The Job Posting Your Independent Insurance Agency Needs (Right Now)

The Problem

In today’s rapidly changing business environment independent agencies have to adapt if they want to remain relevant and successful. If independent agencies want to win, and win big, they need to strongly consider investing in a position that’s devoted entirely, 100 percent, to digital marketing.

Independent agencies have always needed producers and customer service specialists. Modern agencies have a new but critical need: someone who understands digital marketing and can generate a steady supply of qualified leads. Essentially, someone who can manage an agency’s entire online presence, branding and lead generation strategy.

And guess what? That’s a full-time job.

You want to get that captive/direct agency up the street with the unlimited traditional marketing budget nervous? Find a digital marketing guru and give them the tools (and budget) to succeed.

The Job Posting

Independent agencies looking to grow, this is the job posting you need to blast out today, right now, this very second. If I owned an agency and was looking to add staff, it would be priority one, and I'd be looking to identify, hire and onboard someone within weeks, not months.

Digital Marketing Specialist

___________ Agency is looking for a Digital Marketing Specialist to join our team and spearhead our digital strategy.

This position would be responsible for: lead generation, branding, email marketing, social media, content development and CRM management. The overall emphasis of this role would be to manage our agency’s online presence, implement and execute a digital growth strategy, generate a steady flow of quality leads, and improve communications and interactions with current customers.

We are seeking a marketing rock-star to solidify and improve our brand, reach more potential customers and allow us to interact more effectively with our current customers. An equally vital part of this position will be collaborating with our Sales and Service teams towards an overall goal of growth and continued customer service excellence.

The ideal candidate is a driven self-starter who will thrive in a challenging, fast-paced environment. At least three to five years marketing experience required. A communications background, knowledge of various marketing tactics, lead generation processes and strong technology skills desired.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Define key metrics for online marketing activity and regularly convey marketing effectiveness (ROI) to agency principals.
• Leverage agency brand positioning and consumer behavior to develop and implement marketing campaigns for a defined audience and drive interest in agency offerings.
• Develop content and overall content strategy.
• Management of agency website and SEO maintenance.
• Manage agency CRM.
• Build and manage content/editorial calendar with owned content including blog posts, whitepapers, ebooks, reports, webinars, infographics, etc.
• Generate new leads by converting agency-related traffic through calls-to-action, landing pages, lead magnets and other lead generation content.
• Establish and optimize lead nurturing processes through email, content and social channels.
• Research vendors to streamline and/or enhance overall marketing strategy and be able to present recommendations based off ROI to agency principals. Potential vendors would include: website/SEO, lead generation, CRM, content creation, brand management, etc.
• Provide periodic marketing training to Sales & Service teams and continuously report to agency principals on ideas/solutions to maximize ROI of digital growth strategy and improve workflows and efficiencies.

Skills and Qualifications

• BA/BS or equivalent working experience.
• 3-5 years digital marketing experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience with various marketing programs, marketing platforms and products.
• Experience with managing, maintaining and optimizing websites.
• Working knowledge of Facebook for businesses, notably Facebook Pages and Ads.
• Experience producing content for the web, specifically agency blog and social media channels.
• Experience identifying target audiences and creating digital campaigns that generate leads, convert leads and engage current customers.
• Understanding of online marketing tactics, including SEO, SEM, social, etc.
• Strong communication and team skills – ability to communicate and collaborate with Sales, Service and Management.
• Insurance industry knowledge or passion is a big, big plus!

The Rub

There are candidates out there for these sorts of positions. You just have to find them, and sell them on who you are, your culture, history and presence in your community, and the incredible opportunity to manage your agency’s entire online operation. If you’re interested in working with a hiring vendor to help you create and publish your posting, as well as identify and attract the right candidate, I recommend Talent CMO or CareerPlug. They are both specialists in the field of talent acquisition, and do a great job screening candidates so that an agency only has to make a decision between highly qualified job-seekers that fit the agency’s exact needs.

The insurance industry is rapidly changing, and it’s especially vital that independent agencies are making smart investments in the future. With today’s modern, online consumer, an insurance agency can’t simply be online, but must heavily invest in digital marketing and showcasing their brand in new ways and to new customers.

About David O'Bryan

David O'Bryan is an Account Executive and Sales Consultant at State Auto Insurance. Representing the Central Region, David's passion for marketing and the independent agent sector has helped him serve his agents successfully.