Now that the Internet is well entrenched in industry life, to what extent have agents really benefited from their Web sites? Hard statistical evidence remains difficult to come by, primarily because most agencies do not collect and evaluate Web site activity statistics and have only vague perceptions of visitor usage. But if my ongoing study of agency Web sites (nearly 3,500 by now) and countless conversations with agents and industry professionals indicate anything, the general answer would have to be, "not very much."
The reasons why agents do not benefit from their Web presence are numerous, but they boil down to a few words -- ill conceived, poorly executed, and neglected. More disturbing is that some agents don't seem to notice or care, as evidenced by the number of sites that have not been updated or fixed for nearly two years in some cases.
Evidence suggests that initial Internet enthusiasm swept by many agents very quickly only to leave them "in the dust" and somewhat confused, yet barely concerned, by what happened. Many agents did, however, follow industry advice and build a Web site. But that's where it stopped — a multitude of Web sites exhibiting glaring signs of arrested development.
Thus, many agencies have yet to significantly benefit from their Web sites. Furthermore, you don't have to look very hard to find Web sites that are probably doing the agency more harm than good. For these agents, having no Web presence at all would be better than having a poorly executed one.
Outdated content, non-functioning links, questionable use of type, graphics, and color, continued use of antiquated gimmicks associated with early Web trends, limited interactivity options, and a host of other telltale indicators are clues that a Web site has been sorely neglected.
To be sure, these features also apply to a significant percentage of Web sites in other industries. But given the insurance industry's twenty-plus years of support and emphasis on technology, one wonders why so many agency Web sites have come up on the short end of the Internet stick.
Some history
In retrospect, the unofficial theme of the 1995 IIAA convention in Las Vegas might have been "Let's Get Connected to the Internet." I remember the industry groups that promoted various aspects of the Internet and urged agents to get online. There was also talk about agents being able to sign up with some sort of Internet "Yellow Pages" that would somehow direct insurance shoppers to a local agent who would then have a new prospect and potential sale. Amidst the flurry and hubbub of industry hype and initial Internet fever, agents were told how easy it would be to re-purpose their agency brochure to create a dazzling Web site that would (automatically) promote their agency's product and services. A crop of Web site development companies, armed with little more than newly acquired HTML know-how and a slick sales pitch, sprang up overnight.
Prior to the convention, I received a barrage of phone calls from various industry sources inviting me to stop by their booths so they could show me their Internet-based offerings that were going to transform agency marketing and create new business opportunities. I remember enjoying the opening night festivities when several eager representatives literally took me by the arm and escorted me to their booths. Duly responsive and eager to learn (and sniff out a news item for the publication I edited), I complied, listened, asked questions, took plenty of mental notes, and smiled a lot. After all, the Internet was just as new to me as it was to my eager industry entrepreneurs. Besides, it wasn't every day that one got to witness the birth of an exciting new development that would revolutionize an entire industry.
What happened?
That was seven years ago. Now that the initial enthusiasm has subsided and the everyday practicalities of life in the Internet age have set in, a new picture has emerged. Yes, the industry continues to talk about the Internet, and actually promotes it from time to time. Hopeful developments such as XML and Transformation Station get plenty of press, but the nagging problem of proprietary carrier interface and Web screens generates plenty of discussion too. Even though the belief in the importance of agency Web sites persists, so many have underachieved or failed.
The answer is probably more complex, but partial explanations may be found in several observations about the industry's general response to the Internet.
Lack of preparation: Agents, like other business people, have a natural desire to improve their business. New tools and technologies that promise to simplify work and improve a bottom line appear attractive, especially when given industry-wide endorsement. It would be hard to find a development that has captured more industry imagination than the Internet. But there is more to adopting a new technology than just buying and installing it. There needs to be a foundation, a rationale, and a strategy for making the technology useful. Once implemented, there needs to be follow-through, evaluation, adjustment, and refinement. Many agencies "bought into" the Internet without thinking things through and preparing for the consequences of developing and maintaining a Web site.
Industry hype: Additional explanation may be found in what I would characterize as industry boosterism that promotes potential benefits of emerging technology without thoroughly explaining end-user ramifications. With respect to the Internet, this explanation is especially true. Who could have imagined seven years ago what we have today? While the industry eagerly promoted exciting possibilities in 1995, it offered little substance in helping agents seriously evaluate practicalities and develop realistic and meaningful Internet strategies. For the most part, agents had to figure that out on their own.
Rapid development: Consider, too, that a contributing factor was the way that the Internet seemed to burst onto the scene with relatively little warning. But shortly after it did, everyone everywhere was abuzz with Internet talk. Hardly a day went by without reading something new about the Internet. A steady stream of industry press releases heralded new Internet-based tools, services, and a procession of dot-com startups. And a new vocabulary even emerged. But beneath the excitement of this newly- discovered Internet love affair, the specter of online sales, alternative distribution channels, and agent disintermediation crept into the picture — things that were not imagined or mentioned months earlier.
In short, these factors and others collided at just the right time. Many insurance professionals were overwhelmed and unprepared to fully appreciate the impact and potential of the Internet and the need to develop strategies for meeting its challenges. To some extent, the industry is still in the reactionary phase of coping and figuring things out, which has limited a more proactive and creative posture in making the Internet truly useful across the broader industry panorama.
Additional observations
Notwithstanding a sketchy, yet plausible, context for explaining the state of agency Web sites, other observations are worth mentioning. For example:
Many Web sites were built for nebulous or questionable reasons. Some agents built Web sites in reaction to industry hype, but had little or no understanding of what they were doing and why they were doing it. Others simply built sites because it was the trendy thing to do. Still others believed that if you were the first agency in town to have a Web site, you'd be the agency to reap the most new Internet insurance customers.
Many Web sites were built based on unrealistic expectations and unproven results. Several entities within the industry developed agent locators or "Yellow Pages" that promoted the notion that all agents had to do was "sign up" and insurance customers would seek them out. I don't, however, recall hearing much of an explanation of how that would happen. Others latched onto the time-honored "if-you-build-it-they-will-come" view of creating a Web site. That idea didn't offer many explanations either. Other agencies viewed having a Web site as some kind of marketing tool that could generate new business automatically without additional agency intervention.
Many Web sites were built without a legitimate rationale or plan. Many agents have never thought about their Web site within the context of an overall business plan, marketing plan, Web strategy, or marketing communications program. Furthermore, many agents have never considered the true cost of hosting, developing, and maintaining a Web site. For that matter, even fewer agents, if any, have considered the negative consequences of maintaining a poorly executed Web site.
Many Web sites were developed and maintained without a clear understanding of site objectives. To this day, many agents still cannot succinctly verbalize what they want their Web site to accomplish and why. Many agencies still do not monitor site usage or track visitor activity and are thus clueless about site performance, relevance, or usefulness.
What to do
Sounding Line often finds itself "preaching to the choir," so if you're reading this article, you are probably aware that Web sites require regular attention. But the sad truth is that agencies that continue to maintain an undeveloped and failing Web presence often are unaware that their site is performing badly and in need of a rebuild. One could hope that in time these agencies will come to the realization that their Web presence needs a serious overhaul.
For the enlightened agency that wants to manage a vibrant Web effort, a systematic review and evaluation process should be implemented. Though typically a management initiative, the process can be shared among members of a Web site committee. The committee should periodically examine motivations, expectations, and strategies within the context of the agency's business plan and marketing program. Like any successful evaluation effort, it also needs to be ongoing. With that in mind, the agency should be using Web site tracking software to quantify site usage. Generally, monthly reports over a period of time provide an idea of how your site is performing. Ongoing data collection and evaluation ensure that your Web presence remains focused on what you want to accomplish by it.
Maintaining an effective Web presence requires work. As we've emphasized many times, your Web site is an ongoing project. Your Web site can be a valuable tool to help you better reach prospects, serve customers, convey your message, and transact business. It's one effort that truly reflects the adage, "The more you put into it, the more you get out of it."
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