# Interview with an Expert: Making Insurance Marketing Matter

- Link: https://chatterblast.com/blog/interview-with-an-expert-making-insurance-marketing-matter/
- Published: 2022-01-21T16:23:05-05:00
- Author: chatterblastteam

“We have to look outside the box, because the box is full of things we can’t do,”
says **Susan O’Neill**. 

This quote will resonate with marketers, because for us, life is a daily practice
of looking outside the box.

Think about creating a post for a free service. Sounds easy, right? But wait…you
can’t include the word _free_. Now think about promoting a new product, but each
state has different laws, rules, and regulations for that specific product.

This is the complicated box of** insurance marketing**. 

I recently had the chance to talk with Susan O’Neill, ​​Corporate Marketing and 
Communications Manager for **The Baltimore Life Insurance Company**. Our conversation
provided insight into the challenges and the thought process behind developing an
effective digital strategy in the insurance industry — specifically Susan’s area
of expertise, which is **life insurance**. 

> You might be surprised how little it takes to protect your loved ones. Take the
> first step now and request your life quote today at [https://t.co/EDTzRUwQoK](https://t.co/EDTzRUwQoK).
> [#lifeinsurance](https://twitter.com/hashtag/lifeinsurance?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> [#love](https://twitter.com/hashtag/love?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [#showyourlove](https://twitter.com/hashtag/showyourlove?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> [pic.twitter.com/XvNuWHeJhy](https://t.co/XvNuWHeJhy)
> — Baltimore Life (@BaltLife) [April 20, 2021](https://twitter.com/BaltLife/status/1384509901683281920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

## **Understanding the challenges **

The life insurance industry has a unique challenge: It dances with the topic of **
death**. Yes, death!

So, how do you tango with such a bad date? “We talk about life!” Susan says. She
adds that _positive_ life moments — having a baby, getting married, or buying your
first house — are the times you should consider life insurance. 

> Your beneficiaries could use your life insurance policy to make sure she never
> misses a practice. Life insurance benefits are great ways to help ensure that 
> your loved ones can continue their quality of life. [https://t.co/KbLTbmu3Vm](https://t.co/KbLTbmu3Vm)
> [#lifeinsurance](https://twitter.com/hashtag/lifeinsurance?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> [#lifeinsuranceawareness](https://twitter.com/hashtag/lifeinsuranceawareness?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> [pic.twitter.com/HCuE7ASle5](https://t.co/HCuE7ASle5)
> — Ethos Life (@getEthosLife) [September 10, 2021](https://twitter.com/getEthosLife/status/1436462619628642338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Life insurance has been around much longer than the internet has — Baltimore Life,
for example, was founded in 1882. Creating value for customers started as, and continues
to be, a process fostered through one-on-one conversations: agents reaching out 
and building relationships with clients. With that in mind, how do you replicate
this process through social channels? 

Finally, there’s the challenge of **corporate leadership**: the gatekeepers to any
budget or course of action. We all know the saying “If it isn’t broken, why fix 
it?” This is a question Susan is constantly tasked with answering. “We find this
when talking to other companies as well — leadership is not always onboard,” she
says about digital strategy. “They are more about sitting face-to-face in the kitchen.”

So, how do you prove that digital marketing is a viable way to reach your goals?

## **Thinking outside the box ** 

Now that we’ve covered a few challenges, let’s jump into the thought process and
how to answer some of these key questions. 

After you establish your audience, you run into your primary challenge of talking
about death. This is where Susan’s advice to focus on life milestones can help you
navigate. Build your content around joyful moments. The purpose of life insurance
is to take care of your loved ones, so insurance marketing professionals can build
content strategies around positive events like:

 * Having a baby
 * Getting married
 * Buying a house
 * Moving out of state

Next, to understand how to create value digitally, you first have to change your
point of view on customer interaction. Susan explains that agents always circle 
back to their clients over time, similar to how we might talk to a friend every 
couple of months (or years) rather than every day. Keeping up with every single 
follower via corporate social channels would be nearly impossible, but instead of
continuing conversations, these social channels can serve as ongoing conversation
starters. 

[[

You can create value online by explaining why these moments are key times to consider
life insurance. The beauty behind leveraging social is the potential reach. Those
ice breakers can happen with numerous people with just one post.  

When it comes to getting approval from corporate leadership, the answer is simple:
Measure and track your campaigns. Leadership understands numbers, so provide data
and compare it to offline marketing efforts. “Being able to compare what we’ve done
digitally to traditional advertising has been a big help,” Susan notes. 

Clearly, building a digital strategy in the insurance industry is tricky, are there
are other roadblocks marketers may face besides the ones I’ve mentioned here. If
you need an expert partner to help you step up to the challenge, [get in touch with us today](https://chatterblast.com/contact/).