6 Reasons Why Independent Agencies Need a Strong Website

Standing out as an independent agency can be surprisingly challenging. While you may not think that your website is a crucial part of that equation, that genuinely isn’t the case.

To put it simply, without a strong website for your independent agency, you are missing out on opportunities. If you are wondering why having an exceptional site matters, here’s what you need to know.

1. First Impressions Matter

In many cases, your website is the first interaction a client has with your independent agency online. It acts as a digital handshake, introducing the visitor to what you have to offer. If your messaging, aesthetic, and information fall short of expectations, you may miss out on a new client.

Similarly, if you don’t have a website at all, today’s digital-savvy consumers won’t even know you exist. That leads to more missed opportunities.

But if you have a well-presented, highly informative website, you create opportunities. You draw visitors in through this exceptional first impression, keeping them engaged longer and increasing the odds that they’ll reach out or move forward as a client.

2. Bolster Your Brand Credibility

If you don’t have a website, you’re hurting your brand credibility. Without a site, your independent agency doesn’t seem as legitimate in the eyes of prospective clients.

Similarly, a poor-quality website harms your reputation. It makes it seem like you don’t care about the details or take your online presence seriously, both of which work against you.

Even a simple but well-crafted website makes your independent agency seem more credible. It creates a sense of longevity while also showing that you care about quality.

3. Showcase Your Company and Products

A website is, first and foremost, a resource brimming with information. When you spend time creating a standout site, you can highlight the best of what you have to offer, both as a company and in the way of the products.

Without a website, clients may not know where to turn for helpful information. If your site is poor, they may struggle to navigate it or otherwise finding the details they are after.

By focusing on the quality of your website, you can showcase your company and products with ease. The information they are after will be right at their fingertips, whenever they want it.

4. Increase Brand Visibility

Without a website, many prospective clients won’t know you exist. It’s akin to not having a sign on your company’s office, something that an independent agency would never dream of skipping.

Since so many people head online to find out about businesses, you need to make sure you’re represented. Your website makes you visible to those clients, ensuring they know you’re there and ready to meet their needs.

5. Boost Your Online Marketing

If you aren’t marketing online, you’re missing out. A great website opens this door wider. You won’t just have an online presence, but you can also embrace SEO to place your site higher in results lists. This can increase traffic levels to your site, making it more likely that anyone looking for an independent agency finds you before your competitors.

Plus, if you decide to pursue other online marketing options, such as using Google Ads or a similar network, having a website is crucial. It gives you a place to direct people who see your advertisement that offers more than you can get those a social media profile alone.

6. Increase Accessibility

Today, shopping online is the go-to approach for many consumers. They can tackle research, make purchases, and more at any time, day or night. Plus, they can do it all while on the go, thanks to mobile devices.

If you don’t have a reliable, well-put-together website, you’re missing out on these digital-first prospective clients. By having a fantastic site, you’re essentially increasing accessibility, making it easier to do business with you.

Independent Agencies: Looking for More Great Tips?

At ePayPolicy, we understand the importance of standing out from the crowd as an independent agency. If you’d like more tips about how independent agents can boost their online presence, we’ve got you covered. Follow us on Facebook for more tidbits, tricks, and insights.

It's Time To Build Your Brand Persona!

Building a Brand Persona – Why Not Now?

It’s become a slow season for most businesses. This was unexpected, and probably not preferred, but there is a silver lining. During this period, you have the opportunity to sit and re-align on your company’s core values, and finally develop a persona that reflects them.

Don’t think a Brand Persona is Worth The Time? Think Again!

Smaller companies tend to skip this step in brand development, or at least never quite narrow it down. It benefits your customers to envision your company as a person or personality that is not only memorable, but exemplifies your company mission. And we all know that whatever benefits your customers, benefits your business.

A Brand Persona embodies what your company does and how you make your clients feel. Take Gordy Z for example. He’s our big green monster disrupting the way the insurance industry collects payments. He doesn’t like checks, and he likes to make himself known in big ways. For our users, he makes it clear that paper checks aren’t going to last and that we’re able to help them get noticed in big ways.

Where to Start When Designing your Brand Persona

Developing Gordy Z required many creative ideas, iterations, and input. As a young company in an industry not well-known (yet!) for allure or glamour, we wanted something that would stand out while still representing our mission and values. One concept included an astronaut, because we viewed digital payments as a new frontier to be explored. Another was the loyal “man’s best friend” since we want our clients to know they can rely on ePayPolicy.

Neither was a perfect fit. So we went back to our purpose, our original goal when we launched the company – to destroy the outdated payment methods for the insurance industry. There wasn’t anything like ePayPolicy and we were determined to be a monster of innovation. Out of this, Gordy Z was born. He now wreaks havoc on traditional ways agents collect payments.

Once we found the winning idea, we consulted with a designer to develop his look. Expanding on his personality alongside our team ensured he has the real heart of our company. Gordy is approachable, fast to react, and excited! Most importantly, he’s disrupting the norm and not dealing with paper checks when he knows there is a better solution out there.

Additional Benefits of Having a Brand Persona 

 Social Media Buzz Using your persona on social makes your company easy to identify, and ideally keeps them entertained as you create new and creative content.
 – Promotional Products – When we see a brand we like, we want everything we can get our hands on. Stickers, t-shirts, socks, you name it!
– Client Connection Let’s be honest, we love a unique, engaging brand. With your persona, clients can be “in” on the fun and feel like they are part of the team.

It takes a little work but establishing a brand persona is the perfect way to bring your team together, have some fun, and create a little excitement in and around your company. Check out this article to dive further into developing your own Brand Persona

Your Time is Valuable: Maximize Growth and Boost Profits for your Independent Agency

Understanding The Opportunity Cost Across Your Agency

As an independent agent, your time can be rather divided. Between processing claims, building new business and nurturing your current clientele – there is little time to grow.. 

How are you spending your time?

When hiring support staff isn’t an option, you might have to buckle down and wear a few necessary but non-revenue-building hats. From prospecting to invoicing and everything in-between, you are down in the trenches, doing it all. 15 minutes here, 20 minutes there, and by the end of the week you have 5+ hours spent on… not growing your business. What if you could have those hours back?

Achieve Sustainable Growth

You may have considered investing in some InsurTech solutions such as a digital payment processor to speed up your receivables, but are hesitant. The upfront cost seemed too high at first, but have you crunched the numbers, determined the value of your time, and compared them apple to apples? You might find that the cost-benefits far outweigh the initial expense.
If you are still accepting paper checks, chasing payments, physically making deposits and reconciling your accounts, you are leaving money on the table. You might be saving $20 a month, but when you look at the opportunity cost to you and your team, it just doesn’t add up.

What is Your Time Worth?

Those tasks need to get done, and that’s a fact. However, assigning a specific value to your time can clearly show the ROI from a variety of InsurTech solutions.

If you streamline your workflows and automate repetitive processes—like accepting manual payments—you can allocate those hours towards more profitable activities that will grow your customer base and send value to the bottom line.

Here are examples of profitable activities you’ll have time for:
 – Build and expand your business
 – Deliver top-quality customer service
Offer convenience and expedience
 – Gain insight and improve your company’s operations

And here are examples of the extra benefits you’ll reap:
Reduce the time you spend on mundane tasks
–  Reduce missed payments
– Streamline and simplify accounting processes
– Eliminate data entry and accounting errors
– Automate payments and improve cash flow

Dreams Do Come True

You might be thinking that it sounds too easy, and in a way, you’re right. You’d be giving up a lot of inefficient busy work and giving yourself the luxury of time; time you can now use to improve the value of your business.

And the cost? Insignificant in comparison. Though your investment will rise a bit, the gains in revenue will more than makeup for it. 

It’s 2020. Time to grow and adapt to modern conveniences, time to strategize and invest in your agency. When you’re ready, ePayPolicy is here to help with payment gateway solutions to support your growth. Reach out today to schedule a demo.