Discover Your Pot of Gold With Insurance E-Newsletters

At a time when businesses are being charmed by the shiny novelty of social media marketing and online video, they may be snubbing one of the most powerful online marketing channels around: e-newsletters.

E- newsletters are a cost-effective and measurable solution for sagging sales figures. A quality newsletter can help your business:

1. Build customer loyalty. E-newsletters are an inexpensive way to provide value to existing clients. Establish a multi-touch experience by introducing practical, helpful information such as:

• Loss prevention tips
• New insurance products or services
• Industry trends and statistics

Whether they use the information or not, clients notice and appreciate your efforts. And by frequently and consistently communicating with your target audience, you help position your business as an industry expert.

2. Create top-of-mind awareness with prospects. E-mail newsletters are a low-cost drip marketing approach, keeping your services in front of prospective accounts so they think of you when they're ready to buy.

3. Encourage sales force development. By communicating with your distribution network to promote sales ideas, product knowledge and underwriting requirements, you'll motivate your sales team, earn respect and inspire sales persistence.

Surprisingly, businesses don't know enough about the true power of the e-newsletter. According to 2009 statistics provided by Jim Dickie at CSO Insights, companies need all the help they can get.

• 67 percent - The percentage of companies that froze or reduced lead generation budgets.
• Under 25 percent - The percentage of companies that invested in sales tools.
• 59 percent - The percentage of salespeople who exceeded quota.
• 86 percent - The percentage of companies that raised their quotas.

No matter the business type, a newsletter is a good first step in helping companies turn prospects into lifelong customers. By maintaining year-round client communication, building top-of-mind awareness, providing relevant information and offering quality solutions, you'll find your pot of gold and position yourself to enjoy the good fortune of long-lasting business success.

P.S. On another note, e-blasts (similar to e-mailed ads) are effective marketing tools in the B2B arena. If you need to reach businesses or insurance brokers, e-blasts offer tremendous ROI because they're simple to produce and you don't have to pay for postage. By offering a free report or analysis in your e-blast, you can drive clients to your Web site or landing page and entice them into your sales cycle.