Marketing at it’s very core is about the work you, the business owner, put into standing out and attracting the attention of your target market. Beating the competition, right?
As a captive agent, your biggest competition is not insurance agents from other companies. It’s not the brokers. It’s not even the online insurance companies.
Your biggest competition is the other captive agents in your company. They are selling the exact same products at the exact same prices to the exact same target market.
So why, I repeat WHY, would you ever do the exact same marketing as your biggest competitors? Marketing campaigns are your best, (and one of the only) ways you can stand out and attract the attention of your target market.
This includes traditional forms of marketing like billboards and direct mail all the way through your branding and digital marketing strategy.
There are only so many spots on the first page of Google, both in the paid ads section and the unpaid, or the organic section. The Map Listings are organic results, but will often include an ad at the top.
Google Ads are a bidding war, which means that when two companies run the same ads, for the same keywords, in the same zip codes, the cost of the ads go up as they continue to try and outbid each other.
Any vendor that does not offer market exclusivity cannot combat this for their clients in the same zip codes. It’s the reality of search engine marketing.
Marketing is a competition. How important is winning to you?
Did the Cowboys run the exact same plays as the Jets last week?
Do you think Coke would ever hire the same marketing company as Pepsi, to do the same exact campaign for them?
If you love advertising, check out Pepsi, Where’s My Jet on Netflix. Sooooo good. Clearly inspired me.
