In the highly competitive insurance marketplace, insurance businesses rely on a variety of methods to stand out. Search engine optimization (SEO) has become an essential component of insurance brand strategy. With most consumers conducting online research before making purchasing decisions, the agencies that incorporate SEO in their marketing efforts tend to perform better than their counterparts who skip this fundamental tool. Using branding and voice can solidify the benefits associated with SEO. In this guide, we will explore way to use these features to get the most from an SEO campaign.
Branding and Voice: What are They and How Can They Help?
Insurance brand strategy is a complex aspect of marketing that helps companies stand out. Brand awareness is a key component; this awareness informs new customers while reinforcing loyalty and market penetration with existing customers. Branding may use factors like:
- Logos and trade dress
- Distinctive color palettes
- Impactful images
- Eye-catching online and print ads
- Name recognition
Voice is a key aspect of branding. It is the style and tone used to tell your agency’s story to consumers. At its best, a brand voice appeals to consumers while reflecting the core values of your business operation. Voice is used to create a cohesive “feel” to the information your company shares across marketing channels, both on- and offline.
Developing an Insurance Brand and Brand Voice
Your agency’s brand and voice reflect who you are, what you stand for, and how you can improve the lives of your customers. Creating a brand and brand voice sounds easy on paper, but in reality, it can be complex. An insurance brand strategy begins with understanding what you are trying to convey about your company and its products or services. The best way to do that is to get to know your target audiences. Audience research incorporates aspects like:
- Physical location
- Purchasing preferences
- Web preferences
- Financial status
- Lifestyles
- Age
- Gender
- Professions
Using these details, developing a brand and brand voice is made easier by allowing you to tailor your efforts to the preferences and needs of your audience.
Brand voice can also be used to influence content development for your website, social media channels, and blogs. For agencies with younger audiences, brands that leverage authenticity, humor, and cleverness stand out from competitors. Older audiences tend to prefer a more polished, formal voice. In either case, the personality of your insurance business is being showcased, and the brand voice gives you the power to do that.
Once a brand and brand voice are developed, it is critical that you apply them across all of your marketing channels. Companies with cohesive and consistent branding build great recognition among consumers, and since you do not know where your next customer may come from, it makes sense to add your brand voice to every one of your marketing channels. In fact, this consistency is critical to insurance brand strategy, and the extra effort pays big dividends.
Blending Brand Voice with SEO: Optimizing for Best Results
In any SEO campaign, the process begins by identifying keywords that relate to your company’s products and services. The goal of any SEO effort is to achieve high rankings on search results – ideally, in the top five or ten for a given keyword or phrase. SEO and brand voice can go hand in hand; when identifying keywords to target, keep your voice in mind and select those keywords and phrases that reflect your voice.
To get the most of SEO, your brand can be incorporated into:
- The content you post on your website.
- Title tags for webpages.
- Meta descriptions displayed in search results snippets.
- Enticing headlines.
- Images used on your online channels.
Be sure to use both keywords and brand names in title tags, meta descriptions, and image alt text for maximum SEO performance.
The role of online influencers has helped to shape modern brand recognition. Influencers, or those with large followings on social media, can be a valuable extension to your insurance brand strategy. Try working with an influencer, either as a partner or just by following them to get a better understanding of how brands work. Social media continues to grow in importance as a marketing tool, and by learning from social media influencers and incorporating brand voice in your profiles, you will gain a large following of your own. Social media activity does not have a direct effect on search rankings, but by driving traffic to your website, search engines pick up this activity indirectly. The end result is your insurance business standing out from the pack and at or near the top of search results. By using the above tips, your insurance brand strategy can help pave the way for success well into the future.
About Neilson Marketing Services
Since 1988, Neilson Marketing Services has been implementing innovative marketing solutions and strategies for our clients in all areas of marketing. Contact us today at (866) 816-1849 to put our talent, expertise, and vast resources to work for you. Let’s make things happen, together!
