Internet and Search Engine Use in Marketing Insurance

By Jenny Burger, IdeaStar Marketing Intern

June 4, 2007 - It is important to consider macro trends when marketing insurance, including the use of the Internet and various search engines.  These are an important conduit for insurance sales, both on and off-line, according to Jon Kaplan, Google Industry Director for Financial Services.

IdeaStar Vice President of Insurance Technology Mike Wise recently interviewed Jon regarding his upcoming talk to be given at  MarkeTTech 2007  in Chicago. The November conference is presented by the Professional Insurance Marketing Association (PIMA), which works to identify the best practices and changes related to the distribution and administration of insurance and related products.

In the interview Jon commented on how the integration of on and off-line search has become paramount for insurance marketers.  He relays the possibilities that can come when the two are successfully combined by describing the additional measurement layer of consumer interest through looking at customer searches at different time intervals.

For instance, marketers can track an online spike in visits to a certain section of a Web site to shortly after a television ad was run.  “We now provide an additional layer of statistics which allows you to validate your advertising campaigns, and whether or not they are effective,” Jon said.

He will include in his PIMA presentation examples of successful marketing campaigns which combine the Internet with traditional advertising.

Be sure to listen to the intriguing discussion between Mike and Jon at Mike’s Blog, and mark your calendar for the upcoming conference, November 11 through 13.