I’m going to start this post with a statement of the obvious. No matter what it is you sell, it’ll always be easier to attract clients if they can actually understand you! This may sound obvious, but I regularly see examples of things that Insurance Brokers could communicate more clearly. As always, this post covers Digital Marketing but there are examples in here that relate to the offline world as well. It’s crucial that brokers adopt a multi-channel approach and have consistent messaging across all online and offline channels. 

When I first started in the industry as a school leaver many years ago, I quickly noticed that insurance sometimes has a language all of its own! It’s understandable that brokers sometimes slip into this jargon when you think about it. As a broker, you don’t spend all week talking to clients – you spend a good proportion of it speaking to insurers and your colleagues – in other words, other insurance people. Many brokers have also worked for insurers before, where they can use insurance jargon all week and still be understood by everybody they speak to.

When it comes to your website and marketing though, you’re trying to build rapport with clients and prospects – not your insurance contacts. I often see website and marketing content that’s clearly been written by broking people rather than a marketing specialist. With my insurance background I can always understand what they’re trying to say, but there’s usually a better, simpler way to explain things to non-insurance people.

The importance of being clear with your clients

There are many reasons you should be clear with your clients, and they go way beyond marketing. As a broker, clear communication has never been more important for your business. You now operate in a compliance-driven market where any ambiguity in the way you explain things to clients could come back to bite you. So it’s a good habit to communicate everything as clearly as you possibly can in all aspects of your business.

Admittedly there are some very experienced, senior insurance buyers out there with the intelligence to understand everything you say. However, there are also some less-experienced buyers and in the world of business there can be times when people don’t ask questions for fear of looking stupid – especially with something as technical as insurance. So if something can be explained more simply, why would you not do that?

What sort of Insurance Jargon do brokers use?

Brokers don’t just use jargon on their websites and in their marketing, they also use it in their everyday conversations with clients. It’s good to break this habit so that clients can understand you better and there is consistency across all of your interactions with clients and prospects. In other words, the tone of your phone conversations, emails you send to clients, renewal letters, your website and even your Social Media posts should all feel consistent and explain things clearly to the client in language that they can understand.

Here are some examples – all of which are based on websites I’ve seen or conversations I’ve overheard when working for brokers:

• Risk – Brokers and insurers will refer to a client’s insurances as a “risk”. This is fine when speaking to insurers but I have heard brokers answer the phone to a client and the first question they ask is “what’s the name of the risk”? To a non-insurance person, this is a pretty confusing question. It would make much more sense to ask “what’s the name of your company?”.
• Markets/Carriers – I’ve heard people say things to clients on the phone like “I need to get you a quote but I can’t find any markets” or “the carrier has increased the excess at renewal”. To a non-insurance person a market is where some people buy their fruit and veg and a carrier is what they put them in! If you’re referring to the insurer, just call them an insurer and clients will know what you mean first time. I have even seen brokers referring to “markets” on their websites instead of “insurers”.
• Commercial Insurance – Now this might not seem like such a bad one. You’d hope that compared with the two examples above, most intelligent people could work out that Commercial Insurance is insurance for a business. Again though – why be less clear than you could be? Especially given that on Google UK, there are an estimated 14,800 searches a month for “Business Insurance”, compared with just 1,900 for “Commercial Insurance”.
• Property Owners Insurance – This too is a phrase that not many real clients use. They are more likely to search for “Landlord Insurance” (which gets over 33,000 searches a month on Google UK, compared with 320 for “Property Owners Insurance”). In reality though, not all landlords are the same and you should look to split your offering between residential and commercial landlords (and even unoccupied properties if you arrange cover for those) and explain on your website what you offer for each of them. It may well be the same insurer and policy for each of them, but people search online for cover that meets their specific needs so it’s important to make it clear that you can give them the cover they need.
• “The policy would respond” – I have seen this phrase used regularly when explaining liability insurance. It’s always struck me as an odd way to explain how the policy would work. Now I realise that there is danger in saying that a claim “would be paid” for example, as there may be reasons why a claim ends up not being paid. Surely though, it’s clearer to say something like “the policy would provide cover”.
• Personal Lines – I have never heard this term used by anyone outside of the insurance sector. Given the rise of comparison sites, many brokers are less focused on mainstream personal insurances anyway. However, if it’s included on your website, “Personal Insurance” is much clearer than “Personal Lines”. This phrase is also used a lot on letters that go out to clients and by receptionists wanting to direct calls.

So how can brokers better understand the language that clients use?

There are many ways to build your understanding of how clients talk about insurance and here are just a few of them:

• Keyword Research – As I’ve alluded to already, this can tell you how many people search on Google each month for certain things. Contact Me if you’d like to know how many people a month search for your products and services.
• Online Forums – There are many online forums for UK businesses as well as for niche interests. Insurance often comes up in conversation in these forums.
• Social Media posts and groups – As with forums, the major Social Media platforms have special interest groups where like-minded people discuss things they need help and advice with.
• Call Listening – Just by listening in to a few client calls, you may discover jargon that you’re using when talking to clients. If they ask questions and need clarification on things, pay attention to the language they use and what your team members say to clarify it for them.
• Networking Events – When done correctly, these events can be a great way to grow your business. Try to let the people you meet do the talking and see how they describe insurance and the words they use.

So to summarise, let’s remember one thing – Insurance Brokers are an intermediary. To survive in the long-term, an intermediary has to demonstrate that they bring something important to the buying process. Do Insurance Brokers bring value to the relationship between the insurer and the client? Absolutely! Clarity is right at the heart of the value that brokers bring. It’s vital that all aspects of your communication with clients – be they online or offline – are clear.

Contact me if you need help with any aspects of your Digital Marketing and I’ll be more than happy to help you.