding any of the article topics.

·                    Consistent Distribution Schedule

Determine a distribution frequency and establish a regular production schedule. The Standard & Poor’s survey revealed that more than half of the respondents had a negative reaction to the suggestion of canceling a newsletter program, including the impression that the agent’s clients were no longer important to them, the value of the company’s service had diminished or that the company was struggling financially.

Are you in search of a relationship builder for your clients and prospects? A newsletter is an effective marketing tool for insurance and financial services professionals, as well as a way to keep clients informed and up-to-date.

Just like any other marketing material, newsletters are a representation of your company’s image. A newsletter is a proven method agents can utilize to reinforce their professionalism and demonstrate concern for a client’s personal and financial well-being.

A study conducted by Standard & Poor’s of 4,000 financial service and insurance clients underscored the value of newsletters as a marketing and communications tool. A full 83 percent of respondents read most or some of the articles and three quarters of survey participants found the content so valuable they saved articles for future reference. Many respondents indicated that they took action based on the articles they read, such as visiting the agent’s website, giving referrals and consulting with their agent about the newsletter topics.

STARTING WITH A GOAL IN MIND

The first step to an effective client newsletter program is to consider your marketing goals. Focusing on your goals will help you establish the tone of the newsletter and determine the type of content to include. Possible goals for your newsletter might include:

·        Establishing or maintaining a line of contact with clients and prospects;

·        Reminding clients of their insurance needs and encouraging them to contact you regarding their specific situation;

·        Motivating clients to think about risk management;

·        Building a relationship where clients consider you their trusted, educated advisor; and

·        Projecting a specific brand image to your clients and prospects.

7 DEADLY SINS: The Most Common Mistakes in Creating a Client Newsletter

If you want your newsletter to have the desired impact, avoid these common mistakes:

1. Poor Design – Prospects will decide in a few seconds whether or not to read your newsletter. Make sure the design is attractive, uncluttered and has a professional appearance. Many agencies outsource newsletter production because they don’t have the expertise or time to create a professional-quality newsletter themselves.
2. Too Wordy – Articles should be concise and packed with useful information. Making them too lengthy will also clutter the design and dissuade many people from reading the entire article.
3. Too Promotional – Your newsletter should primarily focus on client education. A largely promotional piece could lead the reader to perceive the newsletter as being too subjective.
4. Irregular Production Schedule – To build strong client relationships, choose a realistic production schedule and stick to it. You want your clients to look forward to receiving your newsletter and value the consistency of the newsletter production.
5. Failure to Include Contact Information – Your clients should not have to scour the newsletter to figure out who sent it to them. Develop a consistent masthead (the heading of the newsletter) and include by it your name and/or agency’s name. Also, prominently position your phone number, email address and website URL throughout the newsletter.
6. Stopping Production – Once you begin a newsletter campaign, don’t suddenly stop or skip issues. The Standard & Poor’s survey revealed that the suggestion of ceasing production caused a negative reaction in more than half of the respondents, including the impression that the agent’s clients were no longer important to them, the value of the agency’s service diminished or that the agency was struggling financially.

PRINT VERSUS E-MAIL

There is no longer only one newsletter format. You now can choose between traditional print and e-mail formats. Choosing your optimal format depends on your technological capabilities, budget and timeline.

Print and e-mail newsletters have distinct advantages. E-mail newsletters are less expensive to produce and easier to track. Still, many people prefer to receive printed newsletters.   The Standard and Poor’s survey revealed that 41% of clients preferred to receive both print and email versions.

No matter which format you choose, the same rules apply. Clean design, consistency and quality content are the keys to a successful newsletter campaign.

It’s a wired world. Have you wired your marketing campaign?

To build relationships with your clients and prospects, speak to them through the communication channels they utilize. Chances are that your target audience uses e-mail and increases its dependence on email every day. In our technology-dependent world, a marketing program is not complete without considering an Internet marketing component.

Perhaps the most effective and credible Internet marketing technique is the electronic newsletter. Insurance agents have long used newsletters to build relationships with their clients and prospects. Studies demonstrate that newsletter marketing is highly effective. More than 80 percent of respondents to a Standard & Poor’s survey of 4,000 financial service and insurance clients said they read most or some of their agent’s newsletter. Even more relevant, the survey reported that many respondents took action based on the articles they read in the newsletter, including visiting the agent’s website, giving referrals and consulting with their agent about newsletter topics.

GOING DIGITAL WITH YOUR CLIENT NEWSLETTER

While there are advantages to both electronic and print newsletters, one of the main reasons agents choose a digital newsletter is its cost effectiveness. E-mail newsletters require no printing or postage costs, and the capability to track and manage various aspects of an e-newsletter campaign is an attractive characteristic. With an e-newsletter you can monitor “bounce-backs” or returned e-mails, check “open rates” to see who is reading your newsletter and review “link-throughs” to track more specific components. By monitoring your e-mail campaign closely, you can maintain a solid contact list and make informed decisions about how to refine your newsletter over time to best serve your audience.

SECRETS OF A SUCCESSFUL E-NEWSLETTER

Three main components will guide the success of your e-newsletter: the distribution list, article content and newsletter design.

Defining your audience

The development of your newsletter distribution list will be an ongoing process. Since e-newsletters are database driven, updating it can be simple and instantaneous.

To develop a strong initial contact list:

· Begin with a list of individuals who have done business with you.

· Add people whom you have contacted or who have solicited information from your company, but who are not yet doing business with you.

· Solicit contacts through other marketing strategies such as advertising, sales presentations, tradeshows and website links.

· Encourage referrals by promoting the “forwarding” of your e-newsletter. Also, make sure there is a prominent “subscribe” function within the e-newsletter and on your website.

· Consider purchasing a distribution list. Lists are available for purchase, however, you should make sure to verify how the contacts were obtained and what level of permission has been granted. BY WHO TO WHO? Specifically targeted lists can often be purchased through industry associations. Remember that “spamming, ”or sending unwanted e-mails, can turn off contacts and possibly create a legal liability. Be sure that the impression of spamming is strongly avoided.

· Always have an “unsubscribe” option to allow your audience to easily opt-out of future e-newsletter issues. Doing so demonstrates your legitimacy to your subscribers.

Success by Design

Once you have your initial distribution list in place, you can create a newsletter that will appeal specifically to your designated contacts. The following characteristics comprise a successful e-newsletter:

· Inbox Recognition - Make it easy for readers to identify your newsletter in their inbox. Put the title in the “Subject:” field and make sure the “From:” field will be recognizable to the reader.

· Scheduling - Stick to a consistent distribution schedule in order to help your readers anticipate and instantly recognize your newsletter. This also helps reinforce your dependability and legitimacy.

· High-Impact Content - Provide readers with succinct, information-packed articles focused on topics of high value. This will build the trust in your relationship.

· Professional Design - Make your e-newsletter visually appealing. Short, concise articles placed in a clean and professional design will encourage readers to give your newsletter the attention it deserves. Because of the highly technical nature of designing, distributing and managing e-newsletter campaigns, a high percentage of agents contract with a professional newsletter development firm.

· Facilitate Follow-Up - Prominently display your contact information, logo and website link to maximize follow-up from your prospects.
Studies show that insurance and financial services clients and prospects find strong value in informative electronic newsletters. By following the steps outlined above, your newsletter will be a valuable, anticipated addition to your readers’ inboxes and an effective marketing technique that provides a high return on a comparably low investment.

If your email subject line doesn’t pique a reader’s interest and entice them to open your message, whatever you’ve written inside won’t matter. Writing an effective subject line, however, is no small challenge. You only have a few words to make it compelling, urgent and specific. What can you do to ensure your subject line compels the recipient to open your message?

For starters, you will always be most successful if you write subject lines that state a clear benefit and tell the reader exactly how they are going to benefit by opening your e-mail.

Other key points to remember when writing your subject lines are:
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Newsletters are a great way to maintain constant contact with your target audience while at the same time enhancing brand awareness. With careful attention, newsletters can serve as a powerful marketing tool for your agency.

The most important elements of a newsletter are:

- Relevant information
- Standardized format
- Pre-defined frequency
- Option to change preferences (if delivered via email)
- Company info

Your newsletter must provide relevant information

Give readers what they want. Be it latest industry information, current trends in your business, new products, or anything else. Your newsletter should provide fresh, quality info. Your information should give a reason to the recipient to look forward to the next newsletter.

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The senior market, people over the age of 55, in the United States is the fastest and largest growing segment of the American population. Senior citizens for the most part are educated, intelligent, and certainly experienced. They also control a substantial percentage of the wealth in this country. Consequently, it makes good business sense to explore opportunities in which to service the needs of these people.

However, many of those who try to enter this market say that they are frustrated and disappointed with the results of their efforts. Perhaps, their experience would be much better and more productive if they took a moment to examine the methodology by which they are trying to gain entry into it!

If ever there was a time and place where the old cliché: ”Keep it simple stupid” is appropriate, it is in this environment. That does not translate into “talking down” to seniors, or oversimplifying the information because they “can’t get it!” What it does mean is that whatever your message may be about your product or service; make the presentation both clear and simple.
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