Internet assistance - Keeping in touch

Louise Meeson offers practical advice on how brokers can utilise their websites to build customer relationships and improve business performance

Insurance Age | 29 Jan 2010 

The internet has revolutionised our buying habits. While many town centre shops sit vacant, the virtual high street goes from strength to strength - according to card payment firm Retail Decisions, online retail purchases in 2009 soared a massive 21% on the previous year to £49.8bn.

However, the insurance industry in general has lagged behind other sectors, leaving a gap in the market, which has been filled by the web-savvy aggregators. While some notable exceptions have bucked the trend, many smaller brokers do not have a web presence or, if they do, often have basic brochure-style sites, which fail to engage with the target audience - a short sighted approach to take in this day and age.

In its most recent general insurance online shopping survey, digital consultancy Foolproof found that 63% of adults in the UK bought their previous motor insurance policy online while 45% purchased their home insurance on the web and this looks set to rise.

In Foolproof's 2006 report, 66% said they expected to buy their next motor insurance policy online while 49% intended to buy their next home insurance policy this way, both of which have risen to 76% in 2008.

The number of people who use the internet for research is even greater. In its 2008 survey, the consultancy found that 93% of motor insurance and 92% of home insurance respondents cited the internet as one of the resources they would use to research buying their next policy.

While far fewer businesses buy insurance this way, the number is increasing. Given that small to medium-sized enterprise business is the bread and butter of most smaller brokers, it is vital that they get to grips with the internet sooner rather than later.

Adrian Waters, technical director at Ceta, says: "I do think the industry has been lagging behind somewhat. The majority of consumers choose to do their research on the internet but if you search for insurance brokers, often they don't have websites or are very basic. Just having a website is an essential element. It's a confidence thing as potential customers want to see what they are dealing with."

Equal opportunities

He points out that a professional website can allow smaller brokers to compete with national players, adding that it's not all about sales but that it can be used to improve customer service, gather information - which can be used to cross-sell - as well as showcase customer testimonials.

Steve Manton, chief executive of marketing agency M Consulting, agrees that most brokers have been slow off the mark, but he does highlight pioneers such as Moorhouse and Belmont.

"You need to plan the customer journey. You must keep the website fresh as you want people to come back to it regularly. In order to do this, you can publish information such as government White Papers and blogs - elements that get you recognised as a source of knowledge," he adds.

It could be that some brokers have resisted the lure of the internet as they are afraid of losing their personal touch but this need not be the case.

Mr Manton says brokers do not have to spend up to £30,000 on implementing a fully integrated e-commerce solution but could use the website to direct enquiries to a call centre, highlighting the importance of free social media tools, such as LinkedIn and Twitter, in building brand recognition.

Neil Johnson, director of marketing company Lamb, says: "When you buy a URL and server space you have, in effect, created your own TV channel. You can't just ignore it, you need to make sure it's fresh and up to date," he adds.

"From a broker's perspective, they have an opportunity to be a voice in their own local community. Why not engage? Why not talk about what's going on locally - for instance ask what people think about the local school being shut. If your business is situated in the community, then interact with it."

Indeed, brokers that embrace the internet are reaping the benefits. Welsh personal lines broker Motaquote, which is part of Protectagroup, says that since it invested in pay per click advertising in August 2009, the number of visitors to its website has increased significantly.

Nigel Lombard, MD at the company, says: "A website should not be a temporary measure. It needs to be part of the strategic business plan.

"If businesses want to move forward and grow their customer base they need to make effective use of their website by ensuring the information is relevant and up to date. The content on the site should be related to any keyword search terms used in search engines by customers."

He continues: "Brokers are great at networking and these skills are transferable to social networking sites. Using your URL will help raise awareness of your brand online."

So, the message is clear: it is simply not enough to have a web presence - it's about making sure you engage with your audience in as many ways as possible. The internet is here to stay, so you ignore it at your peril.

Lamb Creative Marketing are delighted to be the main sponsor for one of the insurance industry's leading Christmas events. In its second year, the ball has quickly established itself as the go to event in the December social calendar.

This year's main beneficiary will be The Children's Trust who provide education, therapy and rehabilitation to children with profound disabilities.

In support of the charity, Lamb created a viral campaign called the 12 Weeks of Christmas wherein each week a themed photograph or video of members of the Incisive team are published with a comic slant upon the traditional song. Each of the week's verse being directly related to an activity the charity provides for its children. Week one was spectacularly launched with Jonathan Swift attempting to put a pear in a partridge, not for the feint of heart!

Details of the Ball, along with the 12 Weeks Campaign can be found Here and click Here to learn more about The Children's Trust and the invaluable work they do.

If you would like to donate to the Campaign, The Children's Trust shop can be found Here

Lamb has been busily working through the summer to help the Lloyd's Insurer, Jubilee create a unified brand for their entire operations. Formerly trading under two separate identities Jubilee; the Managing Agency and Motor Insurer and Cassidy Davis; a specialist personal lines and life insurer as well as administration business, the entire Group now trades under the single brand of Jubilee.

The new brand was formerly launched in September and showcases the uniqueness of Jubilee and that it is a company that offers professionalism and attention to detail, but with an image that is seen as contemporary and relevant to their market.

The new Jubilee Logo

To see the brand in action Click Here and you will be directed to the Jubilee website

Engaging with SMEs

A sound SME client base is fundamental to any regional broker. Edward Murray advises on how to win this much sought after business in a period when many smaller enterprises are having to make cost saving

First Published in Insurance Age July 2009

Competition for small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) business is incredibly tough with direct writers and niche players muscling their way into what has traditionally been the territory of regional brokers.

Many SMEs are also under massive financial pressure as they fight their way through the recession and this has made them more sensitive to exactly what cover they need and how much it will cost them.

When a strong book of SME clients is the bread and butter of any successful regional broker, winning the battle for their business is a concern being discussed in boardrooms up and down the country.

Views differ on the best way to engage SME clients, but the general consensus is that a grapeshot or scattergun approach is a waste of time; simply firing out varied and non-specific messages to all and sundry is inefficient, costly and ineffective.

Firms may believe they are busy building their brand and growing a platform for future sales but, in truth, they are simply emptying their coffers and scuttling their own ship through activity that will never deliver the results they want or make a return on their investment.

So where should brokers focus their sales and marketing attention and how can they best get in front of the SME clients they so badly want to bring on board?

First of all they need to understand their own business and get a handle on what they are really good at.

As Adrian Stewart, communications director at broker Buckland Harvester, explains: "Brokers have to conduct a rigorous analysis of their business and determine which are the most profitable activities currently being undertaken. Once it has been decided how money is being made, the next step is, quite simply, to acquire more of that type of business."

The point is echoed by Lyndon Wood, chairman of broker Moorhouse Group: "Firms should micro-segment their business, look at what they are good at and then look at what they are really good at. There should also be a bit of analytical work looking at new clients, what has been converted and at what level."

Once brokers know what their strengths are, then it becomes a lot easier to actually play to them and target the potential clients for whom they know they can do a great job.

Cross-platform promotion

It is here that sales-led marketing, local press and PR all become important. Mark Huxley, a director of Lamb Creative Marketing and Consultancy, believes firms should be thinking about using everything at their disposal including an online presence, mailshots, personal visits, editorial opportunities and advertising to create an overall strategy.

However, he is equally emphatic that a targeted approach is essential. "Firms need to be very clear about the message they want to get out." He adds: "It has to be part of the business agenda and it has to be very focused and measured to ensure there is an appropriate return on investment coming out of the activity."

While Mr Huxley accepts that it is sometimes difficult to create a direct correlation between marketing activity and immediate sales, he says that any successful campaign will make it easier to make sales going forward and this is something that all firms should be striving to achieve.

As part of the local community, sponsorship can prove very effective and firms may want to work with the local radio and print media to get editorial coverage or pay to have a regular presence.

However before undertaking such activity, brokers should have a good idea of what they want to say and to whom they are trying to say it. If their potential customers are not going to read or listen to their message, then what is the point? When there are so many ways to interact with potential clients, wasting time on ineffective methods makes little business sense.

It is also worth remembering that not all marketing activity has to be costly. Online networking tools such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook deserve an article all of their own while more traditional avenues like local Chambers of Commerce can be "goldmines of contacts and leads" according to Mr Huxley. They also offer a platform from which brokers can hold themselves up as thought leaders in the local community.

By taking a proactive approach and looking to give presentations on possible issues affecting local businesses, changes in legislation or basic risk management procedures, brokers can establish themselves as leaders in their field, set themselves apart from peers and show they have valuable insight and information to offer clients.

Getting the tone for such presentations right is also important and Mr Huxley is quick to emphasise that brokers should avoid being patronising at all costs.

The size of SMEs that brokers are trying to attract will also factor into how they go about marketing their wares and the amount of money they want to invest in doing so.

Mr Wood points out that at the micro SME level price is a very important factor and working profitably is all about volume. As such he says getting a return on marketing activity in this area can be difficult and believes some firms are "losing millions" through their high profile activity.

Mr Wood says that much of the marketing activity Moorhouse Group does in the micro SME sector is based on building its brand through its people and the firm tends to rely on hammering the phones and getting in touch with as many of the one million firms it has on its SME database as possible.

The most important part of any marketing campaign is the thought that goes into it. As Mr Stewart says: "Before you embark on expensive advertising projects, sit back and think about what you do, how well you do it and who else can benefit from those particular specialisms."

When the SME market is so hotly contested, taking the time to create the best approach to winning new business should help brokers hold on to their fair share of the sector amid mounting competition.

Tips to win SME business

• Inwardly assess the brokerage and evaluate what it does best and where its strengths lie
• Play to these strengths
• Have a clear idea of the message to be broadcast through any marketing activity
• Effective marketing does not have to be costly, but it does have to be well thought out and focused on the correct target audience
• Visiting the sales and marketing section at www.businesslink.gov.uk will help firms with all of the practical tools they need to get started

Get yourself connected

Jessica Pothering explains how to make the most out of this year's Biba conference, at a time when every minute out of the office must be well spent

First Published in Insurance Age May 2009

In these times, leaving the business behind for several days to attend a conference can be difficult to justify. Even for those who are dedicated attendees of the British Insurance Brokers' Association's (Biba) annual conference, it may be harder this year to weigh the potential benefits against the costs of taking staff out of the office, travel, accommodation and daily expenses. 

However, while most have been keeping their heads down, focusing on customers and guiding their businesses through the recession, Biba has been putting together an agenda that hopes to draw a big picture of the broking sector and provide an occasion to examine new market trends, engage in topical discussions and debate, and network. This year's theme, 'Delivering Value', intends to focus on exactly what brokers need to do to hold on to their market relevance and develop their businesses, particularly in this economy.

Be prepared

At such a large-scale event, one could easily assume there is an inherent value in just being present. Most of the major market players plan to attend, particularly as the venue is set in central Manchester, making the event more accessible to industry figures around the UK than last year's conference in Glasgow.

But merely turning up to the site with business cards in hand could prove overwhelming. The conference centre boasts over 12,500 square metres of exhibition space, which will be filled with over 130 exhibitors and 1,050 brokers if last year's success is to be repeated. Additionally, seminar sessions, keynote speeches and a hot topic debate are included on the conference agenda, alongside the exhibiting and networking opportunities ... and those are just the daytime activities. (There probably isn't much need to elaborate here on the now-infamous late-night frivolities of the 30-year-old conference.)

Mark Huxley of Lamb Creative Marketing sums it up best, saying that, across the board, "a lot goes on at Biba that can easily distract your attention."

"Relying on accidental meetings could result in missed opportunities. One should not just turn up expecting things will happen," he warns.

Those wanting to receive maximum value from the three-day programme will need a planned and structured approach. "Beforehand, brokers should have a clear understanding of why they are going and what their purpose is in being there. Outline specific goals," Mr Huxley advises.

Identifying goals involves taking a look at the individual business in the context of the broader market and pinpointing its strengths, weaknesses and challenge areas. There will be representatives from all corners of the insurance industry - "plenty of potential contacts who can help fill those gaps," explains Clare Ryder, managing director of insurance consultancy, Salient Solutions.

The key to making the most of the conference will be to treat business hours as normal business hours and any meetings taking place during that time as serious business meetings. Logistically, this should take place on Thursday and Friday during the day, with Thursday morning being a good time to set aside a couple of hours to walk around the exhibition hall and locate companies of interest. She advises that casual networking and socialising should be reserved for Wednesday and Friday evenings, which are the most informal parts of the event.

"Some attend Biba only to rotate around the stands, engage in informal chatting, and have a good time in the evening. There is a real risk that people will just see this as a break from the office, especially because there is no cost to members, and this can detract from the business focus of the event," Ms Ryder says.

Background research

However, taking a more focused approach and doing a bit of pre-conference preparation can go a long way to maximising conversations with insurers and suppliers, which can have a real influence on business. This should include taking a look at who is scheduled to attend and what products are being advertised. Rather than simply identifying names, delegates should call the companies on their short-list, find out who will be on the exhibiting stands, exchange thoughts, and set up formal meetings.

Mr Huxley elaborates: "If you are a broker wanting to launch into a new market, make sure you meet all of the people operating in that space who are going to be there. Print off the delegate and exhibitor lists and identify those people. Make contact in advance. If you want to speak to a specific exhibitor about small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) business, make sure they plan to have an SME market specialist on their stand."

Also, the conference schedule includes a number of break-out sessions, workshops, and speaking events that promise to offer insight on current issues and potentially generate new business ideas. Attendees should schedule in time to attend these sessions as well, to 'add meat to the bones'.

Overcoming fears

On a separate note, structure can do more than add value to one's business objectives, however. Large conference centres filled with unfamiliar faces can be intimidating to both newcomers and the less-outgoing. In these cases, it could make things far more comfortable to have a plan in place before checking in at the registration desk.

But branching out and forcing people to step out of their comfort zones could open the door to new opportunities as well. Heather White, CEO of The Magic of Networking, offers some useful tips on how to minimise the discomfort of that experience.

"First, identify what makes you uncomfortable and then prepare yourself for doing those things. The only way to network is to stick your hand out. If you go to the conference not knowing anyone and not having done any pre-planning, go to the sessions and speaker events and make an effort to ask questions. This will increase your profile and provide a basis for conversing with other people," she suggests.

Ms White also recommends the "divide and conquer" approach to maximise how much of the conference your business can participate in; one shouldn't just stick with colleagues as splitting up assignments will allow for wider coverage, and possibly offer professional growth experiences as well.

"When two people are in a meeting together, there will always be a dominant personality who will do the lion's share of the networking. Therefore, the other won't be maximising their time there," she explains.

Particularly for businesses that do not plan to stay in Manchester for the entire three days, devising a strategy in advance and delegating tasks will be key to getting the most value from the occasion.

Work hard, play hard

Ultimately, attendees' daytime activities at the conference should always be easily traced back to their identified objectives, be that gaining more industry knowledge, exchanging ideas on best practice, meeting new suppliers or forming new alliances. Informal networking and socialising should be reserved for the many events taking place in the evening - prospects to play hard will be as plentiful as those to work hard.

The annual Biba conference provides a tremendous opportunity to meet industry figures that one might not easily come in contact with otherwise and learn about new market trends and exchange ideas. But success of the event will be what the individual makes of it and will boil down to finding a good balance between formal business networking and casual mingling, and being disciplined about it, particularly given the potential costs of being away from the office at such a crucial time.

"We know that it is a difficult time with the economy in the state that it is. We have put quite a lot of time and energy into the conference's planning, developing the theme of delivering value and making the event as accessible to as many players in the sector as possible," explains Eric Galbraith, chief executive officer of Biba.

"Our hope is that all attendees will come away with a refreshed view and a number of new ideas of the sector, as well as a sense of optimism towards how they can develop and improve their businesses even further."

Getting the most out of Biba

- In advance, outline specific goals for what you wish your business to accomplish at the conference;

- Review which brokers, insurers and suppliers plan to attend and create a shortlist of individuals with whom you would like to meet;

- Plan on treating Thursday and Friday as normal business days and establish appointments prior to the event if possible; don't rely on ad hoc meetings and informal conversations to meet business objectives;

- Split up tasks between colleagues and employees so you can cover as much ground as possible;

- Schedule in time to attend speaker sessions and workshops to ensure that you get a well-rounded experience.

Marketing - Playing the campaign game

Katherine Brandon investigates how brokers can extract best value from their marketing budgets

There is no escaping general insurance marketing. The recent re-branding campaign for Norwich Union's name change to that of parent company Aviva is one of many vying for consumer attention with television, radio, billboard and press advertising seeming to saturate the UK media at the start of this year. Most businesses cannot afford to bring in celebrities such as Bruce Willis and Elle Macpherson to act as their public faces and brokers' marketing activity in particular is low-key in comparison to other small to medium-sized businesses; it is also anything but consistent.

Andy Heap, chief executive at business development specialist Ignition, believes haphazard marketing spends can be blamed on expectations of instantly quantifiable results: "A lot of brokers do new-year marketing pushes but do not follow them through in the long term. The secret to getting a response to a campaign is activity; the brokers that do well from marketing are those that have a budget for every month."

While many may be tempted to blame the lack of a decent budget on the credit crunch, Howard Robinson, marketing consultant for the Willis Commercial Network, warns brokers that marketing is arguably more important in tough climates: "Marketing is more important than ever as clients review their spending in all areas and may be tempted to stray." Swinton has, for example, increased its projected marketing spend for 2009 to support the growth that it is seeing through the business.

Brokers cannot compete with the scale of Norwich Union's marketing and advertising, so a stratified approach is likely to yield the best-value results. Steve Manton, chief executive at marketing consultancy M-Consulting believes that, if a broker's campaign is going to have any impact on the customer, it must be highly targeted to a specific audience: "Shooting money all over the place is a waste; brokers need to address their specialisms."

David Saul, director at Fusion Internet Solutions, believes that targeting is especially important in digital marketing: "There is so much spam going around that campaigns have to be relevant to the individual and focus on where the broker can add value for them."

Before a broker can start a targeted marketing campaign, it needs to establish an audience profile and what the purchasing drivers are for them. These motivating factors are diverse and vary greatly between sectors, ranging from saving time, personal connection, perceived price-to-service ratios, location and the quality of cover.

"Marketing needs to be part of an overall strategic plan with a self-evaluation of the business. Discover what product or expertise is attracting existing clients and, if there is growth potential in this sector, implement this into your strategy. Historically, brokers have not researched issues that affect the sectors they operate in but knowledge is power. The more you invest in your research, the more you get out of your marketing. This research can then also be used as part of the marketing campaign by issuing any interesting results as a press release," advises Manton.

Targeting

Heap agrees that the intelligent use of research can help a broker tailor its marketing by identifying its expertise to then position it as an expert in that particular area. He says: "In this highly competitive world, what motivates buyers the most is knowledge and understanding of their market and current issues. This gives a marketing campaign something relevant to talk about and also places a broker in the position of offering extra services."

One broker that has made extensive use of research is Aon. The firm commissions a quarterly Market Pulse survey of UK underwriters to ascertain what they expect to happen with commercial premiums. The results are tailored to individual regions and trades affected by predicted market changes in order to make them as relevant as possible; these actions are then supported by public relations personnel approaching relevant media outlets to gain exposure.

The results of the broker's first quarterly survey for 2009 were sent to existing clients and potential prospects most affected by predicted premium rises. This formed part of a marketing campaign that aimed to show Aon's understanding of the way in which underwriters think and their capacity to negotiate the most competitive rates. The findings have also been sent to relevant sales teams to present to customers at renewal; this offers these teams opportunities to cross-sell risk management offerings where customers want help to stop their premiums rising.

Once research has identified the audience for a marketing campaign and its purchasing drivers, a broker can then tailor the campaign to fit these priorities. For example, if the key driver is price then the campaign should focus on the ability of the broker to negotiate lower premiums.

Mark Huxley, director at Lamb creative marketing and consultancy, believes that where research has identified a key purchasing driver of the target audience as expertise, it is especially important to use research to create newsletters and events that show a depth of knowledge of that community. He says: "It is important to share relevant information and news rather than just trying to sell brands, especially when communicating with existing clients."

Method

There is a wide range of marketing tools available to brokers and so the approach of the campaign should be determined by customer priorities. Personal lines campaigns tend to be delivered to large, essentially homogenous, price-driven audiences and so they tend to focus on cost of specific products. Conversely, commercial campaigns are diverse and so focus on other factors such as service and expertise.

The combination of marketing tools used depends on the focus of your campaign and its objectives. Heap says that there is no definitive answer as to what the best marketing mediums are: "The spread of media that works best is unique to each broker."

One tool used by many brokers is telemarketing. Michael Gaughan, managing director of FWD marketing, believes that telemarketing is popular with brokers as it is very easy to track costs and the revenue that it generates. He explains: "The philosophy of brokers when it comes to marketing is very much focused on revenue generation. Telemarketing generates tangible new business leads, so its success is easy to track."

FWD quotes a standard lead conversion ratio for a commercial broker as 1:10, therefore a new business appointment is achieved against 10 businesses approached with a three-month lead time. Gaughan is confident that a commercial broker can have a high success rate from new business appointments generated by telemarketing: "It takes 10 leads to generate one appointment on average but then the interesting thing is that the broker then converts between 30% to 43% of those appointments into clients. So, the broker can work out the return generated using fees and commission income from the investment made."

However, diversification is key. Heap believes there are too many brokers relying on telemarketing to provide the majority of their marketing results: "Brokers often interpret marketing as simple lead generation but they need to do more than just getting appointments. Retention rates of those that just do telemarketing tend to be a lot worse than those with broader campaigns. Telemarketing feels good as you are out there talking to people but you can achieve a better return for your money elsewhere."

He continues: "Using the internet, a broker can have a low spend but still generate good new business leads, especially with cross-selling to existing clients. Web technology has made it possible to talk to people in a way that was not possible a year ago."

Huxley agrees that digital marketing has now become an essential element of any successful campaign: "You cannot now exist as a business without some kind of digital presence: customers make conscious decisions on the web, therefore you will lose out if you are not there. However, online marketing needs to be approached entirely differently: online brochures do nothing for your brand and a bad website can sometimes be more damaging than not having one."

One broker that has embraced online opportunities is Vantage Insurance Services. As well as having a central internet presence, the firm has several different websites that focus on discrete products, such as Vantage's clubcareinsurance.co.uk, which is dual-branded with the Camping and Caravanning Club. With individual identities, each site is associated strongly with its speciality.

Online presence

Manton believes that a good website can drive large quantities of business to the door of a broker: "You would be amazed at who googles. A website can be an interactive marketing tool that is more powerful than you can imagine but the insurance sector is yet to grasp online marketing. It is stunning how many brokers will send mail-shots but do not invest in constant updates of their websites to reflect their marketing messages."

A well-presented and easy-to-understand digital marketing is a vital marketing tool for schemes brokers. Saul notes: "Schemes brokers can sell anywhere in the country, so this is where internet marketing really pays off. However, it is not an opportunity that many are grabbing to take advantage of those already being driven to the internet. Tools such as search engine optimisation take time and expertise but are not unreasonably expensive. It takes months to set up a decent website, so if a broker takes the plunge and starts marketing online then it can suddenly find itself months ahead of its competitors."

He continues: "Many brokers are wary of the internet, believing that it takes away the personal touch. However, technology platforms on the web to support agents can help a broker's partners deal personally and quickly with customers."

A more traditional form of marketing available to brokers is print advertising. While the national newspaper adverts and billboards used by Norwich Union in its re-branding campaign as it becomes Aviva may be out of reach, there are many publications that offer options to suit more modest budgets.

There have been arguments put forward by some that print advertising is dying but that is far from the case. One broker that is a believer in print advertising is UK Facilities, which advertises frequently in the trade press alongside its email shots and word-of-mouth strategies. Managing director Albert Robinson believes that print is particularly relevant for wholesale and schemes brokers looking to make other intermediaries aware of them and their products. He says: "If we were to cease advertising, it would affect our flow of business: out of sight is out of mind."

Howard Robinson agrees that print advertising can hold good opportunities for specialist brokers. He argues: "Local brokers can have difficulties in finding the right kind of publication to advertise in but if a broker has a scheme then the trade press for the relevant industries can be a good opportunity."

However, Manton advises that it is important for a broker to keep its overall marketing strategy in mind when choosing what publications to advertise in. He warns: "Print advertising needs to be approached carefully and has to be part of a considered and co-ordinated strategy. If it isn't thought out then it can rapidly burn through a budget."

As customer-facing intermediaries, brand personality can play an important role in broker marketing campaigns. There are many opportunities for local and specialist brokers to get across their personality to communities through events and sponsorship.

Lloyd Hanks, managing director of LAH Consulting, believes that events and sponsorship should play a greater role in broker marketing. He argues: "Not enough regional brokers talk about their businesses; they should be talking about them through the Chamber of Commerce, local press, radio and definitely the trade press. Sadly, many are reluctant to tell an audience what they do and how good they are. The days have gone when business came to the broker; you need to rise your own profile and go find it."

Huxley agrees that brokers could do more to raise their profiles within their communities: "Brokers are very good at the sales element of marketing but not as good at standing out from the crowd as a brand personality."

Some brokers are already doing this. The Argyll Insurance Group, acquired by Jelf last year, sponsors local sports teams and is involved in community projects and initiatives to promote excellence in business. Argyll's sponsorship commitments include Worthing Rugby Club's first XV and the firm has generated new business appointments from people that have noticed the distinctive logo on the boxes at the rugby club.

Exposure

Heap believes that, while events do not always result in new business, brokers should not write off the potential benefits. He remarks: "By inviting clients and prospects along to events with topical, relevant content, a broker can position itself as the number-one alternative. Businesses are unlikely to swap brokers just as they have attended an event but they'll remember you when they have a problem with their current broker."

Brokers should be cautious when becoming involved with sponsorship. Marton says: "When looking at sponsorship, a number of rules need to be set. It should deliver a return, enable corporate entertainment, enable advertising and press coverage and be relevant to your target audience. Clients need to be able to see it."

Ideally, a broker would be involved in all areas of marketing but budgets are limited. Gaughan argues that brokers still need to try to establish as wide a spread of these marketing media as possible if their campaigns are to be successful.

Robinson believes that, if a broker is to have sustained results from its marketing, it is important to monitor where it is having the most success. He highlights: "Remember to ask new clients where they are being driven from: it is the easiest way of tracking what tools are having the most effect for you. Training staff to identify where clients are coming from can help a broker measure the success of its campaigns and edit them accordingly." (For more information on measuring the success of marketing campaigns see PB Jan/Feb 2009, pp.11-12.)

Enterprise-wide

Manton agrees that the best marketing campaigns involve the whole company, not just the business development team. He notes that image is cultivated through things as simple as an office's appearance and the type of language used in communications. He says: "Marketing should be led from the top and given board priority. The best campaigns in marketing have everyone involved. Even the way the phone is answered can have an effect on the success of a campaign."

The jargon and array of options can be confusing when people talk about marketing but specialists can help to assuage bewilderment. During Venture Preference's re-brand to Bluefin this year, the company used a branding agency with credentials in financial services to design Bluefin's logo. Henrietta Flynn, Bluefin's brand and communications director, was pleased with the results.

Some brokers may be sceptical about what a marketing agency can add to their business but this has not stopped insurance broker specialist consultancies emerging.

"The secret to a good marketing campaign is planning; this is where a marketing agency can really help. Marketing consultancies are seen by many as being too expensive but there is something available for every budget; it needs to be an investment measured by return and a good agency will help you work out this measurement based on your objectives," explains Huxley.

While an agency can stress-test your strategy, there are drawbacks. Robinson suggests seeking help elsewhere: "Agencies can be very expensive, with feedback suggesting in many cases that it is not worth it. Marketing is simple but very easy to get wrong. Using the help of a professional will ensure campaigns are properly researched and measured. If your broker network does not offer access to marketing specialists then I would consider changing it."

Assistance

Many insurers already offer practical help to their broker partners. For instance, Aviva has a mobile team of marketing consultants to help broker partners in areas from web diagnostics to creating bespoke campaigns. Meanwhile, Groupama runs strategy days for its regional brokers on which an independent marketing consultant and Groupama's own development and customer services staff assist on-site at one of its local offices.

It is also possible to enter partnerships to piggyback someone else's marketing spend. Swinton features on several aggregator adverts, including Tesco Compare, Go Compare and Money Supermarket and head of marketing Mark Hallam has been pleased with the results: "The partnerships we've forged through our relationships with aggregators have helped us build brand awareness. We have featured in prime-time advertising slots without having to spend any money on the space ourselves."

Heap believes that marketing partnerships will become common in the future but that brokers need to exercise caution when considering entering such an agreement: "With dual-branding, there can be a lot of confusion with potential buyers as to what the different brands represent. Many buyers will see the broker as the insurer, so get confused when presented with the supply chain. However, branding partnerships are a big growth area for the future. High-street retailers are struggling to win new customers through traditional means and are looking for partnerships where they can offer benefits."

Hanks asserts that brokers investing in raising awareness in the current climate will see strong returns: "It's in these tough times that brokers need marketing to maximize opportunities that are sitting under their noses. Many brokers are wary of marketing as they fear trying new tricks but it is not complicated and there is plenty of help around. There will never be a perfect time to explore marketing strategies, so set goals and go for it."

HOW WE DID IT

Neil Walton, chief executive officer at London-based Centor Insurance and Risk Management, tells PB about how his firm managed its recent marketing campaigns.

- What was the first thing you did when considering your most recent campaign?

We looked at our business plan and spoke with both our management consultants and our marketing agency to discuss what we wanted to achieve from the campaign. Then, we were able to map out the best ways to achieve our goals.

- What is your relationship like with your marketing consultant?

From the start of our relationship with M Consulting, it was made clear to us how important it is to build a level of trust and to communicate on a strategic level so that our marketing communications are in line with our objectives. We use the consultancy for public relations and marketing initiatives, as well as award entries, offering advice on direct mail campaigns and creative concepts, as well as developing key communications messages.

- How do you identify key demographics and the desired outcome of a campaign?

Our recent campaign was targeted at the construction sector. This is an area of expertise for us and we were well aware that, in the current climate, it was a sector that was being affected badly. We knew that budgets were being cut and we knew how important it was to communicate the very real risks of cutting back on insurance.

- What marketing tools did you use?

We've used a combination of profile-raising PR, awards entries, direct mail and e-marketing over the last 12 months. More specifically for this campaign, we used both direct mail and e-marketing.

We used any events attended as a support mechanism and were very pleased to have exceeded our expectations in terms of awards in 2008. We have put awards logos on our website, letterheads and key marketing material to reinforce the quality of our service.

- Do you have a specific spokesperson that attends events to raise your brand profile?

I will attend most corporate events as the face of Centor's corporate profile. If an event is relevant to a specific department or specialism then the most relevant person will attend.

- How can a broker compete with the big spend of insurers and aggregators when marketing to clients?

It's important to do your research: work out what you could realistically handle in-house and what you need to outsource to the experts. We've managed to re-build our website and our e-marketing platform in-house, which has saved us money and that also means we've built and trained a project team in-house capable of taking ownership of the website. We then outsource our PR and direct mail campaigns.

TELEMARKETING BASICS

Agencies FWD and Origin describe the process of telemarketing.

- Acquire and assess data. Select a data source and ensure the data matches the required profile.

- Design and build a contact management database. Select appropriate contact management software that offers full recording of contract information, diary management and mail-shot systems, then import the data.

- Data validation and verification.

- Direct marketing and response mailings.

- Prospecting calls and renewal date population. Timing is vital and a targeted approach is needed. Speak to buyers pre-renewal.

- Appointments and leads made close to policy renewal. When buyers are close to their renewal date, follow up calls need to be made and appointments secured.

- New business appointments. Arrange face-to-face meetings with buyers to secure the business.

HOW TO WIN BUSINESS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE

Marketing agency Lamb spells out the basic precepts of a good marketing campaign

- Be completely clear about what the marketing campaign aims are - use research and analysis to help define these.

- Make sure that your management is on board to communicate targets.

- Ensure that your marketing department or agency has provided a clear brief that covers all parts of the campaign, the tools that will be used to execute it and how they will work from together - do not discount any available platforms.

- Have a project plan with realistic budgets and timeframes in place and be clear about who is responsible for what.

- Have checkpoints in the plan to assess where you are and how the plan can change - stick with the fundamental aims of the plan but do be prepared to accept changes.

- Know how you will measure the campaign outcomes and ensure that these yardsticks are unambiguous.

First Published in Professional Broking Magazine - March 2009. All Rights Reserved

Digital marketing - Analyse this

Katherine Brandon examines the tools available for tracking digital marketing campaigns

Digital marketing campaigns are becoming more common throughout the business world. Despite marketing budgets traditionally being one of the first costs cut when faced by a recession, research from the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers reported that internet advertising expenditure in the UK grew to £1.68bn in the first half of 2008, a 21% increase over 2007.

However, Paul Wreford-Brown, director at creative services consultancy Abstract, believes that few small to medium-sized businesses track the results that their digital marketing brings: "Digital marketing is simple and easy to track but many people are daunted by the prospect."

Bart Patrick, head of insurance at business analytics vendor SAS, believes that managers need to be aware of the precise effects that past campaigns have had if they are to implement a successful digital marketing strategy. He said: "Before a broker decides what marketing campaign to use, it needs to understand ones its has done in the past. It needs to see who, what, why and how business is being driven to its website and how visitors use the website once there. Technology can reveal hidden patterns within sets of data that enable a broker to find the hidden gem that they already have and implement a strategy appropriately."

Varied

There are many technology tools available for brokers to drive traffic to their websites, ranging from traditional online banner adverts to more subtle approaches such as social networking (PB December 2008, p.12).

E-marketing is a tool that is both loved and loathed. While many businesses hate the idea of sending out bulk e-mail marketing, others, especially those that sell direct to private individuals, rely a great deal on it to generate businesses leads. The latest Direct Marketing Association National E-mail Benchmarking Report shows that e-mail marketing service providers sent an average of 36 million e-mails a month, compared to 30 million a month in 2007.

Wreford-Brown told PB that, in his experience, not enough is being done to track the success of these e-mails by the businesses that send them: "Too many people send out marketing e-mails and then don't see what is happening with them."

When a business sends out marketing e-mails with links to its website, recent developments in track-and-trace software allow the sender to see the number of recipients that have clicked through to the site and what they have opened. Johnson believes that track-and-trace software will become an important tracking tool for e-marketers and comments that the accessibility of the information provided by track-and-trace software will be crucial to its success: "Software offers real-time recording of data that can follow a customer all the way through the buying chain."

Ubiquitous

Searching the internet has now become such a popular form of buyers' product research that the verb 'to google' can now be found in the dictionary. It is perhaps unsurprising, therefore, that businesses have been placing adverts on websites for years, with insurance and broking being no exception.

The first adverts on the internet were simple banners and it was easy to track their success by counting the number of click-throughs to the website in question. However, according to Wreford-Brown, online adverts are now becoming more sophisticated and therefore more difficult to track: "Advertising online is not just about banners any more. Many companies are now capturing data and using interactive marketing rather than just dragging people to the company website. Technology has evolved and not only can it track the number of views of an advert but also the number of interactions the advert is getting and how many are converted into sales."

Data mining

Web analytics is used widely by businesses to provide advertisers and website owners with the tools to better understand their users' browsing experiences. It tells you how visitors found your site, what they did while there and whether or not they completed any of the site's conversion goals. A geo-location report can also show which countries and cities visitors come from.

One free analytics tool available to brokers is Google Analytics. Neil Johnson, director at Lamb, believes that this application will become a popular marketing management tool: "Google Analytics has taken the analysis of web traffic to a huge level, making it easy to see where web traffic is coming from; it even enables the user to see where most people are clicking on the screen. If you want it, the information is there. All the analytics are self-generating, so you can see quickly the impact of any changes made in campaigns. There will be a bigger movement towards analytics as people are beginning to realise that a website created is not a job done. More people are looking to understand how exactly their website is working for them."

Wreford-Brown is cautious in his approach to Google Analytics, however: "There are some good free analytics tools out there but you need a tool with which you can place a tag between each campaign, making it easy to see how much traffic a specific campaign is sending to a site and following these customers right the way through the buying process. Google Analytics can show traffic and measure impressions but there are better tools at enabling you to isolate the impact of individual campaigns."

Whatever approach a broker chooses, it is important that their measurement tools incorporate all of the digital marketing data available, not just web sales.

In October 2008, Swinton announced that it was to partner with SAS to bring its data from direct mail, e-mail, web and short message service marketing together in order to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of campaigns across the board.

Holistic

Charles Ping, client services director at AI Data Intelligence, believes that such marketing data co-ordination is essential if the effectiveness of campaigns is to be tracked properly. Ping highlighted: "As consumers grow older, they tend to distrust online transactions and, even if an offer is promoted through online or e-mail channels, the actual response can be heavily biased towards inbound calls. Any single-channel approach to customer response measurement tends to underplay performance."

It is easy to download reports from marketing tracking services but the results can often appear confusing.

Mark Manton, managing director at M Consulting, believes that it is still essential for brokers to consult marketing experts where the expertise is not available in-house.

He warned: "Although simple to set up and view, the real skill in using these tools is in the interpretation of the data. Looking at trends and statistical relevance rather than headline figures gives a greater insight into customer behaviour and prevents reactionary marketing moves. For instance, where a pay-per-click campaign delivers five visitors to your website and you have no sales then it's probably not significant."

Warning sign

He continues: "If 500 people visit and there are still no sales, you need to look at your campaign setup, target audience, messages, pricing, the landing page of your website or the sales team on the end of your phones. Tracking wisely can help narrow down which of these areas you should be looking at, saving you time and money."

First Published in Professional Broking Magazine Jan 09 - All RIghts Reserved

Social networks - New breed of site baffles broking

Social networking sites' subscribers number in their millions, yet broking is not taking full advantage of the commercial opportunities that they present, writes Katherine Brandon

In August, social networking site phenomenon Facebook confirmed that it had 100 million active users. Mark Zuckerberg, one of the site's founders, reckons that over 30% of world's internet users are registered on the site.

The marketing industry has started to dip its toe into the world of social networking sites. In June, Visa paid £1m to promote its small business service on Facebook, while approximately 80,000 small businesses have profiles on the website. The credit card company is giving $100 (£51) in advertising credits to the first 20,000 US business start-ups that download its service through Facebook in an attempt to build awareness of what services Visa offers.

Specialist social networking sites have evolved for the business world, ranging from business communication-oriented Linkedin - which now has approximately 30 million registered users spanning 150 industries - to Sexyinsurance.com, which describes itself as "a network for insurance industry superheroes."

Mark Huxley, director at Lamb, a creative marketing and design agency, believes that brokers need to have a presence on social networking sites: "People are always showing interest in social networking but no one is doing anything about it. A lack of communication can lead to problems in generating new business. Everyone thinks they have 'the' online product but you need to find a new way to communicate with customers if you are to differentiate yourself in an already crowded marketplace. The Facebook-generation in five years time will be in very serious decision-making positions and they are used to dealing with social networking sites."

At the October Future of General Insurance conference in London, Andy Jones, associate partner at CSC, told delegates that he believes social networking sites could also help lubricate communications between insurers and their broker partners: "Social networking sites could change the way the supply chain is organised. They should be built into business processes to allow people to connect with one another. Staff could resolve queries by referring their questions to an expert that could be contacted immediately via a site, so reducing cycle times."

Strategy

One place a broker can go for help when looking to develop a usage policy for social networking sites is its software house. "Social networks are a technology that is not going to go away, so brokers need to find the upside of them commercially. We have reengineered version seven of our software to allow users to customise their desktops, including the option to log on to their favourite social networking sites. Not only does this allow access to these sites like normal internet channels but also management to monitor how they are being used," said Ray Vincent, managing director at Transactor.

Huxley believes that, when becoming involved in social networking sites, it is essential for brokers to consider their audiences. He told PB: "The key is in finding smaller groups within sites such as Facebook to communicate with; those that are made up of interested people who want to know more about your product. If you find the right audience, social networking sites can help people look beyond the corporate veneer when you appear to be sharing information freely. The customer feels that they can understand and trust the business better."

Preparation is key. Neil Johnson, fellow director at Lamb, argued that it is important for brokers to implement a strategy that is combined with other marketing approaches: "You need to get down and dirty and do your research to identify the groups you would like to talk to. The danger is, if you focus in on just one area, it won't work. Social networking needs to be integrated with other marketing mediums such as websites and brochures."

Wisdom

Caution is wise in your approach as social networks have their dangers. Libel laws can cause problems where staff use social networking sites excessively. "A lot of users don't realise what they are saying is in the public domain, so you need to retain a level of control. However, it is important to remember that they can be an incredibly powerful networking tool when used properly. Many companies think in negative rather than positive terms; they are always trying to protect (from) their problems rather than promote what they do well but people love referring others to services that they have found have worked well," said Huxley.

Vincent also warned of the dangers: "Social networking sites do offer low-cost brand awareness opportunities but their nature means you cannot manage the message. You need to be on top of the game and able to react quickly to developments if you are to be successful in the social networking game."

Alan Price, senior employment law adviser at Pennisula, believes that social networking sites can cause more problems than they solve: "Communicating with clients' social networking sites is not the right medium and we usually advise banning them during the working day. They are a distraction to the employees, especially in the current climate where businesses need staff to be as productive as possible."

A survey by Peninsula has revealed that 85% of employers admit to monitoring Facebook statuses to check the validity of employee absences, while 66% of employers have disciplined staff for bogus sickness after discovering the real reason for absence through Facebook.

Social networking sites are also playing a greater role in recruitment. Peter Done, managing director at Peninsula, said: "Facebook is beginning to be noticed during the recruitment process as employers look to find out more about potential staff. With the planning and preparation that goes into interviews nowadays, social networking profiles are seen as a good insight into a candidate's personality. Employers should be wary however, as they may risk losing a potentially good employee just because they have taken too much notice of what is written in a Facebook profile."

Useful

Vincent has used social networking sites for recruitment purposes: "(These) sites are great from an employment perspective. We recently contacted someone we wanted to talk to but lost contact with years ago by using the Friends Reunited website."

Price believes that, by using social networking in the recruitment process, brokers can drive down their costs: "Recruitment can be a significant cost, up to 15% of total costs, so releasing employment updates on a site like Facebook can do a lot of the work for you. However, brokers need to have an effective information technology policy so employees know what is expected of them and what will happen if they abuse these sites at work."

The rewards of becoming involved in social networking as a business are tempting but still very few people are joining in because of the risks. "The rewards are considerable for those brave enough to be involved. The time and cost benefits as well as improved relations with employees will often outweigh any potential quibbles that may arise," said Jones.

Vincent would still like to see more brokers pioneering a presence in social networking spaces: "Good news travels fast but bad news travels faster. Social networking will work for the good businesses but not for the bad, however, if as an employer you decide to ban social networking sites then you would also have to ban access to mobile phones, as most have access to the web nowadays. It's just not practical."

WHAT IS OUT THERE?

- Facebook - A free social networking site accessible to any registered user in the world. It has over 100 million active users.

- Linkedin - A businesses-orientated social networking site with around 30 million registered users spanning 150 industries.

- MySpace - A social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends. MySpace.com attracts 230,000 new users each day.

- MSN Messenger - An instant messaging system. The service allows anyone with a Windows Live ID to sign in and communicate in real time with other people that are also signed in.

- Second Life - An internet-based computer game. The free-to-download client program enables its users to interact with each other by using their avatars (online alter-egos), providing a social network service combined with general aspects of an online world known as a metaverse.

GROUPAMA'S SECOND LIFE

Jamie Marchant, marketing and communications director, Groupama

"Groupama is taking a radical approach in France by joining Second Life. In France, approximately 90% of young people use social networking sites. Our brand is seen to be very traditional but the group wants to look at our image and expand by appealing to younger customers. Therefore, social networking plays an important role. We did not want to be resented as a corporate body that impinges on social spaces, therefore we have tried to infiltrate sites in ways acceptable to users. We are using our large sponsorships in France as a subtle way of raising the brand awareness."

First Published in Professional Broking Magazine Dec 08 - All Rights Reserved

Broker Brands

30 October 2008

Any successful broker knows a successful business is built on trust - so is it worth risking that relationship with the customer by re-branding?

Call this an old-fashioned view, but wouldn't most brokers rather be on the golf course with clients to boost business, rather than spending money on the ambiguous concept of branding? Wikipedia defines a brand as referring to the "descriptive verbal attributes and concrete symbols such as a name, logo, slogan, and design scheme that convey the essence of a company, product or service".

So is there a brand that encapsulates the essence of broking? Arguably not. The AA has tried to convey the concept to consumers and no doubt nationals such as Marsh and Aon appear as the height of professionalism. But there is no real stand-out broker brand in the UK. More to the point, does there need to be?

Most brokers are no-nonsense types who would prefer to invest in areas such as acquisitions, people and decent offices than fancy names and logos. Which is why a few eyebrows were raised when Axa announced it was rebranding its broking and independent financial adviser businesses under the single Bluefin brand.

A fishy tale

One insurance public relations sage - who wishes to remain anonymous - comments: "I don't know why they would do this to sound like either a tin of tuna or a shark; it's odd. They already have strong brands and should either leave them alone or make more use of the Axa name, which at least has recognition." No one was available from Axa to discuss this issue but do others believe brokers are missing a trick by not focusing more on brand awareness? Is there more to this discipline than design fripperies and monikers?

No doubt some brokers could do more in this area - and they don't necessarily need to call in the big name brand specialists. Experts already exist who understand brokers and branding. Clare Ryder, former head of marketing for insurer MMA, set up consultancy Salient Solutions nearly four years ago and advises a range of broker clients. She says brokers seek advice for different reasons but particularly following an acquisition and believes an outside view can add clarity.

"There are brokers who are in a state of flux but they must be absolutely clear on what they want to achieve. Who are they trying to target? Is work on their brand going to win them new business? If there are not going to be tangible benefits, then investment in this area is not worth it," she says. However, Ms Ryder emphasises that consolidators do need to think about their brand as well as the next deal. "When a broker starts making acquisitions and talking to banks and venture capitalists, they need a presence. The right brand can help a broker punch above its weight."

David Saul, director with internet consultancy Fusion, agrees brokers must be clear at the outset about what they want from their businesses. "Do they want to be a Ford and operate multiple brands or a German motor manufacturer like Mercedes, focusing on one overall name? If they have a successful niche product, this could well be where the emphasis should lie. We would also advise brokers to make sure they have an excellent website and that the look and feel of this is aligned to the rest of the business."

Expert advice

So, should a broker bring in an expert to help with its brand? Most agree consultants and agencies have a place but counsel against excessive spending. Simon Hayes, CEO of insurance sector branding agency Effective Image, says a broker may be tempted to rebrand an acquired business but warns this may be a mistake. "Clients often feel a strong affinity with the firms they do business with and this process needs to be handled with care. It's better to retain the old firm's name or part of it with joint branding, at least in the beginning." He adds: "Over time clients will grow more comfortable with a new firm. And if there is good communication of the takeover, merger benefits and good client service, the acquiring firm's brand should be able to take over."

However, he believes brokers who think they can do it all themselves are missing out. "Old school brokers still think they can build a successful business based on relationships alone but they are missing out on big opportunities. Forward-thinking brokers, often the next generation of leaders, understand that building a powerful brand is fundamental to their success; it will attract top talent and help them to win new business, as people want to work for and with successful companies that are going places."

Mr Hayes says in the business-to-business market, a brand can be established relatively quickly, given the right circumstances. "Look at what Oxygen has done," he comments. "But, then again, it did have Nigel Barton as CEO who is a one-man-brand in the London market - plus a lot of funding."

Meanwhile, he says in personal lines this is virtually impossible. "Most companies do not have the required funding to reach a wide target audience as start-ups."

The arrival of aggregators has also posed new opportunities and challenges to the broker market - some intermediaries can now win business with little if any brand presence purely through being on one or more of these sites. Yet Mr Saul believes this whole segment may need to refocus its branding efforts. "There are too many aggregators. You have people wrongly going to a website called 'I'mconfused.com' because they think that's the name and I believe we'll see a shake-out as sites seek to achieve more differentiation."

Brands you can trust

Despite this, Matthew Donaldson, group director at BGL Group, says: "Brands play an important role within the aggregator market. Research shows that almost 50% of people on price comparison sites don't buy the cheapest price. The success of our commercial partners through Junction - including the Post Office, Marks and Spencer and Auto Trader - on comparison sites shows consumers are prepared to buy from a trusted brand, irrespective of whether they have a traditional presence in insurance."

Broker Moorhouse has relatively quickly built a name as a commercial provider - and won awards for its business. Chairman, Lyndon Wood, argues: "You build a brand through trading over time. Joe Public may be aware of direct insurers' brands but it doesn't make sense to me to spend a lot if you are commercial broker. A broker could spend £1m on TV advertising but it may well not work. It is better to focus on service and running the business well. You can't do this overnight. I would also question whether consolidators are right to take away the well-established names of broking firms. They can destroy a brand - I think it's criminal."

Meanwhile, Mr Wood is poised to announce his first signings to a new venture - Moorhouse Brands - that will allow high street names to offer commercial insurance. His company will provide the servicing. "Arrangements like this are well-known in personal lines but for brands wanting to offer commercial insurance products there are few comprehensive packages on offer. So there is great potential for firms with a recognisable name to maximise the value of their brand by offering a range of commercial insurance products to their SME customers."

Paul Upton, chief underwriting officer of Evolution Underwriting, who works with many intermediaries believes costly re-branding exercises are a waste of time and money. "A brand is a touchstone but for a broker to start spending vast amounts of cash on this area is totally irrelevant. They need to present well in front of clients and look professional. But, generally speaking, awareness of even the biggest broking brands is low, so a name alone is not going to mean winning big deals. It's clear from the fact the market is so competitive that customers - both personal and commercial - are prepared to switch brands."

His advice to brokers is to focus on providing exceptional service, retain well-established names and look at a range of sales initiatives, such as telemarketing to grow the business. From an insurer's perspective, Steve Albutt, sales and distribution manager for Allianz Commercial, comments: "In personal lines there are some strong broking brands - Saga for example, springs to mind. But in commercial the emphasis is on professional advice and it's a different approach. In both cases, however, brokers should think primarily about what their customers need when building their brand."

Source: Post Magazine

General knowledge proves a hit with delegates

Insurance Times - 13 May, 2008

Reflecting the conference theme of ‘influencing tomorrow’ the stand, which celebrated Davies' 40 years in existence, focused on a timeline with images representing the changes in culture, fashion, architecture, products and pivotal insurance events from the past forty years and incorporated a general knowledge quiz for delegates.

Neil Johnson, Partner, Lamb Creative Marketing, added: "Davies recognised the need to engage delegates with more than just a brochure, online presentation or gimmicky game. The success of the stand and this award demonstrate how imagery can create such a strong impact and memorable message."

“The effective use of design and imagery should have a higher prominence in the marketing activities in the insurance sector as it can have tangible impact on the awareness of businesses.”

The Biba award was judged against set criteria which considered the standard of graphics, the use of technology, any visual aids and the overall impact created.

Huxley launches new business

Post magazine
13th December 2007

Mark Huxley, the founder of Davies Managed Systems and a former group services director of Axis International loss adjusters, has returned to the insurance sector by launching Lamb Creative Marketing.

Lamb is a strategic marketing and design agency specifically for the insurance and reinsurance sectors. 

Mr Huxley said: “The role and impact of marketing in the sector is rising up the corporate agenda. However, there is a clear need for more co-ordination and a direct alignment of marketing with a company’s business objectives. Without this it is difficult for companies to measure the effectiveness of their marketing spend."

The company has specific experience and expertise in the development of web-based marketing and online communities and social networking sites. Mr Huxley believes the insurance sector will gain both customer service and business benefits from taking full advantage of these communication tools.

Mr Huxley commented: “Against a backdrop of soft rates and increased competition how businesses communicate with their clients becomes very important. Having a strong web presence is crucial to ensure customers are aware the company’s approach and rationale. The more they understand, the stronger the trading relationship.”

Mr Huxley added that, in light of recent FSA findings on the accessibility of advertising on financial firms' websites, in which a quarter surveyed were difficult for consumers to navigate, effective communication is paramount.

"While significant progress is being made, some firms are still failing to present information in a fair, clear and not misleading way to consumers. There is no room for complacency. The FSA will continue to monitor websites and businesses will need to ensure their web content and associated marketing activities treat customers fairly while remain an effective communication tool.”

Former Axis director returns to market

Insurance Times
13 December, 2007

Former Group Services Director of Axis International Loss Adjusters, Mark Huxley, has returned to the insurance sector by launching Lamb Creative Marketing, a new strategic marketing and design agency specifically for the insurance and reinsurance sectors.

Lamb brings together an in depth knowledge of the sectors with award-winning creative marketing and design expertise. Lamb provides a full range of marketing, design and brand developed solutions. The business focuses on delivering business-focused creative services for insurers, brokers and companies servicing the sector.

Commenting on the findings from the recent FSA review of advertising on financial firms' website, Huxley added: “The FSA has found that while significant progress is being made, some firms are still failing to present information in a fair, clear and not misleading way to consumers.

“There is no room for complacency. The FSA will continue to monitor websites and businesses will need to ensure their web content and associated marketing activities treat customers fairly while remain an effective communication tool.”

We built an on-line shop, including fulfillment, e-marketing, social network promotions, an on-line game - ‘Find a lucky sixpence’ - and PR through a novel 'pod cast' promotion. Overall it was a huge success and also achieved notable publicity through national and local newspapers, radio and TV and through our recently developed digital marketing services, across a whole range of social networks.

The result is that we are proud to announce that we have won the ‘Best Use of Digital Media Award’ in the 2007 Third Sector Excellence Awards.