Masters of Marketing -- Personalizing Your Website
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In the September 25, 2014 Masters of Marketing webinar, Insurance Website Builder Website Coordinator Nell Gentz discussed why you should personalize your agency website.
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Masters of Marketing -- Personalizing Your Website
- 1. Make it Personal Ways to Personalize your Website Nell Gentz Website Coordinator
- 2. Why should I personalize my website?
- 3. Recognition • By echoing the branding and personality of your agency, you create a sense of consistency and therefore familiarity. • Your branding will come to be associated as therefore “recognized” as uniquely you. • Use your personal touches to make you stand out from the competition- not get lost in the herd.
- 5. “Warm & Fuzzy” • In this age of technology, everything is so removed and impersonal. Humans as a species live in “groups”- we are wired to like the “personal”. • Websites by nature remove the need to communicate with a human being- it is very easy for a website to become “impersonal”. • Therefore, one of the great challenges faced by companies today is re-inserting the “personal touch” into something automated and removed.
- 6. More “Fuzzy”… • Part of your marketing should include the “personal touch” or “warm and fuzzy” that your agency brings to the table. • Without the “fuzzy,” you are no different than Esurance or another online, direct writer. • What will separate you from the captives is the relationship you build with your clients.
- 7. For Example…
- 8. “I’m a Person, too!” • “Warm and fuzzy” makes people feel good inside. That ties in very closely to the MOST important reason to personalize your website-
- 10. • You are a person, capable of meeting and understanding another person’s needs. • Your agency is professional- you know how to help and what to do when your customer has an emergency. • You understand that accidents happen- and your customer can trust you to take care of them. • You are a real person with a real face, and a real agency full of real people who really care- and it can’t get any realer then that!
- 11. How to add that “Personal Touch”
- 12. We have talked about: • Congruent branding • Consistent colors, shapes and symbols • Imparting a sense of “warm & fuzzy” • Getting around the tech “mumbo-jumbo” to show that you are a human, too.
- 13. Where are the best (and most effective) places to add “personal touches” on my website?
- 14. About Us • Your Homepage should be used for talking about your niche market or your primary lines of business • Your About Us page should be just that- about your agency! • What makes your agency unique? • How long have you been in business? • What is the history of the agency? • How many people work there? • What do you have a passion for? • What is your goal for the agency?
- 15. For Example…
- 16. Photography • “A picture is worth a thousand words” • “Familiarity” is ALWAYS better- it creates an instant association and makes bonding easier • Too much stock photography can make a site look “canned” • This does nothing for brand reinforcement • It also says NOTHING about your agency on a personal level
- 17. For Example…
- 18. Also…
- 19. And Finally…
- 20. Blog Posts • Blogs are an excellent way to have constantly fresh content on your website- which will only HELP your SEO. • Blogs also provide an acceptable avenue to get “a little personal” on a business page.
- 21. For Example…
- 22. Special Sections • Around Town • What is going on in the local news (local small crime/vandalism, neighborhood watch, etc.) • In The Community • What is happening at the local Chamber of Commerce, Boys and Girls Clubs, Senior Center events and even Rec Center classes. • Good Works • Some agents sponsor/ work with local charities and/ or churches.
- 23. For Example…
- 24. To Recap: Some ways to add a personal touch to your website are… • A Detailed and descriptive “About Us” page • Preferably featuring pictures of the agents or agency • Your agency motto or values • Language about how long you have been in business and other background information about the agency • Utilizing photography • Photos of local landmarks, the outside of the agency, Team group shots, etc.
- 25. • Blog Posts • Ok to brag about your agency and achievements! • Added bonus of being great for your SEO • Creating Special Sections • Underscore the agencies’ values by highlighting charitable acts • Show local involvement and investment through community service • Become a resource for local news and items of public interest
- 26. And Another Thing! • Don’t forget to reinforce all of this personalization on your Social Media sites • Facebook • LinkedIn • Twitter • Instagram • Vimeo/ YouTube
- 27. And Finally… Website Homepage Samples!
- 29. The Biggest Little Agent
Editor's Notes
- Here are some examples of HIGHLY recognizable branding. The photo on the left is an ad from China for Coca- Cola. You do not need any words- or even the NAME of the product, to know that it is Coca- Cola. It can be inferred from the classic red and white colors and familiar shapes. The photo on the right is for Apple’s iPod. Again, you do not need ANY words to associate the ad with the brand- simple, bold colors contrasted with bright white, minimal clutter and clean lines are typical in Apple’s branding.
- So let’s look at some advertising that touches us personally- that taps into that “warm and fuzzy” and makes the viewer “feel”. --
- Here we have two ads- one for Starbucks and the other for Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign. Both of these ads hit on a personal level- they make you feel good, they make you feel human- even though, quite literally they are words on a page selling you a concept with the end result being to get you to spend money on their product. Clever, clever! And finally-
- By now you’re saying, “Ok, Nell, I get it! I want my site to be personalized! How do I go about doing that?” Well let’s talk about it…
- There are many ways to add that “personal touch” to your website:
- So now, lets talk about ways we can utilize our website and where SPECIFICALLY on the site we can work in these “personal touches”.
- By far and way the most OBVIOUS place to add a personal touch- you “about us” page! Your Homepage should be used for talking about your niche market or your primary lines of business- this is not to be confused with your About Us page-- Your About Us page should be just that- all about your agency! You should address questions like: What makes your agency unique? How long have you been in business? What is the history of the agency? How many people work there? What do you have a passion for? What is your goal for the agency?
- This is the About Us page for Pro Player Insurance Group from Florida. It shows a really great, labeled group photo and has a couple of paragraphs about being “family owned and operated”, the areas they serve and their values.
- Ya’ll this is a talking point that is near and dear to my heart— Anyone can use stock photography. Sometimes this is appropriate, and always looks good, but there is nothing I love more then an agent that uses “local flavor.” Remember, as humans, we like “familiar”- and photos of your town, iconic landmarks- anything your customers would instantly recognize and relate to are ALWAYS good. Too often I see agents pick from stock photography, when they could be using some personal photography that would be MUCH more powerful and engaging.
- This image comes from my good friend Joe Tomei with Tomei Insurance in Illinois. He has a giant 50 foot sign out by the road that people have come to recognize as a landmark. You can see here that he had a group shot taken with everyone in the agency sitting on the sign, their names above them. He has reinforced his branding with the logo and red T shirts. This is the first thing you see when you open his site.
- This comes from my agent Felix, from C & M Insurance Marketing here in Texas. He is based out of San Antonio, so every photo in his slide show is something that EVERY San Antonian would recognize. (I spared ya’ll the obvious Alamo shot to bring you the Riverwalk at night instead!) You can see how he wanted to appeal to the Spanish speaking market, so he has prominent Mexico Insurance and English/ Spanish toggle buttons.
- This last slide comes from my lady Mitzi Fox from the Avalon Insurance Agency of The Woodlands, which is in Houston, Texas. You can see that her slide show itself features a picture of the Woodlands Team, for instant familiarity. This site shows clear brand consistency and personalization with the clean layout and color choices.
- I’ve had agents who will post all kinds of things to their blog- They’ll talk about Medicare and then list grandmas cookie recipe, or post pictures of their dogs companied by a blurb about pet insurance!
- This blog page comes to us from R.V. Johnson Insurance in Florida. You can see how they have used their blog to talk about the County Sheriff visiting the office and earning a Personal Lines of Achievement award from Safeco. Again, this a great place to “get personal”- they have highlighted some agency achievements coupled with group photography, and after reading this, any customer would feel like they know more about the agency and the experiences of the people who work there. Also, notice how their branding colors and font are consistent, even down to the titles on their blog posts.
- I have even had agents who want me to add custom sections for them: (read slide) Good works-- Some agents sponsor/ work with local charities and/ or churches. This page is often filled with pictures of volunteers helping out, things they did, etc.
- This page comes to us from Shift Insurance in California. It details out their Drive to Learn Scholarship program. This shows the customer that the agency is active in the community and invested in its youth. Special Sections are a good way for an agent to show they are involved in the community. Special Sections show that the agent doesn’t just want your money- they want you to trust them with your family and friends.
- To Recap: Some good ways to add a personal touch to your website are through
- Whatever Social media account you have, make sure your personal touches are reinforced and your branding is echoed
- I’m sure ya’ll are getting tired of hearing me talk by now, so let me wrap this up by showing you two examples of websites from two of my personal customers…
- This is my friend and customer Diana Lavender, from Lavender Insurance in TN. Folks, the branding on this site is beautiful- the colors work together harmoniously, the font choices are complimentary and the imagery of the lavender sprig is repeated throughout the site. You can see it as a “watermark” behind her agency name, as well as on the LOB buttons. She is even using a photo of the outside of the agency with her and her business partner as the main default image for her site when you open the homepage. Everything about this page is personal. And finally…
- This is the homepage for my friend and agent Deanna Milton from the agency, The Biggest Little Agent, which is located in (as I’m sure you have already guessed) Reno, Navada! Now ya’ll, while I don’t necessarily recommend doing your whole site up in bright pink and black, I will say this- the site is 100% Deanna! EVERYTHING about it is “her”- she hand- picked a custom font, weeded through tons of pink icons to send me just the right ones- if you’ll look, even her social media icons in the top right corner are bright pink! She even has the scalloping on her quote buttons mirror the scallops under her lines of business icons. I have never seen it, but apparently her logo is also a sign that hangs over her agency door.
- So that concludes my presentation on adding personalization to your website, thanks for listening. Are there any questions? Ok, well one final note: the next Masters of Marketing Webinar will be on October 16. Our lovely and amazing Agency Buzz Product Manager Jennifer Fitzsimmons will be presenting. The topic will be tracking the statistics of your email marketing campaigns- click troughs, opens, engagement rates and such and then utilizing those statistics to optimize your campaigns. It should be VERY useful and highly informative, so we hope that you join us! Have a great rest of your day!