The stereotype states that insurance is “boring”—but, especially if you’re a wholesale broker, nothing could be further from the truth. The wholesale insurance business is all about placing challenging risk that doesn’t fit with standard markets. When written well, there are plenty of opportunities to delve into topics that both insurance agents and more casual readers will find interesting. Here are a few ideas for choosing topics that fascinate.
Follow the news. What’s going on in your part of the insurance industry? Does the hurricane season affect the agents you work with? How about changing industry regulations? Have there been any big claims in the news in an area you specialize in? Do a quick search for developments in the news that are relevant to the insurance agents you work with and provide some quick or in-depth commentary that can bring extra insight to your audience.
Answer the common questions. Chances are if you’ve been in this business long enough, you start to hear some of the same questions repeated over and over. Give some thought to the most common questions agents ask about the coverage you specialize in and write a post—or a series of posts—addressing them in depth. This is a great way to choose a topic that you know a lot of insurance agents are interested in
Tell a story. Did you help place a really challenging risk recently? What was the situation, and how did you do it? Studies of complex or unusual risk cases can be a valuable resource for insurance agents—and can help showcase your expertise. These can be done without including the name of the insured or identifying information.
Demystify something. What’s the difference between various types of excess Side A coverage for D&O policies? What are the biggest mistakes agents make when placing nonprofit risk? Pick a complex or challenging area of insurance that’s commonly misunderstood, even by insurance agents who often work in that sector, and break it down in simple, easy-to-understand terms. The easier you can make these topics to understand, the more useful your blog post will be to your target audience—and the more traction it will gain online.
Vary your interests. Everything you write about doesn’t need to be about insurance. You can humanize your company—and make yourself approachable—by posting some thoughts of a lighter or more personal nature while keeping a professional tone. Avoid anything that might be considered controversial, but feel free to post about your company picnic or fun office moments from time to time. The insurance business runs on relationships, after all—and keeping a fun and approachable online personality can do a lot to attract new business.
Business blogging can be a challenge for anyone. But it doesn’t have to be, and there are plenty of places to find interesting and engaging topics for an insurance audience. Think about what’s happening in the news, questions agents often ask you, interesting insurance problems you’ve solved, and commonly misunderstood elements of the types of coverage you specialize in—and chances are you’ll have more ideas than you know what to do with.
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