Strategic Texting Makes a Lot of Sense
Texting is good for a lot more than sending inside jokes with a group of college friends or keeping tabs on a teenager who’d rather type than talk. Texts can also be useful in a business setting such as insurance sales.
Like any tool, texting works best when it’s used for the right job. Because of limitations on the amount of conveyable information, you probably won’t want to use it when you’re establishing your initial rapport with a new client or need to have a lengthy discussion about a claim. And the short format makes texting an inappropriate choice if you’ve got sensitive information to convey since it can be hard to get the right tone across.
This means that text messages are best-suited to small chunks of information. They are also more effective if they don’t require much follow up. Why? While emails are read on phones, tablets, and computers, texts are usually only read on the smallest of these devices—a phone. As your recipient receives texts throughout the day from different senders, your text will quickly fall off their main screen, never to be seen again.
So while you won’t want to send a lengthy explanation about how to fill out required documents, you could send a quick text with a heads-up about it like, “I’m emailing your policy docs. Please take a look and send back when you have time.”
Here are some other situations when texting could work to your advantage:
1) Informational Updates
Examples:
–I just dropped your paperwork in the mail; let me know if you don’t receive it by Friday.
–Still waiting to get your claim total—expect to hear by EOD tomorrow.
–Our office has moved! New contact info attached. (ATTACH ELECTRONIC CONTACT CARD)
2) Renewal Reminders
Examples:
–Your auto insurance renews July 1. Look for new ID cards in the mail at the end of June.
–Your homeowners’ policy renews in Sept—let’s review your deductibles now. YOUR PHONE NUMBER
–Your auto policy renews soon. Want to lower your premium? Call me at PHONE NUMBER to go over possible credits.
3) Appointment Setting
Examples (for prospects and current clients):
–Are you still interested in adding umbrella insurance coverage? Let’s talk. YOUR PHONE NUMBER
–Wondering how having a teen driver will affect your auto insurance? Call us at YOUR PHONE NUMBER.
–NAME OF YOUR AGENCY is doing free insurance reviews. Schedule one here: LINK TO YOUR CALENDAR
4) Emergency Check-ins
Examples (after weather events or other emergencies):
–Hoping you and yours are safe after the hurricane. Call if you need help with an insurance claim—YOUR PHONE NUMBER
–NAME OF YOUR AGENCY is here to help if you have an insurance claim. Reply YES if you’d like a callback.
–Scary night! Let us know if you have an insurance claim and need help. YOUR PHONE NUMBER
5) Special Occasion Greetings
Examples:
–Happy birthday! We appreciate your business and hope you have a great day. NAME OF YOUR AGENCY
–Happy New Year! Best wishes for health and happiness in YEAR. NAME OF YOUR AGENCY
–Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at NAME OF AGENCY.
All of the examples above could be sent out for little monetary investment. If you do have a larger budget, you can also think about paying for a chatbot program. Using this service, you can preprogram text responses and even entire conversations, which can be especially helpful for insurance clients who have questions outside your regular business hours. Most marketing experts expect the chatbot concept to continue gaining ground in the coming years, so it’s worth a look now.
Just remember that while texting can be a helpful way to stay in contact and make more insurance sales, it isn’t for everyone. The easiest way to find out which of your customers are fine receiving texts is to ask.
Ready for some new prospects? Hometown Quotes has fresh leads for insurance agents all around the country. Give us a call at 800.820.8921 to learn more.
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