With the Pandemic coming to an end and Florida reopening it is time for all of us to get back into the community with grassroots marketing efforts. Many agents think that you can just buy leads or wait for prospects to walk into their office. I will tell you from experience this is not what our most successful agents do. Technology has expanded our marketing and prospecting options.
- Websites
- Internet Leads
- Social Medial
- Goggle Optimization
I do not want anyone to think that these type of modern prospecting methods do not work because they do to some extent. But as with any new development there are limitations as well. The largest one is expense. Most of these methods require large investments and there is no guarantee of results. So, what is grassroots marketing? It means getting back to basics talking to people in the community and developing relationships. Many Compass agents have had great success in their communities, and I would like to share just a few of them with you.
- Local Chamber of Commerce – If you have not joined your local chamber, you should do that. First Check with the Home office to see if the company is not already a member. These meetings allow you to network with one of our key customer groups “Small Business Owners”. Getting to speak with 30 to 100 business owners all in one place saves time and is an excellent opportunity to network.
- Health Fairs – We have just come out of a major pandemic and many people our concerned about their health and getting answers to their questions about health insurance. Setting up a table at these events is a low-cost way to meet lots of prospects in your area.
- Senior Events – The first group out in large numbers will be Florida’s Seniors as they were the first group to be vaccinated. There are lots of these events through out the state and to find them all you need to do is Goggle “Senior Events” Medicare is confusing to most seniors so being at these events helping to answer questions is an excellent way to build your brand in the local community and develop prospects.
- Charity Events – Sometimes a marketing event is not directly about leads but instead a method to build good community relations and encourages people to reach out to you later. These can be food banks, soup kitchens or job training events. Being part of your community in a positive way is important to build repour and trust among residents.
- Walk and Talk – Simple is sometimes best. Taking brochures and business cards and walking into groups of local businesses and taking the time to introduce yourself as their Local Florida Blue agent can sometimes be the best way to develop great leads. Many business owners have questions about their health insurance but get busy and forget to look for answers. You as an agent walking in and introducing yourself can sometimes be the perfect solution.
All these activities will generate business for you, and they only require one thing TIME! If you take some time each week and dedicate it to marketing in your local community, you will generate results. We are here to support our agents so if you have an idea and want help, please reach out to us in the home office and we will do everything we can to make sure your event is a success.