When growing up, children and adolescents dreaming of one day running or contributing to their own business may think about the sorts of tasks they’d perform, the attire they’d wear, or the things they’d discuss with colleagues and partners, but the handling of a business budget is rarely found amongst the dominant daydreams of professional life. Working with a budget can be a difficult process for even the most seasoned of professionals, as the effort to maintain tight control over expenses can often clash with the need to expand resources and campaigns, but those who spend ample time and determination balancing such needs are likely to make a profoundly positive impact on their places of work. In the insurance industry, balancing budgets can be a special challenge, owing to the need to reconcile consistent expansion efforts with the task of keeping as much as possible in sales profits. While advertising is an inescapable element of modern insurance business, some agents and companies may shy away from performing extensive research about proper advertising budgets due to the high costs that can sometimes be associated with campaigns. But understanding how to consider an insurance advertising budget and acting accordingly can work wonders for agencies of all lines, sizes, and backgrounds.
It is typical for insurance agents and brokerages to first wonder what organizations of a similar size or category are spending on their own advertising efforts. Comparison can be a powerful tool, and it may indeed be a good idea to get a feel for the advertising budgets of competitors, assuming that a realistic and honest figure can be divulged. However, the power of comparison is strictly limited, and there should be several other considerations in the creation of an advertising budget beyond this point. Through simply spending as much or slightly more than other agents and brokerages within similar lines of work, results may be unpredictable. The quality of advertisements and their ability to meet the needs both of the agency itself and of its prospective clients is key, and does not necessarily have anything to do with spending the same amounts of money as others with similar goals.
When considering the creation of an insurance advertising budget, the specific intentions of any campaigns should first be mapped out. The general size of the audience that should be reached, along with the precise messages and impressions that should be created, are important variables that can be decided upon long before a monetary figure is produced. Taking into account the logistics of reaching the specified audience, and deciding upon a medium for the advertisements themselves, are the logical next steps in the process. Once these items have been identified, the ability of the agency to allot a certain amount to its advertising can be assessed, and the best match between price and advertising product can then be described.
While different agents and groups may arrive at an insurance advertising budget in different ways, following basic guidelines that include an attention to the objectives of the advertising campaign in detail can result in a workable advertising budget that won’t drastically limit the possibilities of the final product. Through identifying agency goals and honestly assessing the desires and requirements of prospective clients, agents can create advertising budgets that properly reflect their business profiles and work within their means to establish the best possible impressions. It might not be as glamorous as dressing up in business wear and practicing one’s handshake, but good budget creation is an asset any agent can use to great advantage.
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