New Features for Insurance Website Builder sites

New Referral Forms
One of the most effective marketing tactics an agent can implement is to build their referral base.  The cost to obtain referrals is typically minimal to none.  Furthermore, in most cases, your credibility with the referral is already established with no action on your part.  As a result, the closing ratio on referral business is higher.

To provide another avenue for your agency to get referrals, we have added a new referral form for your site.  The "Refer a Friend" form will appear under your Main Menu heading.

Helpful Tips on Getting Referrals
Ask.  Generally, people want to help others, especially when they've been helped.  Be sure to make a consistent effort to ask your clients for referrals.

Set the expectation up front.  Let your customer know they will play a vital role in your business by providing referrals, after you earn their business.  Earning your customer's loyalty will take service above the mark, and in doing so, you will ask to be rewarded by getting the opportunity to provide the same level of service to their friends and family.

Let your customer know how the contact went.  Place a note in the customer's file or in your agency management system to mention the results of the meeting.  It isn't necessary to breach confidentiality, just a mention that you were able to help their referral or that your agency wasn't a fit.  The customer put their reputation on the line when they referred a friend or their family member to you.  By letting them know you valued their referral, you can earn their trust to send more. 

Be sure to use your newsletters to ask for referrals.  Include a request in every newsletter that provides the link to your "Refer a Friend" form.
Identify your market.  Inform your customers what type of customer you are looking for.  In a brief sentence, explain your specialties.

Get testimonials from your customers.  When asking for a referral, also ask for a testimonial to post on your website.  Don't expect a written testimony on the spot; be sure to provide an email address allowing them to send it at a later date.

New Width Options
The current trend is showing a majority of computer users are using larger screen sizes.  With this in mind, we have now increased the width options available on Insurance Website Builder's sites.

Now there are three width options:
*750 pixels.  The original size of all Insurance Website Builder sites.
*1000 pixels.  The standard size of 90% of the sites on the internet.  It is estimated that a 1000 pixel site would be ideal for 93% of computer monitors in use today.
*100% wide.  This width is considered a "fluid" width as it will automatically adjust your site to the width of the monitor, regardless of the resolution.  While this may seem to be the "catch all" solution, websites with 100% width don't always display in an easy-to-read format on widescreen monitors.

Please note:  For your site to appear correctly in a wider width, it may call for your header to be updated, which in turn may require an additional fee.

In all cases, the decision on which width to choose comes down to your preference.  If you are interested in increasing the width of your site, we recommend you apply a new width and then view your site to see if your header appears to your liking.

Instructions on changing the width of your site and aligning your header can be found here:
http://services.evolutiondesigns.com/support/iwb/afmviewfaq.aspx?faqid=321
 
New Add-On Features

Local Search Submission
We will manually submit a customer's site to the local search engines.  These include Google, Yahoo, and Live/Bing.  Included in this service, we will do a single submission to 75 search engines.  The cost for this one-time service is $150.

As always, you can submit your site to Local Search engines by following the instructions here:
http://support.insurancewebsitebuilder.com/support/iwb/?f=196

Press Releases
In our continued effort to assist your agency in optimizing your search engine placement, ITC now offers a Press Release service.  Newsworthy events such as a new website, new program offerings, adding new lines of business, opening a new location and more can prove to be a jumpstart on your SEO campaign.  In addition, the more information prospects can learn about your agency, the more trustworthy you become.

We will manually submit a nationwide high-visibility press release.  Writing and editing services are provided free of charge.  While we do not guarantee these results every time, previous press releases have achieved the following results:

*Over 33,000 article impressions during the first month
*600 article backlinks on Yahoo
*1610 article backlinks on Google
*PR 7 backlink

Backlinks are proven to increase your search engine placement.  When another site links to your site, it is considered a backlink. 

We are offering this service at $300 per release.

Search Engine Visibility Services
For the month of July only, we are offering a discounted setup rate of $250 for our in-depth search engine visibility services.  The monthly fee is $50.  Platinum users enjoy this service free as part of their plan.

Key benefits of the Search Engine Visibility Services include:

*Monthly Top Ten Report for Target Keywords via Email
*Monthly Submission to over 90 Search Engines with Report via Email
*Monthly Search Engine Ranking Report via Email
*Free Targeted Keyword Domain Name
*Keyword Building and Optimizations
*Site Content Optimizations
*Google Webmaster Tools Setup
*Google Analytics Setup
*Pay-Per-Click Advertising