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Email is a cost-effective, highly targeted channel to engage existing and potential customers and remains the digital weapon of choice for many brokers.

Brokers and insurers can work together to ensure a clear understanding of their target customer base so that content and messaging is relevant and informative.

Burns is open to anything from conversations with a broker-facing department to subsidised campaigns, which have proved “mutually beneficial” in the past. And he is enthusiastic about the benefits of product and/or scenario-based content insurers package up for brokers for use in co-branded campaigns. Macbeth’s Smith also finds these ‘campaign-in-a-box’ solutions, such as those available from Aviva’s Broker Mentor, invaluable. “We’re all time-poor and that’s no different for brokers,” says Smith. “If insurers can provide some of the initial content for brokers to reference, use or repurpose, they’re giving them the starting blocks for campaigns which will hopefully attract new clients and benefit everyone,” she says.

If a broker could do one thing to ensure their marketing activity delivers the return they’re looking for, it would be to create a marketing plan. Too often, brokers will jump straight into tactical activity like setting up an Instagram account, without really knowing what they’re looking to achieve, or how. Then, when the new business fails to arrive, they dismiss marketing as being ‘a waste of time.

Ready-made insights from insurers can therefore be an invaluable source of content but brokers often overlook this option. In most cases, insurers’ content is written professionally, put through the rigour of approvals and should therefore offer a fantastic source of information that, with just a little bit of tailoring, can be shared with clients.

What we’ve seen is that brokers are often guilty of leaving their websites and social media accounts unattended, forgetting the negative impression this can have on prospects and potential recruits. That’s why we launched our Digital Aptitude reports, helping brokers to see how they’re performing against defined benchmarks, as well as against their peers.

A recent survey by Aviva’s Marketing Elevator revealed that social media adoption among insurance brokers is on the rise, with 72% actively using social media platforms. However, the survey also highlighted a significant gap in social media expertise among brokers, with 21% needing help with how to proceed and 56% seeking guidance.

Owen aptly states: “A networking system would benefit brokers like us who are just starting – it provides an opportunity to interact with others, ask questions, and learn from their experiences.

Additionally, insurers can help brokers understand how to use social media analytics tools and platforms to enable them to track the performance of their campaigns and measure their impact on business objectives. These insights can help brokers refine their strategies and optimise their social media efforts for greater effectiveness.

This Insurance Age In Depth series explores the latest trends across the rapidly changing cyber threat landscape, the impact on UK businesses, and how brokers can support client firms in tackling this key risk.

With our Digital Aptitude report, discover how you compare to your peers and how you can improve your online presence