5 LinkedIn Advertising Mistakes to Avoid

by Business Strategy

Why You Should Advertise on LinkedIn

LinkedIn advertising is an exceptional opportunity that many agency owners overlook. Independent agents, like yourself, often use LinkedIn to showcase their expertise. The thing is, the platform can do so much more.

By embracing LinkedIn advertising tools, you can connect with a broad audience brimming with all kinds of professionals and companies. It’s a marketing dream.

If you are wondering why you should advertise on LinkedIn, and want to avoid LinkedIn advertising mistakes that can derail your campaign, here’s what you need to know.

Unique Opportunities

LinkedIn gives you the ability to target audiences that you don’t necessarily find elsewhere. You can choose to focus on certain industries, job functions, interests, member skills, and a ton more. This gives you the ability to tap the specific kinds of professionals, increasing the odds that your ads will reach the right audience.

Lower Competition

In comparison to social media behemoths like Facebook, competition among advertisers on LinkedIn is ridiculously low. Not only can this make LinkedIn more affordable, but it also means your campaign isn’t as likely to get overrun (or outbid) by a competitor.

Ease-of-Use

LinkedIn’s advertising program is a breeze. With a few clicks, you can get a campaign going, even if you aren’t a marketing expert.

Less Clutter

While LinkedIn is increasingly displaying ads, most users’ feeds aren’t as cluttered here as they may be on other social platforms. That means there’s a better shot your ad will actually catch their eye, and that can boost engagement.

5 LinkedIn Advertising Mistakes to Avoid

1. Ineffective Targeting

The whole point of social media advertising for independent agents is to reach the right audience. If you don’t choose the right targets, you’re throwing your advertising dollars into a black hole.

Ideally, you want to strike a balance. If your audience is too broad, many of the people who see your ad might not be interested. If it’s too narrow, you may miss out on potential customers.

Additionally, you don’t have to settle for just one audience. Instead, create several. That way, you can use different messaging in your ads, with each one focusing on what resonates with that specific group.

2. Overwhelming Visual Elements

Many entrepreneurs who are new to the social media advertising game put too much in their ads. If you have a ton of text, buttons, graphics, and other elements, looking at your ad might be visually painful.

Keep your ads simple. Make sure any images are clear, and that text remains readable. Limit the number of elements to just a few. That way, your ads aren’t a confusing mess.

3. Only Creating One or Two Ads

When it comes to LinkedIn advertising success, every independent agent or agency owner needs to embrace A/B testing. That process involves producing and publishing two ads, allowing you to see which one wins out when it comes to engagement.

Then, you can use that information to create two more ads. Do an A/B test with those. See what happens over the month. After that, refine again.

This approach creates an opportunity for continuous improvement. You just keep tweaking away, ensuring you achieve the best results possible.

4. Ignoring Performance Analytics

Performance analytics is a must-use tool. It lets you see what is and isn’t working. When an ad is doing great, you can direct more of your ad-spend to it. If one’s floundering, scrap it and try something new.

5. Overlooking Mobile Compatibility

Most people visit LinkedIn on their mobile devices. If your ad goes to a landing page that isn’t mobile compatible, it won’t look good if the viewer is using a smartphone.

Before you publish a campaign, see if the page looks good on different devices. If it does, great! If not, adjust it until it does.

 

Looking for More Digital Marketing Tips For Your Independent Insurance Agency?

LinkedIn advertising is an amazing tool for any business, including insurance agencies and independent agents. Take advantage of what it offers, ensuring you can reach your ideal audience with ease.

If you’d like more tips about independent insurance agency advertising, we’ve got you covered. Follow up on Facebook for more tidbits, tricks, and insights.

The Real Value Of An Instagram Like For Your Agency

by Business Strategy

If No One Can See My Likes… Does My Content Really Count?

Last week Instagram announced that they would be getting rid of the “likes” feature on the app for users in the U.S, in other words no one will be able to see how many likes your posts get. However, you will still be able to view the like count within your own account. This may not come as a huge surprise since Instagram started testing out this change back in July in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand. This update will begin as a test to some users in the U.S this week before the change becomes more permanent. 
So what’s the deal, Instagram? What’s so wrong with those little hearts? Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri said the reason behind this big change is, “about creating a less pressurized environment where people feel comfortable expressing themselves.” This update will serve as a way for users to concentrate on the posts and interacting with the app rather than just focusing on the amount of “likes” their post may garner. 
It seems Instagram’s reasoning behind this change is pretty valid and may prove to be beneficial to its users, but what will this mean for your marketing efforts for your insurance agency? Well, that depends on your social strategy.  Many companies and brands who want to work with influencers use the number of likes from posts to determine if they have enough “influence” with their audience. The update to remove likes will now require more work from the company or brand’s side to look further into whether an influencer is worth the investment. However, like most insurance agencies if you don’t rely on influencers and are providing great content get ready to roll up your sleeves.

It’s Time To Get To Work!

If you want your content to stay in your followers’ feed, this update will challenge your content strategy (and all Instagram content producers for that matter) to create quality content that does not rely on the “group influence effect” to receive engagement. Your content will need to capture and keep your followers’ attention and focus on the point you’re trying to convey.
If you’ve been waiting to up your Instagram game and really display your creativity, now is a perfect time! No more “like” comparison, it will be a level playing field for everyone on Instagram.

Paradiso Insurance, a Yardstick of Quality

by Client Spotlight Series

The value of good marketing cannot be overstated. If your marketing plan isn’t working (or worse, if you have no marketing plan at all), your organization won’t last long.

You can count on that.

The Internet and social media have made marketing more accessible. But they’ve also created a massive cloud of competition and a hailstorm of noise.

We live in a world of sensory overload. Every company is fighting for consumer attention. With millions of organizations vying for eyes and business 24/7, how do you make yourself stand out?
“Be a yardstick of quality.”

The advice comes from someone who knows a thing or two about marketing, the iconic CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs.

When I think about the insurance space and who makes a good “yardstick” of quality, one name in particular stands out – Chris Paradiso.

Paradiso started his own insurance business in 1998 with just three employees. Today there are over 15 team members and counting, and Paradiso has grown his company and brand into an insurance powerhouse.

Paradiso Presents, LLC is at the forefront of that powerhouse. It began as an endeavor Chris started in order to “teach small agencies how to survive in today’s complex online marketing world.” Since the LLC’s inception, it has grown into one of the most reputable resources for small agency survival.

One facet of Paradiso Presents is the popular industry magazine Be the Last Agent Standing. The publication is one of those tools that belongs in any agency’s survival kit. New and experienced insurance professionals alike will benefit from Last Agent. Readers can expect insight like marketing tips, tricks, and tools designed specifically to help insurance folks grow their business.
Everything from building a brand to search engine optimization to Google Analytics is discussed. Nothing is off the table. Nothing is overlooked. With so much information on the Interwebs these days, it’s difficult to sift through what’s valuable and what’s just fluff. Fortunately, Last Agent is chalk full of rich, valuable, pearls of wisdom from the man himself.

“What Chris does with Paradiso Presents and Last Agent is truly a testament to how well he knows the insurance landscape,” said Milan Malkani, my partner and fellow ePayPolicy co-founder.
“He’s been in this business a long time and still finds all these ways to keep things fresh and fun and current. I think a lot of agencies can learn from him.”


Digital marketing is undoubtedly a frontier that is overwhelming for many. There are a lot of new tricks to learn and insurance is an old business. One that has historically used more “traditional” methods.

For example, using print ads (instead of digital ones), and paper checks (instead of electronic payment processors). However, insurance has gradually been shifting towards a more tech-based industry. And while some are happy with this shift, many are not.

Luckily, there are organizations like Chris Paradiso’s that are dedicated to helping those who do feel overwhelmed. The goal is to elevate the industry and level the playing field. With Paradiso, even the little guys and underdogs have a fighting chance.

What the magazine represents is so much more than articles printed on paper. Be the Last Agent Standing is an integral part of a larger puzzle — a good marketing foundation for budding insurance agencies.

“Any agency worth their salt will pick up Chris’ magazine,” said Malkani. “Everyone can learn something from Last Agent.”