We’re in the process of shoring up our email standards here at InsureMe, and our current area of focus is the signature, that last bit of text after the signoff which tends to be either

• too dense with information (or too spare);
• overly colorful (or overly bland);
• unnecessarily blighted with fine-print legalese; and/or
• completely ineffectual from a marketing perspective.

If you’re like most people, you don’t notice other people’s signatures except in rare occasions, when (a) you need to find a phone number or (b) the person’s signature cries out for ridicule (see: bad clip art, comic sans font, color magenta).

Continue reading "On Email Signatures" »

Posted by Jeb Foster at 09:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

[The following post was inspired by Seth Godin, who recently used his bloggy pulpit to teach people "how to sound smart when talking about the Internet."]

It's tough to keep abreast of tech jargon—after all, everything in the digital realm changes so quickly. Everyone deserves some slack now and then. But after a point, certain mistakes—particularly renaming something by giving it a definite article—will make you look dumb.

For example, you should know that you nevereverever search the web with "the Google," watch a video on "the YouTube," or set up a page on "the Facebook." You also don't congratulate a friend on writing a nice blog, unless you intend to offer a general compliment. If her last entry was a good one, you could say, "I read your blog the other day; nice post on annuities," but never, "Nice blog on annuities."

Also, while not technically an error, "the net," used occasionally as a synonym for the internet, is sort of irksome, mainly because it reminds me of the bad Sandra Bullock movie from 1995.

Related: Google Launches 'The Google' For Older Adults

Posted by Jeb Foster at 09:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

We've given you to-do tips and tricks before. But there's something different about Remember the Milk.

Still in beta, Remember the Milk (RTM) has every functionality you could possibly need. You can sync your action items to your iPhone or iPod Touch, Google Calendar, Gmail, instant messaging client (like Yahoo, AOL or Skype)...and on and on. You can share your items or keep them private. RTM also helps you locate your tasks, enabling you to see what grocery store or gas station is closest. Extensive keyboard shortcuts help you enter your items quickly and get on with your day. Oh...and did I mention that it's free?

So far, I'm thoroughly impressed with RTM. Take the tour and sign up for a free account!

Posted by Megan Mahan at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Whether you’re sending out an e-newsletter or simply emailing a rate quote to a new prospect, you’ll want to pay careful attention to one very important piece of email real estate: the subject line.

The contents of a subject line help us quickly discern SPAM from legitimate mail and differentiate between the messages that deserve our immediate attention and what can be pushed off until later.

MarketingProfs has a few pointers to encourage recipients to open your emails—which includes avoiding the following in email subject lines:

Continue reading "The Dirty Words You Can't Use in Email Subject Lines" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Starting a business blog in 2008? Good. You should be!

And to get off on the right foot, here are a few quick tips to help you from making amateur mistakes and (hopefully) on your way to becoming a business blogging sensation this year.

Focus on a topic. This isn't a personal blog where anything goes. Spend some time thinking about what kinds of things you'd like to write about and develop a community around. Blogs that are more topic-focused also tend to receive more credibility—which can mean visibility. But, of course, a random funny tidbit is fun to share once in awhile, too.

Continue reading "What Not to Put on Your Blog" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
 

Thankfully, 37Signals (creator of various business web applications like Basecamp, which is what we marketing folks use at InsureMe) sheds some light on setting up credit card processing online. Because paying insurance premiums online via PayPal just isn't going to cut it.

Jason, kicks things off by telling us about merchant accounts:

First off, we have a merchant account. A merchant account is needed to accept credit cards. Every business that accepts credit cards needs to have a merchant account.

As you begin your search for a vendor, Jason recommends looking for a reputable company with good rates (they currently use account through Chase bank). While the rates might not make a big difference in the early stages of your business, they will affect your bottom line if your daily volume picks up.

The caveat: Getting a merchant account could provide a challenge. Take 37Signal's experience when they were developing Basecamp:

Continue reading "For the Indie Agent: Processing Credit Cards Online" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
 

Anyone incorporating e-marketing into their sales and marketing toolkits should undoubtedly be concerned with their email reputation—because a bad rep can negatively impact your delivery rates.

But how do you find out if you're the cream of the crop...or the crud at the bottom of the barrel?

The Messaging Times fills us in: create a free account with SenderScore, type in your domain name or IP address, and voilà—you'll receive immediate feedback about your score. (Scores go from 0 to 100, 100 being the best).

So how'd SenderScore get so darn smart? Here's an excerpt from their FAQ section:

ISPs and filtering companies provide us with data they collect from the receivers of your email. If someone who receives an email from you complaining about your mail to their ISP, by hitting the "Spam" button, for example, we get a report of that.

[...] ISPs and filtering companies also report data to us about how you look to them as an email sender. Multiple web mail, cable, and internet providers are currently contributing data to us, and we are collecting over 60 data elements on each of over 20 million IP addresses. Your email reputation is measured across 10+ indices plus a composite Sender Score.

As you're planning your strategies and initiatives for 2008, don't forget to check your e-score!

(Photo source)

Posted by Megan Mahan at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Ooh, boy. It's really grates the nerves when someone uses a word incorrectly, either in conversation or email. And, in sales (and lots of other professions) coming across as incompetent can cost you a sale.

To help you avoid future vocab faux pas, keep Definr at the ready. Definr is a "remarkably fast dictionary" which has an autocomplete function to essentially finish your thought as you tap the keys. (Type in "ach" and you'll see the correct spelling for "achieve" down below, which is hyperlinked with its definition.)

Between two languages (French and English) and being a word nerd in general, I'm drawn to new word reference guides. Definr seems to be good for common, every day usage. It's missing some bigger words, but I'm sure those will come with time. Definr is fast, as promised—and gosh their logo is cute.

Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!

[via]

Posted by Megan Mahan at 03:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
 

James is right: One of the hardest parts of learning search engine optimization (SEO) is wading through all the information on the internet and figuring out if it's current or even correct information.

Thankfully, eVisibility Insider compiled a list specifically designed for SEO newbies to help you navigate the ever-changing landscape that is the internet. Check it out to learn which SEO-themed sites with which you should become familiar, which podcasts and videos can help you cut down your reading material (though don't think you'll get off scot-free here!), and which tools and plugins can help you on your quest for SEO greatness.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that free web traffic is better than the stuff you pay for. And while you may have to invest some time, the benefits should be two-fold: Your stretched grey matter and better web visibility.

And don't forget to stop by the InsureMe Affiliate blog for more online marketing tips, news and commentary!

Posted by Megan Mahan at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
 

Yesterday afternoon as I filled up my coffee cup, a colleague said to me: "You won't believe what I was on my doorstep when I got home yesterday. Another phone book. For the third time this year!"

The conversation grew to include four people and I listened as each of them complained about the frequency of deliveries, the bulk of each new phone book, the complete waste of paper, etc. Soon, the conversation turned to our customers—insurance agents—and why many of them were still wasting money on Yellow Pages ads.

"We use the internet to find everything," one colleague said. "And who's going to pick a random insurance agent out of the phonebook and give them their business? Whenever I've moved, I've asked for agent referrals from friends and coworkers."

She's right. So why are insurance agents still dumping money into the Yellow Pages? As far as I can tell, it's out of habit. It's been done for years and years and, come on, it's not that expensive.

Continue reading "Record Online Ad Spend & The Death of Yellow Pages Advertising" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 01:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
 

Ever wonder why InsureMe started blogging? Check out this recap of The Skinny on Blogging for Business as published in the September issue of the TAAR Report, and learn why.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Blogging: How to Get Started

Read. Listen. Participate. Read other blogs. Starting with those related to your industry is a good idea. Listen to what the readers are saying. Participate in the conversation.

Once you’ve got a handle on the blogosphere:

Hone in on a topic. Generally, blogs that are focused on one topic gain more visibility than the ones that cover everything.

Define your audience. Who do you envision writing to? Health insurance professionals? Auto insurance underwriters? Defining an audience will help keep your blog tight and focused.

Once you’ve thought these factors through, it’s time to start writing. There are a handful of free and low-cost blogging platforms available for public use, and most of them require little to no knowledge of HTML or web design. In fact, Blogger (Blogger.com), Wordpress (Wordpress.com), and Typepad (Typepad.com) all come with tech help and templates to make your transition to blogging an easy one.

Once your blog is up it’s time to:

Continue reading "The Skinny on Blogging for Business: Part Four" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Ever wonder why InsureMe started blogging? Check out this recap of The Skinny on Blogging for Business as published in the September issue of the TAAR Report, and learn why.

Part One | Part Two

Blogging Isn’t For You If…

Blogging is cool, but it isn’t for everyone. And you’re better off recognizing this before you start, because it can open you and your business up to certain risks.

James Omdahl, InsureMe’s Marketing Strategist (whom some of you met at HIGH TECC in July), spoke at Commission Junction’s annual summit last year on the topic of business blogging. James and a lot of other big name marketers agree: Don’t start a blog about your business if you have something—anything—to hide. If you can’t be transparent in your blog, visitors won’t be interested in reading it. And if they learn you’ve been the least bit dishonest, you can bet you’ll hear about it in the comments section.

Naked Conversations also identified a pretty solid list of questions to ask yourself and your organization before embarking on a blog. Some of these questions include:

Continue reading "The Skinny on Blogging for Business: Part Three" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 04:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

This week, entrepreneurial blog Springwise featured a new site in the UK which allows consumers to share rants and raves about their insurers.

Zuzzid is a forum of sorts, which not only allows registered users to share their experiences, but also totals all the shared experiences to rank British insurers. A price engine also compiles collective data, presenting users with general premium prices for different insurance types.

Somewhat surprisingly, the site belongs to UK insurer, Norwich Union, a company which is of course evaluated by Zuzzid users. Seems like a dangerous move, right?

Continue reading "Zuzzid: Sharing Rants & Raves about Insurers" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Are you Facebooked? LinkedIn? A closet MySpacer? If so, you've undoubtedly dealt with unsolicited "friend" requests which leave you wondering: Should I let this person into my network? What does she want with me?

Tim O'Reilly from O'Reilly Radar is calling for some manners when it comes to inviting people into your network:

Most of these [friend requests], relying solely on the boilerplate invitation text, go right into the trash. "I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn." Sure. Who are you? What do you do? Why should I care? (Even if I've met you, I might need my mind jogged, especially if you might have the same name as other people I know.)

Instead of using the typical boilerplate invitations, O'Reilly suggests writing your own, explaining who you are and why you'd like to connect, like Janet here, who briefly explained why she'd like to connect with him:

So, the next time you try to befriend someone via the intarwebs, make sure you offer a little about yourself. Otherwise, your invite—and potential business relationship—might just end up in the trash.

[Previously]:
Beyond MySpace
Are You LinkedIn?
Is Your Netiquette Turning Customers Off?

[via]

Posted by Megan Mahan at 03:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Google Analytics is a free program that generates comprehensive stats about the people who come to your web site. It's a cool program that we use here at InsureMe on our myriad sites to see who's stopping by, what they're looking at, how they found us, etc.

The factor I haven't considered when previously recommending Google Analytics is that it can be hard to know where to start—afterall, there's so much data! And what does it all mean? How do you use it to your advantage?

Seth Godin points us to a book (and blog) that helps us quickly and easily answer these questions. So if you're new to analytics programs, this is for you.

[Related]:
Grade Your Web Site (Without Fear of Detention)

Posted by Megan Mahan at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Okay; so I'm on an email kick this week. Go ahead and read way into this. I give you full permission to assume that email is driving me insane this week.

I'm not alone. Two weeks ago, BL Ochman of MarketingProfs declared war on email. Now she's getting reacquainted with her email client—keeping some steadfast rules in place.

Follow Ochman's lead and climb out of email purgatory by:

Continue reading "How to Make Email Fun Again" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Email. We use it for business and pleasure with reckless abandon. But as this recent Wired article points out, we need to be more responsible with our e-communications—especially when it comes to requesting action or info from the recipient.

Wired reminds us to keep email quick and concise with these four tips:

1. Brevity
"Short emails rule." This is absolutely true. When we get long emails, we automatically start scanning, wonder if we can put it off until later, or forward it on to someone else to deal with. To keep your email brief but still include the important details, Wired recommends attaching supporting information to the email—but keeping it separate from the issue and what you want from the recipient.
Bonus tip: "If you're passing a thread along, trim what isn't needed."

2. Context
If the recipient doesn't know you by name, tell them how you came to come in contact with them. (i.e., "You recently shopped for health insurance quotes on InsureMe.com and we were matched...")

Furthermore, when asking someone a question, Wired says to "anticipate any missing details that could cause an extended back-and-forth" situation. Make your emails count the first time around.

"And for god's sake, have a subject line," says Wired. "One that makes sense." Match the email topic to the subject line. Even if the topic changes as the thread grows.

3. Something to act on
Is your goal to obtain information or action out of your email? Make your requests clear.

"Set your requests apart from the rest of the message by paring them down to one sentence, with white space before and after." You can also highlight your request by using bullets (or asterisks, if you don't have HTML email) to outline steps that need to be taken.

Try using closed-ended questions in email (versus the open-ended ones you use face-to-face with prospects) to keep the exchange from getting lengthy.

4. A deadline
It's happened to all of us—you finally get a response from your recipient and their answer is no longer relevant. If you're working with a time frame, let the recipient know up front. Deadlines can prompt a quick turnaround time, or at least give them the opportunity to "bow out" so you can focus your efforts elsewhere.

Check out the full Wired article here—and be sure to leave your suggestions for effective email via comments!

[Related posts]:
Is Your Netiquette Turning Customers Off?
What Does Your Email Font Say about You?
Do You Ignore Customer Emails?

Posted by Megan Mahan at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

This week, James of InsureMe Affiliate Blog fame, rehashed MarketingSherpa's tips for an improved homepage. I reviewed the list and it looks pretty good.

And because I know most of you web-savvy agents have been wondering how to get your insurance web sites up to snuff, I thought I'd rehash them here. So I guess I'm re-rehashing.

8 Steps to a Better Homepage

2. Move useful links to the 'small fold window.' You've heard it here before: Above the fold is valuable real estate. It's the part of the screen a user can see without having to scroll. But when we have multiple windows open, that real estate becomes drastically smaller. Put important links to contact info, quote applications, and account log-in even higher than the traditional fold line.

3. Rewrite navigation links to fit what people are searching for. By now you should have analytics on your web site. Go through your analytics report and see what search terms visitors are entering. Then mimic those keywords in the navigation links. Take a look at the top navigation bar on the InsureMe Agent homepage to get an idea of what I'm talking about.

Continue reading "8 Steps to a Better Homepage" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 03:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

In the spirit of keeping Agent Blog readers up to speed on the latest internet happenings, I present you with Bacn: email you want—just not right now.

From the official bacn press release:

Bacn has been said to be the “middle class of email.” It’s notifications of a new post to your Facebook wall or a new follower on Twitter. It’s the Google alert for your name and the newsletter from your favorite company.

Bacn. I like it. Looks like I'm going to have to create a new email folder to keep my e-meat products separate. :)

Keep an eye out for more bacn-related marketing posts here!

More bacn:
The t-shirt (money goes to charity) | The bacn blog

[via]
[photo source]

Posted by Megan Mahan at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

This is the final installment of The ABCs of SEO, as published in the May issue of the TAAR Report. Read part three of this article here.

Hiring a Pro to Optimize Your Site

If you’ve gotten this far, you may be thinking that, technical as it may be, this SEO thing might be worth a shot. And because of the technical challenges involved, and, undoubtedly, the constraints on your time, you might be thinking about hiring someone to optimize your site for you.

Thankfully, InsureMe’s James Omdahl has some experience in this area and recently wrote a blog post on outsourcing SEO.

The first thing you need to understand, says James, is that the SEO landscape is a dangerous one. “While there are many people out there who know what they are doing, there are many, many more that don’t.”

To avoid working with unscrupulous SEO consultants, James recommends:

Continue reading "The ABCs of SEO: Part Four" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

You're about to embark on a recap of The ABCs of SEO, as published in the May issue of the TAAR Report. Read part two of this article here.

Link popularity is classified as how many inbound links you have to your site. Inbound links are formed when someone else links to your site from theirs.

For example, if ParachuteInsurance.com found a good car insurance article on InsureMe.com, they might link to it from their site. And spiders like links. To the spider, links are like votes (hence the term “link popularity”). They signify that people have found your site valuable, and will then rank it higher when someone enters a search term relevant to your site.

The caveat: link popularity isn’t a true democracy. I talked to James Omdahl, our in-house marketing strategist and lead writer for the InsureMe Affiliate Blog, and he explained it like this:

Continue reading "The ABCs of SEO: Part Three" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

You're about to embark on a recap of The ABCs of SEO, as published in the May issue of the TAAR Report. Read part one of this article here.

Creating web sites that are search engine-friendly means determining what the search engine likes. Back in the mid-90s, it was fairly easy to figure out what made the search engines happy. As a result, the web experienced widespread SEO abuse, and users couldn’t find the timely, trustworthy information they were seeking.

To curb this abuse, Google built a bigger, better algorithm. The new algorithm took into account various factors and characteristics of the web pages it indexed. Soon, other search engines like Yahoo and MSN adapted similar algorithms to keep organic search results as pure and relevant to its users as possible.

Today, site owners aim to work with these algorithms to increase their site rank. Working with the algorithms is difficult for two reasons:

Continue reading "The ABCs of SEO: Part Two" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 01:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

You're about to embark on a recap of The ABCs of SEO, as published in the May issue of the TAAR Report. This is part of a series of posts recapping my "TAarticles."

Full disclosure: the title of this article may be a tad misleading. The “ABCs of SEO” kind of implies that search engine optimization is an elementary task, akin to stacking blocks and finger painting. It is not. Kindergartners could not optimize a web site in one lazy afternoon and chances are good you won’t be able to either.

But don’t let a little thing like that discourage you.

Like any other online business proprietor, you goal is to position yourself—and your agency—in front of the eyes of shoppers. Accordingly, the higher you rank on a search engine results page (SERP), the greater the likelihood that a shopper will click on your link—dramatically increasing the chances that said shopper will use your site and buy your product.

And with the impressive increase in internet shopping, it has been well documented that unless your site appears within the first three pages of search results, only a small percentage of shoppers will even find it.

When you consider that more than 80 percent of web traffic comes through search engines like Google, it’s no wonder that those in the competitive space of insurance are adding search engine optimization (henceforth SEO) to their marketing repertoire in order to position themselves in front of interested shoppers.

What is SEO?

Continue reading "The ABCs of SEO: Part One" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Ever heard people talk about something being "above the fold" and felt totally out of the loop?

"The fold" refers to the portion of your web site that is displayed to a web visitor without having to scroll down. "Above the fold" is valuable real estate. That portion of your site needs reveal who you are and what you do, while persuading the visitor not to leave.

What too many folks don't realize is that the fold falls in different places depending on a web user's browser and screen resolution. FoldSpy.com helps site owners locate the fold on their site, showing you where the fold falls in various browsers and resolutions. This can help you determine where you need to drop advertisements, insurance quote boxes, etc. so that a visitor doesn't have to scroll (read: take additional action) to find them.

Finding the fold is important. Stop by FoldSpy and get h'edumacated. :)

Posted by Megan Mahan at 03:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

If you haven't figured it out yet, content is king for those of you using the web to build your brand and generate sales leads, for two main reasons:

1. Search engines like good, relevant content
2. Consumers like good, relevant content

If you haven't yet hired an in-house or freelance copywriter to create and finesse your web copy, it's time to get on the stick.

A new Marketing Sherpa study found that the length of time it takes a web visitor to convert has increased by 80% since 2005—from 19 hours to 34 hours. Why the delay? It seems customers shop around now more than ever—passing up sites that don't provide the information/services they need, or that they deem untrustworthy based on look, feel and site offerings.

Marketing Sherpa Content Director, Anne Holland, gave some tips to help online proprietors increase their conversion times:

Continue reading "Use Copywriters to Convert Customers" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 02:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

James and I are back from HIGH TECC; we gave our presentation—Search Engine Marketing: How Insurance Agents Can Take Advantage—yesterday afternoon.

I also had the pleasure of spending some time with the presenters and conference-goers on Sunday during the welcome parties. If you've heard rumors about how warm and wonderful Steve Anderson and his team are, consider those rumors confirmed. I had a fabulous time talking with them and look forward to meeting up with them again in the future.

I hope to compile some additional thoughts about HIGH TECC this week, but for now, enjoy our slideshow from yesterday's presentation (located in three installments after the jump). We should get a copy of the audio as well, so we'll pass that a long as we get it.

Continue reading "Back from HIGH TECC! Check out our slideshow!" »

Posted by Megan Mahan at 01:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
 

You've probably noticed that I'm going easy on the blogging this week, as I strenuously prepare for our upcoming appearance at HIGH TECC. But I had to direct your attention to this purple cow of a billboard ad:

I know that some Agent Blog readers think our newfangled marketing ideas aren't worth investigating. That's fine; though I assure you that traditional marketing is broken. But if you really can't get past the cold-calling, the yellow page ads, and the outdoor advertising, all I ask is that you revolutionize it.

[via]

Posted by Megan Mahan at 09:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

For about a week or so, I've been corresponding with a reader of the InsureMe Agent Blog, who recently came to the U.S. and would like to get his entrepreneurial feet wet by opening a new insurance agency. All the new business talk got me really excited about PlanHQ today.

PlanHQ is web application that helps you form a business plan, track results, collaborate with other team members, and more.

Judging from the tour, with PlanHQ you can:

• See what's on your plate in the weeks ahead
• Quickly add action items for you
• Track your financials
• Identify target markets and competitors (including how many competitors you have and where they're located)
• Track goals
• Provide a central place for your team to check in and leave notes
• Create dynamic business plan content (because the semantics tend to shift during planning)
• Customize your document so it matches your unique requirements

Happy business expansion!

[via]

Posted by Megan Mahan at 03:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 

Even if it's not good news, it's good news to know. That's the jist of Google's slogan for its infamous analytics application. I couldn't agree more, especially when it comes to the quality and findability of your web site.

Yesterday I stumbled upon WebSiteGrader.com and with some trepidation, entered our main site URL (InsureMe.com), a handful of keywords related to our site (insurance quotes, health insurance, car insurance, etc.) the site URL of one of our competitors, and my email address.

Within seconds, I had a [free!] fairly meaty analysis of InsureMe.com, including:

Continue reading "Grade Your Web Site (Without Fea