It isn't easy for small and midsize insurance brokerages to winnew business on a playing field that includes both giant rivalslike Geico and fast-growing digital upstarts. You need to find away to even the score, and the most impactful thing you can do isfocus on online marketing.

Pushing forward in this direction enables you to easily reachthousands of new prospects in your local area. Online marketingalso allows you to maintain a relationship with your existingclients, which is critical for keeping their business and helpingyou comfortably reach out for referrals, online reviews and word ofmouth recommendations.

By leveraging these following key online marketing tactics, youcan find new customers easily and nurture existing relationships,even on a budget.

STEP ONE: Make the Initial Investment.

By staying disciplined and focusing on a few key areas of yourdigital presence, you can make the most of your existing resources.Tackle these basic steps before you invest in more advanced formsof digital marketing.  

• Establish your online presence.  It'sa no-brainer. You must have a business website or risk not beingfound by potential new clients. And in today's gadget-driven world,you need to make sure that website looks great on mobile devices.Consumers are increasingly turning to mobile for their localsearches so your website need to functions well when they find you.Not sure where to start? If you are web-savvy or work with adeveloper, you can follow Google's guidelines for making your site mobile-friendly. Ifnot, ask around and find a consultant or service to optimize your mobilepresence. It is worth the effort. Three out of four mobilesearches trigger follow-up actions, which cantranslate to increased revenue for your business.

• Optimize for search. Try searching for"insurance" and other common keywords used to find insuranceagencies in your city to see what comes up on the first page. Ifyour business isn't there, get to work on search engineoptimization (SEO). If you are unfamiliar with SEO, check out bookslike "Local Online Advertising for Dummies" and siteslike Moz for key insights. Many search engines' rules for rankingcontent change frequently, so review your own ranking at least oncea month. You need to make sure you're not slipping down the resultspages on major search engines such as Google and Bing.

(Photo: Creativa Images/Shutterstock.com)

• Fix your business listings. Search yourcompany name online and check all listings in directories such asYP.com and Yelp to make sure the information about you is correct.Contact any listing service that has published data that is wrong,outdated or incomplete and revise the content where applicable. Itwon't cost you anything, but it will make it a lot easier forpeople to reach you.

• Get reviewed. Make it a practice to ask foronline reviews on critical review sites from every satisfiedclient. Reviews are vital to the success of your business – 78% ofpurchasing decisions are influenced by online reviews – butbusiness owners aren't taking control of their online reputation.In a recent survey, 36% of consumers said that a business with such reviewshas a competitive advantage, and 40% said they expect it. However,less than one in 10 consumers (7%) have been asked to write areview of a local business, even though the vast majority (89%)said they would be willing to do so if they had a positiveexperience and were asked.

(Photo: GongTo/Shutterstock.com)

STEP TWO: Protect Your Assets.

Take things to the next level now that you have the basics inplace. As you already know, word of mouth marketing is one of themost effective ways to spread the word about your business. Makethe most of your online resources to ask satisfied clients to sendnew clients your way. Here is how.

• Offer referral incentives. Give generousdiscounts to clients who want to share your services with theirchildren, spouse or a friend. A $100 credit may seem high, but itis a small price to pay to win a good client who may ultimatelyspend thousands of dollars at your business. Get the word out aboutyour referral credit through email blasts, posting it on the homepage of your website and sharing it across social media.
• Make your contact list a priority. An accurateand informative contact list is one of the most powerful marketingtools. Maintain yours by adding new clients regularly and askingevery customer you speak with for their email and physical address,and phone number. Entering notes about previous interactions,birthdays or other relevant information can help you determine thebest time for future outreach and campaigns.

(Photo: iQoncept/Shutterstock.com)

• Start talking. In a world where weare inundated with emails, you might be surprised to hear this, butyour customers want to hear from you. There's a communication gapbetween what consumers are open to receiving and what localbusinesses are sharing. Send customers emails with helpful tips,newsletters with information on changes in insurance or encouragingmessages that show you care. There are many services that can makethis more manageable by allowing you to upload contacts and sendprofessional emails directly from an online platform.

• Reward loyalty and surface new business. In arecent survey, 57%of consumers said that offers for returning customers are thebest way for a business to stand out. Show your current customersthat you want to keep their business by giving them a "welcomeback" incentive. In a competitive marketplace, you can neverwelcome repeat business enough.

(Photo: Feng Yu/Shutterstock.com)

Paul Bascobert is Yodle's president oflocal. Yodle is a leader in local online marketing that helps50,000-plus local businesses, including more than 850 insuranceproviders, find and keep their customers simply and profitably. Youcan find out more information about Yodle at www.yodle.com or bycontacting the company at [email protected] or877-276-5104.