Event Marketing!

[g-squared]

I've serached the Forum and found a few posts on event marketing -- particularly one started by Crabcake Johnny in the Individual Health Insurance Forum -- but nothing definitive.

Myself and two other agents in my office are running a booth tomorrow at a local shopping mall, at a "Family Fest" sponsored by a local non-for-profit organization. we get to spend 8 hours in the mall on a Saturday. The booth is costing us $175 ($150 rent, $25 electric), plus we are giving away $300 in gift cards (to the mall) as an incentive to register names (and management is picking up half the tab to boot!). Our basic approach will be to ask everyone who walks by two questions: 1) Can I quote your auto and home?; and if "no" 2) woulld you like to enter a drawing to win a $100 gift card to any store in the mall?

We are shooting for 15 quotes and 150 entries in eight hours.

I am just curious as to what other types of events people have done in the past or are doing now. Where do you find word of events far enough in advance that you can plan to be there? Do you target different types of events depending on the lines of business you are writing? How do you find the "free" and affordable events. North of $300 for a trade show booth with no guarantee of ROI seems pricey to me, or am I just a skinflint?

Appreciate your thoughts. I'll also post an update on our results next week.

 

[STIBROKER]

I've serached the Forum and found a few posts on event marketing -- particularly one started by Crabcake Johnny in the Individual Health Insurance Forum -- but nothing definitive.

Myself and two other agents in my office are running a booth tomorrow at a local shopping mall, at a "Family Fest" sponsored by a local non-for-profit organization. we get to spend 8 hours in the mall on a Saturday. The booth is costing us $175 ($150 rent, $25 electric), plus we are giving away $300 in gift cards (to the mall) as an incentive to register names (and management is picking up half the tab to boot!). Our basic approach will be to ask everyone who walks by two questions: 1) Can I quote your auto and home?; and if "no" 2) woulld you like to enter a drawing to win a $100 gift card to any store in the mall?

We are shooting for 15 quotes and 150 entries in eight hours.

I am just curious as to what other types of events people have done in the past or are doing now. Where do you find word of events far enough in advance that you can plan to be there? Do you target different types of events depending on the lines of business you are writing? How do you find the "free" and affordable events. North of $300 for a trade show booth with no guarantee of ROI seems pricey to me, or am I just a skinflint?

Appreciate your thoughts. I'll also post an update on our results next week.

keep the card and put $150 in ones ....fives and change and make them guess how much is in the jar....close's whens,,,,and have questionnaire on info you want with a list of insurance they are interested in....nobody can walk past a big jar of crumpled up cash.....

 

[djs]

Good luck.
Don't try to do the quotes on the spot. Get the info to do the quote later. Somebody might want to sit there and run the quote, most would probably prefer to enter a drawing and say yes, call me so I can save some money.

Dan

 

[BuildingIns]

Make sure that you get back to the prospects the next day. Don't make the prize the central reason for visiting the booth, otherwise no one will want to talk insurance when the time comes. The money will be made in the discussions at the booth and the relationships initiated there.

 

[bluemarlin08]

I am in the process of putting together a booth at a local flea market in an upscale area. Visited the market last month, they do it every other month. Talked with several vendors, even had some say they would let me quote their insurance. Our approach is to ask if they they think they are paying to much for their insurance. Many folks are paying 12 to 20,000 per year or more for all their insurance. I pay about 18,000. We ask when was the last time they had their insurance audited, never. Our ad company suggested that our booth be set up with a comfortable couch and chairs, a water dispenser, make it a place for people to sit and rest . Share your story when you finish. I don't think giving any quotes is a good isea, but may be wrong.

 

[Bertolinoins]

For personal lines I do classic car shows and a wooden boat show. I give out donuts and coffee in the AM and free bottled water in the afternoon. Hagerty will give you swag to give away then you can possibly handle. Classic car insurance is cheap... but the guys that participate in that hobby usually have deep pockets and other business ventures. The last show I did I only wrote three classic cars for less than $1000 total... but I did pick up over $75000 in commercial premium from a guy that owned three apartment complexes and a large drywall company who also had personal lines policies totaling $9000.

 

[g-squared]

For personal lines I do classic car shows and a wooden boat show. I give out donuts and coffee in the AM and free bottled water in the afternoon. Hagerty will give you swag to give away then you can possibly handle. Classic car insurance is cheap... but the guys that participate in that hobby usually have deep pockets and other business ventures. The last show I did I only wrote three classic cars for less than $1000 total... but I did pick up over $75000 in commercial premium from a guy that owned three apartment complexes and a large drywall company who also had personal lines policies totaling $9000.

A colleague in my office does the classic car shows with Hagerty. He has written some business from it.

keep the card and put $150 in ones ....fives and change and make them guess how much is in the jar....close's whens,,,,and have questionnaire on info you want with a list of insurance they are interested in....nobody can walk past a big jar of crumpled up cash.....

Good idea! Thanks!

 

[rockden]

i really like your marketing style good luck try and do work many herd i hope you are will our target nice job keep it up

 

[mmaedelins]

As far as 'free and affordable' events goes....what about partnering with a local real estate agent & lawyer and doing a 'starting your own business?' or 'buying a new home?' type of event where each of you has some time to give a few tips to everyone. You, of course, would be the insurance expert at the event. I would also do a few door prizes or offer appetizers to get people through the door or schedule the event at a hotel right after another big event has ended (maybe you'd get a few walk ins from it).

Another thing that I'd like to try is doing an info session on the basics of insurance for college seniors who are about to graduate. Or maybe you can be the guest speaker at a few businesses classes on the local college campus. This wouldn't necessarily generate immediate leads but they would all look at you as an expert in the field and if you offer to answer their questions via phone or email as they move into different phases of their life (and tell them you'll do that regardless of whether or not they are a client of yours-that's key!), you will end up with a few life long clients from it who are always willing to tell their friends about you!

Best of luck!

 

[g-squared]

We did not have very good results at our event Saturday. Fewer than 10 quotes and because of the lack of interest in our gift card giveway, we scaled it back to one $100 card.

If we do the event again, we'll partner up with a ballon artist, face paintr, or caricature artist and pay for their booth space as long as we can set up next to them. The balloon artist and face painter on the other side of the show had lines of kids all day, with the parents just waiting around.
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Another thing that I'd like to try is doing an info session on the basics of insurance for college seniors who are about to graduate. Or maybe you can be the guest speaker at a few businesses classes on the local college campus.

I took your suggestion to heart and called the two local colleges this afternoon. The student activities office at one is having me send an email with an outline of my presentation so we can find out the next step.

Thanks!