Use Technology to Stay in Touch With Clients Throughout the Year: Idea File

One simple way, he said, is to reach out to customers around their coverage renewal dates. But, to get the most of marketing, he said, agents need to find reasons to communicate throughout the year, without always asking for money.

2. Marketing skills appear to trail marketing goals.

"There's a strong recognition that [marketing is] important," Jans said. "But it's a relatively new skill set."

FMG Suite found when it surveyed agents that only 37% reported feeling "very comfortable" with modern, social media-based marketing techniques, he said.

3. Younger agents may be taking a different approach.

FMG Suite did a survey about marketing and broke some of the results out by age.

About 61% of the participants ages 24 through 40 said they were using social media to prospect for new clients, compared with just 42% of the agents ages 41 and older.

Similarly, 68% of the younger participants said they share information with new clients through social media. Only 49% of the older participants reported doing that.

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