The biggest challenge for insurance agents is finding new leads. Leads represent opportunities to sell your products and services to qualified prospects. Without them, you have no new business coming in, and things grind to a halt.

There is no shortage of leads out there. With the right insurance marketing ideas, you can start pulling in new clients from your local community and nationally, growing your insurance business.

If you speak to any insurance agency, they'll tell you leads are what make salespeople successful. Sales is a numbers game; a salesperson with new prospects running through their pipeline does well in the insurance industry.

Whether you're selling life insurance or auto insurance – Leads are what make the difference in your business.

If you're struggling to find leads for your insurance business, check out these 50 insurance marketing strategies for lead generation. We have a collection of traditional and digital marketing ideas to bring your company new business.

#1 Implement a CRM

A Customer Relationship Management system acts as the hub of your insurance marketing efforts. It's software designed to improve your client management and marketing efforts.

Collect client information and store it in a central database for easy access. Add your client notes, special considerations, and track lifetime value using this system.

A CRM tool enhances both the employee and customer experience, leading to higher staff and client retention levels. A CRM integrates right into your B12 website design, allowing you to conduct your prospecting using tracking tools and useful marketing features embedded into the platform.

#2 Build a Sales Funnel

In a sales funnel, you maximize your marketing efforts. A funnel is a structured follow-up system walking your prospect through every step of your sales process until they convert into a buyer.

Optimizing sales funnels assists you with automating the follow-up process after capturing leads, increasing conversion. Receive reports on your marketing campaigns' outcome and your strategy's efficacy, allowing you to make adjustments.

#3 Email Marketing Campaigns

Email marketing campaigns are one of the oldest and most effective online marketing tactics. Design a template, and send it out to your email list using a distribution software like Mailchimp.

B12 websites integrate with a range of email automation software designed to drive your campaigns. With email marketing, you convert your email leads using a systematic approach your continuously tweak to optimize performance.

#4 Facebook Ads

Facebook ads are a gamechanger for insurance salespeople. The social media platform gives you reach to local business owners in your area and other targeted prospects. Create compelling ads and promote them directly in people's feeds.

Use the ad manager to choose your prospect demographics and launch the ad. Monitor the performance through the ads manager on your Facebook page.

#5 Advertise on YouTube

Allocate a portion of your marketing budget on YouTube ads. Start a channel and use it to promote your products and client testimonials.

Like Facebook ads, YouTube gives you an ad manager to help your launch ad campaigns. Create laser-targeted ad campaigns for prospects to boost your business.

#6 Create a Brand on Twitter

Twitter is one of the top social networks, and it's a great place to build a community and your reputation. Use the Twitter search function to look for people with insurance problems on the platform.

Engage with people's tweets, and post useful solutions to people, with no expectation of anything in return. You'll find you build an audience quickly when people realize you're handing out quality advice.

#7 Build Your Reputation on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the leading social media platform for professionals. By building up your profile on LinkedIn, you establish yourself as an authority.

Post high-quality content and talk about a range of topics from small business insurance to auto insurance.

#8 Manage Your Social Media Accounts

Social media marketing can get overwhelming when you have multiple accounts. Manage everything from within one central dashboard using an app like Hootsuite.

#9 Promote on WhatsApp

WhatsApp isn't only for messaging – it makes an amazing marketing tool as well.

Add clients to groups, and start creating engagement. Create short posts, GIFs, and JPEG images you can share with your group.

#10 Create Short Video Clips

Short 30-second video clips make excellent marketing ideas for your WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter marketing campaigns. Bite-size chunks of content are easy for people to digest and keep you in their minds.

#11 Capture Customer Testimonials

Social proof sells: that's why social media platforms are such effective marketing tools. However, positive reviews and online reviews from another type of social proof you can use to bolster your marketing efforts.

Add them to your website and your social media accounts to show your clients what they can expect from working with you.

#12 Write Blogs

Your blog is one of the best marketing tools in your stable. Launch a blog and create a content strategy offering your audience content for free.

Your blog acts as a high-quality informational resource for prospects and clients and a marketing tool to bring you leads.

#13 Partner with other Businesses

If there are other local businesses in your area, spend a day dropping in on them. Create relationships with the business owners and make yourself memorable.

You never know when Reg at the cornerstone will have a chat with someone looking for insurance.

#14 Build Your Community Reputation

Building your community reputation is another way to develop a rapport with your target market. Sign up for community activities where you can give back to the people in your city or town.

#15 Create Backlinks

Backlinking is a vital part of your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. Reach out to blogs that rank higher than you in search, such as authority sites, and ask for a link.

The link creates a bridge to your website, improving your search and SERP rankings. People clicking on the link go straight through to your landing page.

#16 Write Guest Posts

Guest posts are another component of your linking strategy. Arrange to write a post for their blog, featuring a permanent backlink to your site embedded in the content.

Guest posts are a great way to build a reputation and boost your lead generation. Make sure you write compelling content the site is willing to publish. Use a professional writing service if you struggle to put pen to paper.

#17 List In Directories

Make a list of directories, and start registering your company and website. Directories for another component of SEO, creating links to your site.

Using a business listing service like Yelp is an excellent way to increase your search rankings. Get your clients to write positive reviews about dealing with you and your company, and offer them a Starbucks gift card as a thank you.

#18 Buy Ad Space on Authority Sites

Authority websites offer ad space for sale. It's an expensive tactic, but it guarantees you a certain level of reach and exposure.

Reach out to the marketing department and ask them for a repricing schedule on advertising space. The authority sites ranking benefits your site, especially if there's a link in your advert. However, most ads aren't permanent, and you'll lose your SEO advantage when the ad stops running.

#19 Optimize Your Site

Make sure your website can accommodate mobile traffic. Your design templates should feature a mobile-friendly interface.

More than 50% of all online traffic to your site comes from mobile devices; failing to cater to this audience will cost your leads.

#20 Solo Ads

Solo Ads are great options for new sales agents and brokers. Solo Ads give you a fresh batch of potential new customers waiting for your offer.

The solo Ads vendor owns curated lists of people looking for financial services like insurance. For a fee, they'll send out a custom email to their list promoting your offer. You get to keep any contacts you make during your campaign.

#21 Google Maps Advertising

Google places extra emphasis on sites that link to Google Maps. Place an interactive map on your site, and register your Insurance business address to improve your search ranking.

Google Maps are also handy for the local community, making your business pop up in local searches.

#22 Opt-in Lead Magnets

An opt-in lead magnets capture leads directly from your landing pages. The lead magnet contains a value offer that the prospect is willing to exchange for their contact information and phone number.

Opt-in lead magnets give you a way to capture qualified prospects and send them directly to your sales funnel.

#23 Value Offers

A value offer is something that you can trade with your potential customers in exchange for their information.

Your value offer could be a free PDF about the different life insurance types and why they matter to your estate planning.

A value offer should cause excitement in your prospect. It forces the lead to take action and trade details for the value offered in your lead magnet.

#24 Survey Your Clients

There are dozens of survey tools that help you launch targeted surveys to your clients. Sure, some of them may refuse to participate, and that's okay. To increase engagement with your survey, offer a small incentive like a gift card.

#25 Send Out Newsletters

A company email newsletter gives you a chance to capture new leads for your insurance business. Your newsletter can contain content relating to product launches, industry events, and insurance policy details.

Add a lead magnet to your newsletter, and ask your readers to share it. If new readers receive it from a friend or colleague, they enter their information into your lead magnet to join the list.

#26 Run a Webinar

A webinar gives you a chance to showcase your expertise and knowledge in your industry. It's a way to reach out to your clients and offer them an educational presentation in exchange for their contact details.

People that register for your webinar are potential clients looking for your services. If they are interested in your webinar, they'll also be interested in your products and services.

#27 Create an Email Signature that Sells

Email changed business communications forever. Today, your email address and signature are your new business card – and presentation matters.

Create a unique but professional email signature. Your sign should include all your contact information and a headshot if possible.

#28 Get into their Phone

As a salesperson, your ideal happy place – is inside your client's phone. By getting your name in their contacts, they'll always see your name when you call. Therefore, there's less chance of them missing your call, as they'll feel obliged to answer.

As a result, your company and personal brand get top-of-mind awareness with your prospects and clients.

To get into your phone, tell your prospect to take down your number at the end of the first meeting, make sure they do it right by sending a missed call to confirm the number, then you have theirs as well when your phone rings.

#29 Pay-Per-Click

Pay-Per-Click advertising is one of the traditional internet marketing strategies, and it's still somewhat valid today. Competing for keywords in the insurance niche is expensive. To make the most out of your keywords, look to add long-tail keyword phrases or local keywords to your SEO and marketing efforts.

This strategy saves you money. Google prioritizes local search results featuring geographical locations in the keywords. Therefore, you get the optimal bang for your marketing buck and a way to compete with the top-ranking insurance sales sites.

#30 Run a CSRI

Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives are high on every corporates list of ways to give back to the community. CSRI allows you to reach out and start initiatives with community leaders, covering a wide variety of projects.

CSRI is essential for most companies, and they allocate around 10% of their budget to it annually. As a reward, you get plenty of generous tax breaks to boost your business and a stack of fresh leads for your efforts.

#31 Get a Black-Belt in Phone Skills

The phone is the most important skill for any salesperson. However, it might surprise you at how many people avoid learning phone skills due to fear.

However, you'll find that when you have a perfected script and know what you're doing on the phone, you'll lose your fear of telephone marketing.

Eventually, after a few weeks of forcing yourself to make phone calls, you'll lose your fear and graduate with your black belt in phone skills.

#32 Press Releases

PRs are an excellent tool for promoting your insurance business and capturing more leads. Use PR to promote insurance products and services or talk about industry news and events.

Newsletters act as an excellent lead magnet. Your prospects trade you're their details in exchange for your adding them to the newsletter list.

#33 Sponsor the Fire or Police Department

While the trend around the country is to defund police departments, plenty of your customers still want them around.

Sponsoring your local police or fire department is a great way to build community spirit and give back to your town or city.

#34 Register with the Chamber of Commerce

Take the time to spend a few hours at your chamber of commerce. Meet the managerial team, and introduce yourself.

The chamber of commerce provides you with another way of strengthening your influence and credibility in the community.

#35 Wrap Cars

Either wrap your car or offer to rent the space on someone else vehicle. A vehicle wrap is a great way to sell car insurance, but it's also mobile advertising space for any form of insurance.

#36 Outdoor Advertising

Outdoor advertising on billboards and highway bridges are traditional outdoor advertising models used in insurance agency marketing strategies.

They're still effective, and if you have the budget, they're worth the investment.

#37 Leave Lead Fishbowls at Local Businesses

It's an old tactic, but it still produces results. Leave fishbowls at as many businesses as you can, and offer prizes in exchange for business cards.

#38 SMS Marketing

SMS marketing is another excellent lead generator. Phone service providers sell contact information to marketing firms, allowing you to market to a wide range of consumers.

Clients that want to act on your offer reach out to you through SMS and the system captures their details on your system.

#39 Create Office Merch

Pushing your brand out there at every opportunity keeps your target market aware of your presence. Print your company logo on pends, leave them everywhere you go, print on coffee mugs, key chains, and any other merch you think your clients use.

#40 Sponsor Golf Days

It's a great way to get insurance leads. A golf day puts you in front of affluent people, and those people buy insurance. Even if they are already fully insured, they might have friends and colleagues that can benefit from your services.

#41 Market in Relevant Industry Magazines

Make a list of the top industry publications, and reach out to the advertising team. Facebook marketing stole the limelight from this age-old marketing tool, but it's still effective.

#42 Sponsor a Car Club

If you're selling auto-insurance, sponsor a supercar club or a rally. It's a great way to promote your company to a targeted audience.

Eventually, the car club members will look to you to service their insurance needs.

#43 Start Community Organizations

Get involved with your community. Start a neighborhood watch or sponsor a financial literacy seminar in your area. Community events allow you to mingle with potential prospects, creating brand awareness in your company.

Look for local events and sign up for sponsorship or assistance; it gives you a platform to meet people in person.

#44 Call Clients for Lunch

99% of the time, your clients will turn down the request – but it's the thought that counts. Your goal is to get them to turn you down so you can eat that Rueben sandwich you picked up at the deli this morning.

The point of the exercise is to stay in contact with your clients. When they need an insurance policy, you're top of their list.

#45 Farm Your Power Base

Go back through all your old leads and return to them for a second round. After finishing that exercise, go back through all of your old clients. Make a note of the clients you haven't heard from in a while and make contact.

#46 Call Your Best Clients

Call your best clients and try to upsell them into new policies. It's important that you only recommend policies if they benefit your clients.

Staying ethical is an important part of being a top-quality salesperson, after all – even if you could, you wouldn't sell ice to Eskimo's, would you? It's unethical; they have heaps of the stuff.

#47 Sponsor Events

When the world opens up, look at sponsoring events in your local area to drum up new leads. While the economy is in lockdown, you can apply this strategy to virtual events.

Reach out and ask for sponsorship details; it's a great way to promote your insurance products and services to a targeted audience.

#48 Offer Free Consultations

A free consultation can go a long way to finding your new business. It attracts people to you that would otherwise not think twice about your service.

Visit a financial conference, set up a visitors booth offering free consultations, take leads, and follow up.

#49 Referral Marketing

Referrals are the best kind of leads insurance people can get. They represent a qualified prospect introduced to you through another prospect, or preferrable a client.

A referral program can revolutionize your business. The top salespeople only work on referrals, and that's how they make their success.

#50 Business Networking

The BNI is an excellent example of a group holding regular meetings with salespeople in your area. You'll meet people in all fields, selling a vast array of products and services.

You'll also run into other insurance salespeople and get a chance to expand your network. Remember, your network is your net worth.