Targeted Email Blasts? Can You Find Targeted Email Lists?

[scagnt83]

I was speaking to an agent the other day who has been having success with email blasts that include a request a quote link.

I also have an IMO that keeps pushing email marketing...

Any experience with this?

Can you buy targeted email lists such as specifically for doctors or dentists, etc. ?


It seems like a cheap and easy way to do some more passive marketing.

 

[pv30044]

CFMleads.com, they have lists for sale. Even email lists that you can target by sic code (business type).

 

[ksigmtsu]

There are tons of them out there.

Email marketing is a tricky game in comparison to most other formats, because you do need some technical knowledge to pull it off. If you go buy a single-opt-in list, then go to mailing it without compliant email you're asking for your smtp accounts to be closed without warning.

Most email newsletter companies will not participate in single-opt-in lists, they'll send them a double opt email to confirm they want to receive your mail.

You need to have at worst a passing knowledge of php, smtp servers, and how servers handle email along with knowing the compliance if you're going to do any real volume.

If you don't know what you're doing you might be better off paying a data vendor that does email blasts to do them for you.

 

[scagnt83]

There are tons of them out there.

Email marketing is a tricky game in comparison to most other formats, because you do need some technical knowledge to pull it off. If you go buy a single-opt-in list, then go to mailing it without compliant email you're asking for your smtp accounts to be closed without warning.

Most email newsletter companies will not participate in single-opt-in lists, they'll send them a double opt email to confirm they want to receive your mail.

You need to have at worst a passing knowledge of php, smtp servers, and how servers handle email along with knowing the compliance if you're going to do any real volume.

If you don't know what you're doing you might be better off paying a data vendor that does email blasts to do them for you.

Oh, there is no way in hell I would do this myself!! It would be 100% outsourced to professionals.

Not just because of time, but because I have no idea what any of that stuff you typed is... lol

 

[pv30044]

Why couldnt you get an account with like constant contact... Get an email list and just BCC the whole lot, or the area and target list you want? Why does it have to be so complicated?

 

[scagnt83]

Why couldnt you get an account with like constant contact... Get an email list and just BCC the whole lot, or the area and target list you want? Why does it have to be so complicated?

Because of spam compliance issues, time, and professionalism.

Also, you need a way to "hook" them through the email.

What I was looking at is a quoting link that attaches inline with the email; it asks a few basic questions and then the info is sent to an IMO which runs quote comparisons and sends them to me so that I can have general quotes ready when contacting the client.

The emails look very professional and do not look like they were just typed up by some random jerk sitting in front of a laptop at the library; plus they are branded with my brand/info, nothing else... even my email address is on there as the sender if I remember right.

There is no way I could develop emails that look this professional and combine it with this type of quoting system on my own time/dime.
(well, I could; it would just be very unfeasible)


The system they use and email format they use will keep all emails compliant, plus there is the automated "opt out" which is now required.

So considering that there is all of that, plus a whole lot more on the compliance side that I dont even know about (try to understand ksigmtsu's terms in his email); and considering that this is being offered to me for free (minus the email list); I would be stupid to do this myself.

Plus my email server would probably cancel my account if I did this straight from my work email(which would really piss off the owners of the local GA I work out of....lol)

I am looking to market DI with this.... its a very underserved market.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Just want to get this in quickly because I hate that term. There is, by definitely, no such thing as an underserved market. When is demand supply takes care of itself.

DI is not underserved. There's simply very little demand. Underserved would mean hordes of people are looking for DI and can't find it.

 

[scagnt83]

Just want to get this in quickly because I hate that term. There is, by definitely, no such thing as an underserved market. When is demand supply takes care of itself.

DI is not underserved. There's simply very little demand. Underserved would mean hordes of people are looking for DI and can't find it.

There is usually little demand for LI before an agent takes the time to ask.... why are there more LI sales/policies?

Because more agents concentrate on LI sales vs. DI sales.


If as many people were asked to buy DI as are asked to buy LI each year the number of DI sales would skyrocket.


Let me ask you this:
How many life agents do you know that do mostly life?
How many DI agents do you know that do mostly DI?


Personally I know lots of life guys.
I know very few DI guys.

Whats the main difference between the DI guys and the LI guys?
As a group the DI guys make more money, have better closing ratios, and have much better persistentcy. And I have never heard the DI guys complain about a lack of prospects either.


I say that its underserved because there are very few agents asking prospects to buy.

LI & DI are not thought of as commodities like HI is; as a percentage base, people do not go out in search of a new DI or LI policy. Policies are bought mostly because an agent took the time to inform the prospect of the need, and them asked them to buy.
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There's simply very little demand.

There is very little demand because there is very little education about the product/subject.


When I used to do group enrollments with the Duck (a long time ago), I would sell the hell out of DI. And a lot of the sales were to people who never even knew the product existed!


I would do a group meeting and ask who has paycheck insurance?
Then I would ask who has been hurt and had to miss work because of it.
Then I would ask who knew someone who had that happen to them.
Then I would get a few stories from the group.

After that I would explain "paycheck insurance".

I would almost always have at least a few people in the crowd say "I never knew anything like that existed!".

People would be all over it because it is very easy to see the need for it.


Like I said, just because there is no immediate demand, does not mean that people do not see the value and the need for it once they are educated on the product.

 

[dgaronzik]

When I started in Insurance 20 years ago there was no email and most prospects came from referrals, prospecting and the dreaded cold calling. I am just getting back in in the modern age and am very familiar with technology but my question is this: How much business actually leading to sales is obtained from automated lead generation?

 

[scagnt83]

How much business actually leading to sales is obtained from automated lead generation?

More than you might think. I know of plenty of HI and LI producers that have their own websites that bring them some amount of business; some are more successful at it than others...

A lot of the big shots such as e-health and whatnot market through auto lead generation.

And plenty of lead companies generate quality leads from it (they become crappy leads because they are sold to 15 different agents)

But it just depends on the market, method, and luck.


IMO the old ways of walk and talks, referrals, and CCing are tried true and the most reliable.

But I am always open to new ways to market, especially in this day and age.