Instagram Marketing for Insurance Agents: Complete Guide
Everybody knows that a strong Instagram presence is a crucial aspect of effective digital marketing in this modern era, but few know how to effectively leverage their accounts to get the most out of them. Insurance agents in particular are less likely to have an Instagram account to market their services, but there are several reasons why you should.
If you are an insurance agent looking to make a splash in the world of Instagram marketing, the following guide will definitely help you make your Instagram efforts worthwhile.
Setting Up an Instagram Business Account
The first place to get started on your Instagram marketing journey is to set up a specific Instagram Business account. This may seem a bit tedious or redundant if you are an independent insurance agent who already has a personal Instagram account, but there are a couple of solid reasons why creating a separate business account is important for your agency:
While the day-to-day happenings of your life may be interesting to your friends and family members, those looking for insurance are going to want to follow a more consistent, insurance-focused feed.
The Instagram Business account offers several attractive features not available to personal accounts, such as advertisement opportunities, featured posts, and data analytics.
The Instagram Business account is free to set up, so there is no downside to getting it up and running. The following steps can be taken to get your Instagram business account going:
Download the Instagram app on your smartphone.
Open the app and tap “Create New Account” for iOS users or “Sign Up with Email or Phone Number” for Android users.
Enter your email or phone number and tap “Next.”
Create a username (choose something that will make your insurance agency identifiable), password, and basic profile information.
Go to your newly created profile and tap on the lines icon in the page's upper right-hand corner.
Choose “Settings,” then “Account.”
Choose “Switch to Professional Account.”
Choose “Business” and follow the prompts that allow you to input information about your agency.
Getting Familiar with All of Instagram’s Tools
If you already have used Instagram for a personal account, you are probably quite familiar with all of the basics of posting on the app, such as how to upload and edit pictures, add captions, create tags, etc.—all of which are important in running an Instagram Business account successfully.
However, there are unique features of Instagram Business with which you will need to familiarize yourself to get the most out of your new account. Among the unique features of Instagram Business you will need to peruse include:
Instagram insights, which provides the analytics behind your posts, such as how many views they are getting and the interaction rate of viewers
Instagram ads, which allows you to make sponsored posts on factors such as location, demographics, interests, and usage behavior
Instagram shopping, which allows you to set up an online store for any merchandise that your agency may have available
Primary and secondary direct messaging inboxes
Business contact information and call-to-action buttons displayed on your profile
Making Your Agency’s Instagram Business Account SMART
With the ubiquity and relative ease of setting up social media accounts, it is easy to fall into the trap of setting up a business account and posting aimlessly because “that’s what everyone does these days.”
Although social media marketing is largely free and highly intuitive, just having the account is unlikely to achieve the results that your insurance agency is looking for. As with any form of marketing campaign, your Instagram Business account should be able to say “yes” to all of the SMART goals:
Specific - It is not possible to have every person in the entire world be your customer. What is the specific audience that your account is targeting? What is the specific purpose of your page? Do you want to inform, build leads, network with others in the industry, etc.?
Measurable - Are you keeping track of the following you are building? Can you directly associate your account to more leads and/or increased revenue?
Actionable - Does your page invoke your followers to do something, such as comment, refer a friend, request a quote, or purchase a plan?
Relative - Is the content you are posting staying on the topic of insurance? While it is okay to have the occasional inspirational or humorous post to switch things up, remember that your account should be focused on insurance.
Time-bound - Time is money in the business world. Are there elements of your page that promote a sense of urgency in your followers to take action and not wait around? Can you measure the results of your posts within a certain timeframe?
Using Instagram to Build Your Brand
There are thousands of insurance agents across the United States, many of whom likely already have an Instagram account set up for their business. As a result, your account must be unique and engaging for it to stand out among the crowd.
Have a variety of media posted to your account that shows who you are and what your agency stands for. While pictures are the name of the game with Instagram, do not forget to mix in a smattering of videos, infographics, and memes to help keep your account diverse and engaging. Let your followers know that you are a dynamic business with a prominent standing in the local community.
Don’t Force a Sale on Your Followers
Too many Instagram Business accounts are overtly sales-focused. This can come across as spammy and unappealing to your followers—especially in the insurance industry, where customers are constantly being bombarded with calls, texts, and messages for policies that they feel like they don’t really need.
Therefore, don’t have a “CLICK HERE” button listed five times in every post you make. While increased sales is obviously a major goal of your account, the best way to convert followers to sales is by informing them, establishing trust, and letting them know that your sincere interest in their well-being and financial protection is a primary goal of your agency.
Remember to Consistently Post
Out of sight, out of mind—if you’re not posting to your account regularly, your agency will become irrelevant in the eyes of the social media world. If you don’t make posts, you won’t get interactions. Instagram has algorithms that move the most relevant posts to the top of users’ feeds, so you don’t want your occasional posts buried at the bottom of your followers’ lists.
Furthermore, studies show that the average person spends roughly 30 minutes each day looking at Instagram, so failure to post is to miss out on a prime marketing opportunity. Would you ever expect a potential customer to look at a billboard, newspaper ad, or city bench for that long?
While you don’t have to post ten times a day to maintain an effective account, regularly posting at least a few times a week is recommended. As Instagram posts are made from your smartphone, and it is likely that you already have a personal Instagram account, it can sometimes be easy to forget that posting to Instagram is “work.”
Therefore, set aside a certain chunk of time each workday and dedicate it to creating social media content for your agency and posting it to your Instagram Business account.
Interact with Your Followers
People place a lot of value on their social media “worth.” Being recognized via a like, comment, or tag really means a lot to people.
Therefore, when you get followers interacting with your page, don’t let their actions go unnoticed. Promptly make some sort of reply or acknowledgment to anything left on your page. Not only will this help build your followers’ sense of self-value, but it can ultimately lead to a larger conversation that can help your Instagram network to “blow up.”
In addition, don’t be afraid to find other accounts that you value—either from among your own followers or within the insurance industry—and give them a follow. While some people are all about making their followers-to-following ratio as high as possible, many others will generally reciprocate your interaction with an interaction of their own, helping build your page even further.
Conclusion
Having a strong Instagram presence is vital for running a growing insurance agency in the modern era. By following the tips in the guide listed above, your Instagram marketing efforts will add significant value to your business.
