Recently, I came across an email fromInsuranceNewsNet.com titled “Big Branding for FMOs, BGAs and Carriers”. In it, Paul Feldman discusses company brands, what they are, what they say about a company, how you create a brand, and more. Now, you may be thinking, “what does this have to do with me, an individual broker? I work for or with a company and they already have a brand.”
But you are your own brand.
Consumers will judge your business, expertise, and quality based on things like word of mouth testimonials, customer service, follow through, timeliness, and action. If you don’t follow through or your service is poor, your personal brand will be tainted. You will receive less testimonials and references and won’t obtain as much business as you would if your brand is strong. Having a strong presence and a positive image on the Internet and in public are keys to success.
While a referral is one fantastic form of free advertising, individual brokers must strive to do more to truly separate themselves from the rest. And sometimes, that means paid advertising. But for the individual, “paid” means it’s an expense and “expense” is a bad word. We typically attempt to simultaneously earn profit and keep expenses at a minimum and advertising is one of the first cuts. But check out this quote from Al Reis, former Disney and Ford branding consultant (via Feldman):
“When you get to be the leader, the thing that keeps you in front is advertising that keeps the competitor silent. The best thing is to consider advertising as a price of leadership. We say advertising is insurance. You pay a small amount of sales revenue to guarantee that you’re not going to lose your leadership. It’s unlike life insurance, which pays off when you’re dead; this is insurance that keeps you alive.”
Check out the entire article by clicking here.
So you want to brand yourself to stay ahead of the curve, put your name out there, grow your reputation, and build your web presence. But you don’t want to or can’t afford to pay an arm and a leg. Luckily, we have a solution for you.
Our new DataRaptor technology provides each broker with their own personalized Insurance Division website in addition to pre-made marketing materials that are branded for you (plus much, much more)! Interested in learning more? Click here to visit our website or give us a call at (800) 823-4852.
