Just because you land new policyholders doesn’t mean they’ll stick around for years to come doing business with your brokerage. For that, you have to build loyalty. And, the fact still remains that one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to improve customer fidelity is with consistent and thoughtful email marketing.  

But, if you’re like many insurance brokers we’ve seen over the years, your email communication with clients starts with a big bang and then fizzles after a few months because of the commitment it takes to consistently send high-quality, engaging emails.

So what’s the secret to staying in touch with clients and building lasting trust that will pay dividends at renewal time? We talked to brokerages with extraordinarily high customer retention rates and found they all adhere to the following list of dos and don’ts when it comes to their email marketing programs.

DO

Share relevant, interesting topics: According to Mailigen, emails that are relevant to recipients drive 18 times more revenue than general broadcast emails. And, your clients will appreciate receiving information that helps them make the most of their insurance coverage.

Reward customer loyalty: Explore creative ways to let customers know you appreciate their business and word-of-mouth referrals. E-gift card programs that deliver gift cards right to your clients’ email inbox for popular places like Tim Horton’s are a great way to thank clients for referring friends and family to your brokerage.

Let technology work for you: Writing, designing, and sending regular emails and newsletters is a time-consuming undertaking, especially for small and mid-sized brokerages that don’t have marketing staff. However, by leveraging an automated marketing tool like Pathway’s Staying ‘N Touch plan, it’s easy to create professional emails and newsletters in minutes with professionally written content from an extensive articles library.

Measure your success: Remember, engagement is the key to your email marketing success, so it’s not enough to just send out emails on a regular basis. You also need to check your email analytics to see who is opening your emails, what content they’re most attracted to reading, and whether you’re getting a lot of unsubscribes.

DON’T

Forget to optimize for mobile: According to the U.S. Consumer Device Preference Report, 65 percent of emails get read first on a mobile device. That means it’s essential to create emails that look great and are easy to read on a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Inundate your clients’ inboxes: Too many emails will prompt your clients to hit the unsubscribe link. In fact, 69 percent of people say they unsubscribe because of “too many emails” according to a recent survey. For a low-touch industry like insurance, one to two emails per month is a good rule of thumb to maximize engagement.

Send everyone the same emails: Your commercial insurance clients will obviously have different content interests than your life insurance clients, so your emails to these unique audiences should reflect that. It’s nice to cross-sell from time to time, but when the goal is building loyalty, it’s worth the extra time and attention it takes to tailor your content to the audience.

In addition to following these dos and don’ts, keep in mind your experience with email marketing from the brands you trust. By paying attention to the emails that draw you in, as well as those that don’t, you can improve your email connection with clients.

Also, remember that Pathway is here to make email marketing simple for you. So, if you’re not already using Staying ‘N Touch, schedule a demo with us to see how this affordable tool can transform your email communications.