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It only takes a second to form a first impression about a person. Websites are no different. First impressions start with what you see.

Factors such as colors, spacing, text and buttons affect a first impression. The better the first impression, the longer a prospect will stay on your agency’s homepage.

Today we will review, above the fold, video and static homepage images. Both types are effective, if done well. To clarify, above the fold means what the viewer sees on a website before scroll down. And a static image is an image that does not move.

The goal of most insurance websites is to generate leads. You need them to reach your website and stay on it long enough to convert and engage. If your website has a high bounce rate, visitors are leaving your website soon after arriving. Those leads are lost. A way to capture attention right off the bat is with a compelling homepage image.

So the question is…

“Do I use a video or a static image?”

Know Your Brand. Know Your Audience.

If you don’t know who your audience is, you will miss the mark every time. It is critical to know and understand your agency’s target audience. Who is visiting your website? What answers are they seeking? Combine that with your brand when selecting a homepage image. Your brand is a direct representation of who you are. So, start by answering the below questions:

• What do you like?
• What do you prefer?
• What is your preference?

The right imagery will direct visitors to the call to action on the page. Ask yourself: What do you want your clients and prospects to do when they visit your website?

• Request A Quote

• Contact the agency
• Refer A Friend
• Payment/Claim

Video vs. Static Homepage Backgrounds

Click to this insurance website: https://www.rocciinsurance.com/. Here is a website with a video background. Notice the video has a dark overlay. This allows the main call to action (Request A Quote Now) to stand out against the video.
 

Humans gravitate toward movement. It’s almost impossible to ignore. But, depending on your target audience the video could be overwhelming and distracting. This is where the static image comes into play.

Using a static image simplifies your website. It prevents distractions by having the viewers full attention on the call to action.

Here is a website with a static image: https://www.nicevilleinsurance.com/
 

People are visual, and the video or photo you choose for your homepage will give off a certain feeling. It is crucial to take the time to review and analyze the imagery you plan to use on your website.

For example, look at the video on this website: https://www.crwinsurance.com/. I get the feeling of family, welcoming, happy, friendly. Each visitor will view your imagery differently but it typically has a focus.
 

For example, a static photo like this website: https://www.eciagency.com/ is also effective. No people, straight to the point. Umbrellas tell me “We have you covered.” Great concept, simple, no fluff.
 

The goal, above the fold, is to grab the viewers attention. Thus the homepage is one of the most critical areas on your website. This is where you capture leads and convey what your agency is about.

In Conclusion

Decisions about what visuals to use can be difficult. But, choosing your photos should be a thoughtful decision.

Photography and video communicates with your viewers as much as text and calls to action do. But always remember: Your website is a direct representation of who you are. It needs to reflect what you like and the feeling you wish to convey.

Clare DeNicola has a passion for helping businesses grow, whether it’s her own company, a client, or through her volunteer work.

She channels that passion through the10company, a strategic communications and consulting firm she co-founded.

“We have a wide variety of Fortune 500 and emerging tech clients,” said DeNicola. “We work on everything from traditional communications—media relations and social media—to employee communications, leadership coaching, new product launches, as well as sales and growth strategies.”

DeNicola get her start in the insurance industry at IVANS.

“I joined IVANS as CMO and working for Dan Carmichael, who was the CEO at the time.” said DeNicola. “Prior to then, I had worked in accounting/consulting for PricewaterhouseCoopers, the PR industry, the pet products industry, and for a financial database company.”

Her time at IVANS made a big impact and she remembers being named CEO of the company as an impactful moment on her career.

“I had been with the company a number of years prior so I knew the business,” said DeNicola. “And that meant I knew the challenges. It was a very interesting time in the industry because our legacy network business in P&C was declining rapidly, and we needed a strategy to replace it quickly.”

She focused on a new opportunity: Growing the company’s presence in healthcare. Meanwhile, she began pivoting their services in insurance and healthcare to higher value software and communications services. 

“It was both a stressful and a very exciting time for me,” said DeNicola.

She helped to transform IVANS from an insurance industry network re-seller to an innovative technology solutions provider, resulting in significant revenue growth and increased shareholder value.

DeNicola describes a full life outside the office. She spends time volunteering at her local Humane Society, at AUGIE as the brand and communications advisor, on the parents board for her daughter’s university, and serves as the Chief Marketing Advisor for her son’s former high school.

She and her husband of 25 years live in Rumson, New Jersey. Although their two kids are away at college, their home is not quite an empty nest.

“I still have five rescue pets at home,” said DeNicola. “Three dogs and two cats.”

When asked what she loves most about working in the insurance industry, DeNicola calls out two things: The people and the innovation.

“I really love the people in the industry,” said DeNicola. “Even if they change jobs, many stay in the industry, so it’s great when you see them at meetings and can catch up like you saw them yesterday even if it’s been a couple years.”

And secondly, she loves the innovation taking place in insurance.

“I love the start-ups, the pride the founders have in building their businesses, and their drive to solve problems and really help customers.” said DeNicola.

This is the way Clare DeNicola works.

Location:

New York, NY

Current gig:

Principal at the10company, a strategic consulting agency I co-founded.

One word that describes how you like to work.

Sorry – this is two words: Pushing boundaries.

Current mobile device:

iPhone 8 plus

Current computer:

MacBook Pro

Project(s) you’re currently working on:

We recently introduced VOICES, leadership and communications coaching specifically for women executives, and I’m working to introduce it to a number of organizations for their programs for women leaders.

Accomplishments you’re proud of:

(1.) Being able to hang with my 19-year-old daughter in the Shred class at the gym,  (2.) Founding—with a partner—the10company from scratch, (3.) The work we do every day for clients, especially the stuff that helps them grow their businesses, (4.) Leading the team that built IVANS healthcare business into a major health technology player—a big driver of the company’s sale in 2013.

What are your goals for the next 12 months?

Continue to expand the10company’s business and hiring more people to the team.

What do you like most about your job?

I love that I get to work on so many different things and learn about so many businesses and industries. In the last month, I’ve interviewed independent agents about their hiring practices, worked with insurance technology leaders on the biggest barriers to more technology adoption, helped several cybersecurity experts get prepared for media interviews, and coached a female executive on the best ways to communicate with an all-male board of directors.

What technology, apps or tools can’t you live without?

Instagram. I signed up as a way to connect with my kids, but I’ve found I love the ability to post a picture or story quickly as well as the change to check in quickly.

Describe your workspace.

I actually find I can work anywhere—just need my laptop and I’m good to go. But my office itself is light and bright, some happy modern art prints on the walls, and I always have music or news playing in the office. I love a clean desk so there’s not much else.

How do you manage your to-do list?

It’s never written down, but I keep a pretty extensive running list in my head.  I like to finish things, but I also like to make sure they are the best they can be…so while I may be finished with a task, I’m not always done, especially if I am able to apply new information and insights to make it better.

What’s your best time-saving tip or hack?

Filing emails. My inbox only contains about 10 emails at a time—everything else has been dealt with and filed.

What’s the first thing you do when you get in the office?

I read the New York Times.

What do you listen to while working? 

I put cable news on in the background or if I’m working on more creative things, it’s music. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bon Jovi or sometimes Eminem.

What are you currently reading?

I just started reading Educated by Tara Westover. The last books I finished were The People of the Book (by Geraldine Brooks) and The Wife (by Meg Wolitzer which is also a movie starring Glenn Close) which were selected by a summer book club and were both excellent.

Favorite social network?

I’m pretty active on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram, and a little on Twitter—I check them all multiple times a day, both for work and for play which kind of merges into one. At one time or another they’ve all been the source of a new idea or news item that can be worked into a business opportunity.

Coffee or tea?

Starbucks black iced tea or chai latte

Night owl or morning person?

Definitely a night owl.

What’s your sleep routine like?

I often stay up pretty late but when I close my eyes, I’m out…for 7 hours.

What does a typical day look like for you?

One of the things I like about what I do is that no day is really typical. I work with a variety of clients, both in the insurance space and other industries. In particular I love working with emerging tech companies—helping them craft and tell their stories and figuring out go-to-market strategies. We’ve worked with four that have successful exits, which is the most rewarding. But, if I had to envision a typical day it would include heads down work on a project for a few hours, a conference call that might be a status check in with one of my clients, and then conduct a leadership training or facilitating an industry meeting in the afternoon.

Who are your business idols and why?

I would have to say it’s my mother. She raised two kids on her own, working as an executive secretary. She worked her way up to be the secretary to the President of Sony before she retired. She definitely taught me about the power of hard work.

What is your motto or personal mantra?

I have two.  The first is about personal improvement…once you do something, the next time you do it, look for a way to do it better. To do it the same way is boring…there’s always a way to challenge yourself, push the edges to make it better. And the second is about mistakes. There will always be mistakes…the real test is what you do about them once you realize you’ve made one. Handling it directly and openly is always the best path.

Who would you like to see in a future This is the Way post? 

Cal Durland, Interface Optimization Director, IVANS; Cecile Locurto, Vice President Communications, Aspen Insurance; Stu Durland, Vice President and Owner, Seely & Durland Insurance; Mike Skeele, President, Skeele Agency Inc.

Guest blogging can be an effective way to build backlinks to your insurance website. But, knowing how to find companies willing to post something on their website that they didn’t write can be challenging. Even if the other website doesn’t link back to you, you are getting very cheap branding. It is a win-win for you.

I’ll take you through what steps to take when guest blogging and why you should do it.
 

Step 1: Research

The first thing you need to do is find websites that would provide value to you if they post one of your blogs. You shouldn’t guest blog on any website. Does it make sense to see auto insurance information on a blog about the latest super fruit? Nope!
 

Current Clients

If you write business insurance, you should go through your current clients and see who has a website. Then, go through that list and see what types of businesses they are to see if they might be a good fit. It’s always easier to get someone to agree to guest blogging if you have a prior relationship with them.

A few examples would be writing about renters insurance on an apartment website. Or, writing about homeowners insurance on a realtor’s website. Or, writing about auto insurance on a car dealership website. Those combinations all make sense.
 

Other Websites

If you don’t have a premade list to look at, you can use the same strategy above but look on Google. Let’s use the homeowner’s insurance example from above. You can use modifiers in your Google search query to quickly find websites that fit the bill.

1. Go to www.google.com
2. In the search bar, type in Apartment complex :city: “blog”. Put the city you want to search in place of the :city: text. If you include the quotations, Google will do a search for apartment complexes in that city that specifically mention the word blog on their website.
3. Start copying and pasting these URLs to create a list of targets. They are all decent options to target for guest blogging.

Step 2: Outreach

Now that you have a list of targets, start reaching out to them. Your outreach should consist of a few parts…

1. Introduction
2. Why you are reaching out
3. Proposed topics

There are generally three ways that you would reach out to someone.

Current Client

Reaching out to a current client will give you your best shot of getting a response. I like to frame this as you doing a service for them, not the opposite. Here is an email I might send a current client.

Hi John,

Hope everything is going well! At Phil’s Business Insurance, we are passionate about keeping everyone educated about the intricacies of insurance.

We are reaching out to our clients to offer a free, custom written blog, specifically for your website. We thought the following topics might be relevant.

• 5 Things to Know About Home Insurance
• Is Flood Insurance Part of Home Insurance?
• How Much Home Insurance Coverage Do You Need For a New Home?

If this would be of interest do you, please reply and let me know.
 

Other Website - Email

Reaching out to someone you don’t know is always going to the most difficult to get a response. So don’t feel bad if the response rate is low.

Hi John,

Hope everything is going well! At Phil’s Business Insurance, we are passionate about keeping everyone educated about the intricacies of insurance.

We are reaching out to local realtors to offer a free, custom written blog, specifically for your website. We thought the following topics might be relevant.

1. 5 Things to Know About Home Insurance
2. Is Flood Insurance Part of Home Insurance?
3. How Much Home Insurance Coverage Do You Need For a New Home?

If this would be of interest do you, please reply and let me know.
 

Other Website – Form

Some websites won’t list an email address on it. You’ll have to use a contact form on the website. You can use content from the email listed above, but  add it to the comments section of the form. Someone manages these forms. So you should have just as good a chance at getting a reply from a form as you would from sending the email above.

Step 3: Write The Blog

We are going to assume you got a few bites and need to write a few blogs now. Make sure you do what you say you will. Write on the topic the company chose. And make sure to write each blog from scratch, so it does provide value.

Don’t promote yourself too much in the content. It is okay to mention your agency name near the end. But your goal is to provide as much value as possible for the other website.

You might have noticed we didn’t ask for a backlink in the outreach up above. So…
 

Step 4: Backlink

Now that you have done all this work, you should try and get a link out of it. It’s best to ask after they post the blog. We don’t want the other company to think you only did all this work to try and get a link, even if they might already think that.

Once they reply and confirm they posted the blog for you, you could either reply right away, or wait a little while. But once you do, I would say something like this.

Hi John,

I hope the blog we provided has been useful for you! We wanted to touch base to see if you might be able to link to our website from the blog. You can just use www.mywebsite.com.

We appreciate the consideration.

Thanks!

In Conclusion

Guest blogging is one of several ways to try and get a backlink. It should be part of your regular backlink building efforts. The guest blog can provide more value to you than just the link, but that should be your end goal.

Some strategies work better for some companies, so review what is working and what isn’t. Come up with a revised plan, and redeploy until your guest blogging strategy works like a well-oiled machine.

These are the enhancements that are included in the next release of agency management system InsurancePro (Release 6.0.40.13).

• Corrected an issue that was not printing the information in a note when printing within the customer record
• Added the ability to prevent non-admin users from changing the fees amounts from Agency Fees window

Do you have questions about how to appeal to today's online consumers?

We have answers.

Join us for the next edition of Masters of Marketing as our panel of experts take your insurance marketing questions in a live, question-and-answer style webinar.

In addition to your questions, we'll cover topics like...

• What online prospects want out of your agency website
• How to generate more quote requests from your website
• Getting your website appearing higher in online searches
• ...And more!

Whether you are stuck in a marketing rut or just want a second opinion, join us on Thursday, October 17 at 12:00 p.m. CT for a Q&A with the following insurance marketing experts: Karly Baker, Website Coordinator; Darmini Kara, SEO Consultant; and Jayci Morrison; Website Designer.

Attendees can ask questions during the live webinar, or submit them early by commenting on this blog post.
 

We've updated the below ACORD forms for users of our agency management system InsurancePro.

New Forms

9 GA 2019/10 - Georgia Notice of Nonrenewal of Motor Vehicle Insurance

10 GA 2019/10 - Georgia Notice of Nonrenewal of Motor Vehicle Insurance Based on Termination of Agency

What is A/B testing in the case of email marketing? It is the act of testing one variable between two versions of the same email. The emails send to a small percentage of your audience. Then, you send the better performing one to the rest of your audience.

After that, you can use the variable that tested better in your future emails. A/B testing is a great way to find out what works well for your agency. And, it helps you see what your audience responds to.

Use the following A/B tests to learn more about your agency’s client base. And, improve your email marketing engagement.
 

Sender Name & Email Address

The sender name is the first thing a recipient will look at when they see your email in their inbox. Do you think they will be more likely to open your email if it comes from the owner of the agency? What about their personal agent? There is also the option of the agency name, or someone else.

You can use A/B testing to see who the recipients recognize more. Choose the version with the highest open rates. Then, send emails from the sender that performed best.
 

Subject Line

The subject line is another first sight item that will determine whether the customer opens your email or not. Try including a buzzword in the subject line and see if it that prompts more opens. Or personalize the subject line with the recipient’s name. If your email marketing platform can’t personalize emails,  try adding you in the subject line. For example:

• Test Subject Line A: Auto Insurance Rates in Your Area
• Test Subject Line B: Auto Insurance Rates

See which one garners a higher open rate. You could try testing out a plain subject line alongside a craftier one. Sometimes, you may notice that simplicity wins.
 

Calls to Action

As an insurance agent, you send emails to prompt recipients to take an action you want. A call to action button can help. Perhaps you want customers to contact you. You may want to go over their policies for a review and cross-selling opportunities.

You could test out whether a Get a Quote, Call Us, or Contact Us button gets the most clicks. Aside from wording, you can also test a button’s color, size or position.  
 

Length, Copy, & Formatting

Like I mentioned, sometimes simplicity and clarity perform better than something fancy or too creative. See if a long or short email has a better click through rate. Test versions with more imagery or less graphics.

One of our customers who knows her audience like the back of her hand sends long newsletters. You would think would not work at all. But, her statistics show the long emails work for her agency.

It can be hard to guess what will perform well with your audience, and that is why it is best to test.
 

Day & Time

Now you have some A/B testing ideas, try them for yourself. But remember, you must make sure to always keep a report of your results. You will need them to reference for future marketing purposes. It is also best to only test one variable at a time. That way, you can isolate what it was that is making your email perform better or worse.

Pencils up.

If you’re like me, those two words bring you chills.

When I was growing up, they signaled that a test was coming. The kind with Scantron sheets or light blue booklets filled with lined paper.

It didn’t matter what I absorbed in class or how much I’d prepared. If I couldn’t put down the right answers from memory, my grade was toast.

While I tended to do well in school, I didn’t embrace testing as a student. I thought it was a poor way to measure success.

But now, my thoughts are different.

As a digital marketing professional, I recognize testing is my ticket to ride. Independent insurance agents would be wise to embrace it too.

Here’s why.

Test For Success

The digital revolution has transformed marketing for independent insurance agents. It used to be difficult for agents to tie campaigns to bottom-line results. But that is no longer the case.

Insurance agents can measure performance on their websites with precision today. And with these capabilities come new marketing measurement opportunities.

Some consider A-B testing to be the most revolutionary of these opportunities.

A-B testing assesses the viability of a feature on a website or mobile app. This can be a webpage, an icon, or a similar digital element.

During an A-B test, some consumers see an original version of the feature. This is version A. Others see an altered version. This is version B.

Once the test is complete, agents can compare the data to decide which version won. In other words, they can see which version best drove business results. They could use this data to fine-tune their marketing campaigns.

A-B tests often cover a minute detail, such as a button color or a few words of website copy. But even though these changes seem small, they can impact bottom-line success.

This is why businesses in several industries have embraced A-B testing. One of these businesses is a large company based in Mountain View, California.

You might have heard of it. It’s called Google.

When Testing Meets Search

As the world’s largest search engine, Google has an unwritten mandate. Provide the best answers to what people are looking for online.

This ethos has driven the company’s search ranking philosophy for more than two decades. But it’s also allowed Google to dive into an A-B testing culture.

Google’s commitment to testing is equal parts self-interest and self-preservation.

Like an amoeba, the internet is evolving. And the needs of searchers evolve with it.

It’s difficult for Google to keep up with this moving target. So, the company tests and iterates.

Any time you search on Google, you’re taking part in a massive A-B test. Google runs several simultaneous tests a day worldwide.

Some searchers might see a new feature on search engine results pages (SERPs) as part of these tests. Some might see a SERP with a new layout. Some might see search results laid out in a different order than usual.

In the past, Google engineers and user experience designers would design the tests. They would then feed them into the company’s ranking algorithms for implementation.

But today, the algorithms run on machine learning. So, some elements of these tests might even get launched without human intervention.

The algorithm implements tests at random. So, it can be difficult to recognize them while they’re happening. This also means there is no such thing as one true ranking anymore. Even if your website tends to appear in the top spot for a certain search phrase, it might not show up there for everyone.

This is a significant problem for businesses large and small. Search engines drive about 70 percent of all traffic to websites in the United States. So, these inconsistencies make it difficult to measure success online.

But you don’t have to bury your head in the sand. You can use these same tools to your advantage.

Embracing The Testing Mindset

The test-and-iterate model has proven to be effective. Now, it’s time to put it to work for your agency website.

Install analytics tracking on your website, if you haven’t already. Two great options for this are Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics.

Collect 30 days of website data in your analytics platform of choice. Then, take a close look at your website experience reports. These are dashboards and flowcharts that show how web users interact with your website’s pages.

See if there are any troubling patterns to address. Are consumers heading to your car insurance page but not clicking on the quote button? Are they heading to the employee directory page without leaving their contact information?

These are two potential problem spots that could emerge. You might find others that are specific to your website’s design and your business workflow.

Once you identify these bottlenecks, consider tweaks to those areas. Then form a hypothesis for each of them.

A hypothesis is a statement that you believe is true, but is unproven. Your hypothesis could state that a certain Get A Quote button doesn’t stand out from the page background. Or that some wording on the website is ambiguous.

Once you have your hypothesis in place, set up an A-B test to prove it. Show some users a version of the webpage without the changes, and others with the changes.

There are two ways to do this:

1. Simultaneously. Under this method, you clone the website page you’re testing. Then, you make the changes you’re testing on the new version of the page. After this is set up, you’d use third-party software to determine which visitors see each version of the page.
    
2. Chronologically. Under this method, you’d leave the website page untouched for a week or two. Then, you would make changes to the page and leave them up for the same amount of time.

The simultaneous testing model is most ideal, as it shows an apples-to-apples comparison. But the chronological method takes less time and money to put into action.

Once testing is complete, look at the data for each version. Does one group interact with the page your testing better than the others? Are they more likely to take any action that meets your business goals?

If so, move forward with the version users favored. If not, look for another element to test.

By investing in this process, you can improve your website’s user experience. This can improve your lead conversion rate. And it can help your search rankings.

Search engines are looking to provide the best resources for searchers’ needs. So, user experience is essential. Good user experience positions your agency as that top resource for a related search.

Taking the time to test bottlenecks on your website expedites this process. It can give your agency a competitive edge that drives bottom-line results.

So, don’t be like the younger version of me. Don’t dread testing. Embrace it.

You’ll be glad you did.

Updating your insurance website doesn’t have to be daunting or a total overhaul. But, it should be a necessary item on your to-do list. Keeping your website fresh can take place in phases. Start with small changes before building up to total refreshes or design upgrades. Setting aside even 10 minutes per month can make a difference.

Look at your website in layers: Design, content, and organization. Update the layers one at a time. Switching up your approach might also help keep the task fresh for you.

To make the most of these 10 minutes, start by taking a fresh look at your website. Imagine you are a customer getting a first impression. Consider the colors and the photos. What is the information that jumps out? Where is the first place you want to go past the homepage?
 

Colors

A quick change here is to choose a new accent color. Or, change how your existing color palette appears. Swap your navigation menu and footer background colors. Pick a new color for your links. It’s easy to experiment with colors until you find what complements your design.
 

Photos

If your agency website has many photos, think about choosing ones that are newer or more relevant. Also, consider using a personable photo from the business. People like being able to put a face to the name. Or, use a local landmark photo from the area. This helps to immediately draw visitors in and make the company relatable.
 

Content

This is sometimes considered important only for search engines, but that’s not true. Visitors will read it too. Look at the appeal of your content. Make sure it doesn’t look overwhelming. Break it up with bold titles, short paragraphs, bulleted lists, or colorful links. Changes you make here should be noticeable at a glance. For time’s sake, make it about refreshing the website, not pleasing the search engines.
 

Direction

Think about where your website leads visitors. Do you want them to fill out information and wait to be contacted? Call you immediately? Accomplish any task completely online? If you know your audience, you will know where and how to guide visitors. Ensure your website makes it easy for visitors to find whatever they are there to do. This can be accomplished by updating the colors, content, or a blatant call to action.
 

Once you have broken your website down into layers, hopefully it is less overwhelming to update. There are changes you can make from the surface down to the core. No changes are too small to consider, so play around and see how much of a difference 10 minutes can make.

We've updated the below ACORD forms for users of our agency management system InsurancePro.

Forms with New Revision Date

50 TX 2020/01 replaces 2018/09 - Texas Liability Insurance Card (for use on or after 12/31/2019)

61 SC 2019/09 replaces 2007/08 - South Carolina Auto Supplement Offer of Additional UM and  Optional UIM Coverage