Insurance Lead Generation is essential to the success of any modern insurance company. Businesses used to have to reach out to find customers, but customers are now reaching out to find them. Lead generation is the process of coming up with new ways to be found, and working on building relationships with customers. 

There are literally hundreds of ways to generate insurance leads, so it can be a little overwhelming if you are just starting out - especially as an independent agent. To make it a little easier, we've put together 3 categories of lead generation ideas for you: Referrals & Networking, Online Marketing, and Advertising. 

Confused about the Lead Generation process or just want to know more? Check out our infographic: Catch Your Leads with Lead Generation. 

REFERRALS & NETWORKING

Referrals and Networking are probably the cheapest and easiest ways to gain new leads. Like with any business, building connections and reputations (good or bad), can make or break your success. 

• Gain referrals through friends, family, or former co-workers.

• Start a referral program that offers incentives like gift cards, movie tickets, discounts, etc. - for current customers to refer people they know.

• Host seminars for small buisness owners about insurance - make sure it will be helpful information for your audience.

• Attend and offer to be a guest speaker at different networking events.

ONLINE MARKETING

Online Marketing is the second most cost-effective way to generate leads. It's also currently the most popular marketing method to reach new audiences. 

• Create a good website and make sure its mobile friendly - if you already have a website, make sure to keep it up-to-date, modern, and user friendly.

• Start a blog, and use it as an inbound tool. Blogs show your audience that you are knowledgable about your industry, and it promotes awareness. 

• Collaborate and do a guest blog for a related company (eg. If you do home insurance, partner with a realtor).

• Send out email newsletters to keep potential customers updated (eg. when you are offering specials, blog updates, announcing giveaways, etc.).

• Make use of video marketing like facebook live, or instagram live - its FREE!

• Have at least one type of social media account and keep it active. Many people use social media as an outlet to search for companies or get in contact with them. 

• Host a webinar. Just like blogs, webinars are a way to show your knowledge in your field and help you gain brand awareness. 

• Have a giveaway with your swag. It's a great way open up name recognition and gain new leads (especailly if you use a landing page to collect names and emails). 

ADVERTISING 

Advertising is considered one of the more traditional methods of marketing, and is probably also the most expensive. But don't let that deter you from advertising at all - it is still another avenue for customers to find you. 

• Print media: flyers, direct mail, booklets. Print media items are great to have on hand for tradeshows or other networking events. 

• Radio and TV commercials.

• Banner ads and social media ads (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin) can help you target specific audiences, have a wide reach, and are relatively inexpensive. 

The next step after you have generated more leads is following up. Do you have the best methods of doing so and do you have a call center in place to do so efficiently?