Emails are an effective way of connecting with insurance leads. Whether you are sending out an email campaign or sending follow up emails after a cold call, you should follow these 7 tips to increase engagement and help close more sales.
1. Have an Intriguing Subject
The subject is the first thing the recipient will see, so it must be compelling. I’ve found success using a subject like “Looking to Connect.” You could even try using this: “Found Your Company Searching on Google”. If you are going for a more practical subject line, make sure it’s descriptive. Don’t just use, “App Developer” or “Health Insurance.” Make your subject more colorful: “Beautiful Apps for Increasing Customer Retention” or “Aetna’s Health Plan Could Lower Monthly Premiums”.
2. Get Creative
Have fun with creating emails. To reach people who have never opened or responded to an email, try out a new approach. My favorite email is:
I haven't heard back from you, leading me to think you are:
- Not Interested
- Too Busy
- Not Fond of Insurance Agents
Let me know which it is so I know how to proceed.
This allows the recipient to respond quickly with one of the options. And the majority of the time, people respond back with “2” or even let me know when would be a better time to reach out. This answer allows you to persevere and continue following up with them.
3. Be Concise
Don’t write too much in your email. People are busy and don’t want to have to read more than a couple paragraphs. Put yourself in their shoes -- would you want to read a cold email with 3+ paragraphs? No way! Try and keep the information brief. Give 1 sentence to introduce yourself and the company. Another sentence or two to describe the value you offer.
4. Add a Link
Links are wonderful. They enable you to show value while taking up less space. After 2 sentences of describing your value, you should present a link for the recipient to view your website, tutorials, how-to-video, etc. This allows you to have a condensed message, but also provides an option for your recipient to get much more information from visiting the link. Another plus is that most CRMs allow you to track and see who clicks on the link. This is a good indicator as to whether someone is a warm lead that you should contact more directly.
5. Add Spacing
Make sure there is adequate spacing in your email. Don’t jumble all of your sentences into one paragraph. Split it up into 1-3 sentence paragraphs. Forget what your elementary teacher taught about having 5 sentences per paragraph. You want the recipient to be able to easily view the information and to feel good about the layout.
6. Use a Picture in the Signature
Having a signature in your email is a given. It should contain the standard information: your name, title, business motto, phone number, email, website, etc. Including a photo is a great idea because:
- It makes the connection personal -- you are allowing the recipient to see and know you to some degree.
- It gives you the opportunity to show the recipient how professional you and your business are, which is why the photo in the signature should be a very high quality picture. Don’t just take a selfie -- that would do more harm than good.
7. Proofread
Aside from the unprofessionalism of using a vacation picture as your company photo, typos and poor grammar are another warning sign to a recipient. When I first bought a domain, I got emails on emails from people who wanted to create a website for me. Some of the emails were terrible, simple words were misspelled and there was no signature to see what company they even worked for. How could I trust someone to design a flawless website if they can’t even write an email? Likewise, how can someone trust you if your email doesn’t embody creativity, simplicity, and class.