Auto Insurance Marketing: How to Boost Your Brand’s Value

Auto insurance is a $308-billion business—one that grew by more than 3% per year, on average, between 2015 and 2020. The industry was primed for record-breaking numbers as a new decade approached—until COVID-19 arrived. So, amidst a global pandemic, auto insurance marketing has proven to be a tricky sell. This is especially because driving habits have changed so drastically. Those consumers who usually hit the road for their morning commute are now working from home. Or they’re locked down entirely with no work at all, and thus nowhere to drive.

Sometimes your insurance brand needs to pivot and get creative with its marketing efforts to survive in a less-than-ideal economy. In fact, if you think outside the box, your brand can not only survive, it can thrive. Many major auto insurance brands are now offering payback plans for their customers who have changed their normal driving routines. This includes refunds, premium reductions, and account credits to name a few. To attract new business, however, they’re offering low-mileage discounts, extended grace periods, no penalties for late payments, customized payment plans, and more.

No matter what marketing methods you choose during these times (or at any time), there are a variety of ways you can boost your brand’s value. One of those is to partner with a top-notch direct mail provider who’s committed to helping you reach your goals. Here are some of the features to look for so you can have the assurance you need that your next direct mail campaign will be in good hands—and successful.

1. High-Volume Capacity

When you have high-volume direct mail campaigns that reach into the tens-of-millions of pieces, you want to be sure there won’t be any problems or delays. You need the certainty that your direct mail provider can deliver on your campaign no matter how significant the quantity or how complex the structure.

MSP houses a large selection of production equipment within our in-house print division to meet our clients’ needs. Our production pros can produce millions of direct mailing pieces every day because we work around the clock to coordinate your campaigns. We offer web offset, continuous inkjet, envelope, digital color, and large format presses. Plus, we’ll help you get the best postal discounts through commingling, co-palletization, and other postal service mailing incentives. So whether you’re creating a 1,000- or a 10-million-piece project (or more), we can easily handle the workload to get your mailing out the door—on-time and on-budget.

2. Color Consistency for Direct Mail Campaigns

When you outsource your direct mail campaigns to multiple vendors, you run the risk of design and production inconsistencies that can present your brand in a negative light. One of those disparities involves the color of your marketing materials. For example, if the blue color on your direct mail letter doesn’t match the blue color on your envelope, you’re sending a seemingly subtle but regrettable message that your business is not on-point with its branding.

MSP has the answer to that problem. We’re a direct mail provider that can handle all of your marketing campaigns. Our state-of-the-art custom envelope press increases the color consistency, speed, and flexibility of our production process. (We can create a profile—aka a fingerprint—to help us achieve color consistency from one press to another.) This allows us to deliver a more efficient, robust total package direct mail solution for our customers. As a result, your brand is not only consistent in its presentation, but it allows you to increase your speed to market and reduce your direct mail costs.

Additionally, our large-format printing technology allows your brand to print on virtually any rigid or flexible media while maintaining the same color consistency as your direct mailings. So if you need in-store display materials, we can ensure a consistent color match with all your other marketing campaigns.

3. One-Stop-Shop for All Your Direct Mail Marketing Needs

Wouldn’t it be more efficient and cost-effective to produce your direct mail campaigns in one place—with one knowledgable, experienced, technologically proficient direct mail provider? Consider the advantages of streamlining your actions with one proven partner.

• Accurate data transfer
• Consistent color adaptation
• Quicker production from start to finish
• Faster time to market
• Increased marketing ROI

MSP can handle your direct mail campaigns from conception to delivery. We have a 160,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art headquarters with innovative equipment and data processing capabilities. This ensures that your auto insurance marketing receives the highest-quality printed collateral. Plus, we have a second production facility for greater mail volume capabilities and an added sense of security in the unlikely event that disaster recovery is needed.

4. Marketing Automation Capabilities

Direct mail campaigns receive 5x more engagement when automation’s involved. That means a greater chance for success when you use direct mail automation as part of your auto insurance marketing strategy.

Let’s look at some examples:

• When a customer’s policy is due for renewal, you can schedule an automated direct mail postcard to alert them.
• Depending upon the specific type of insurance policy they’re enrolled in, you could schedule an offer for a potential upgrade or additional insurance coverage at a specific time during their membership.
• Schedule a thank you message letting your customers know how much you appreciate their business.
• Send birthday messages to your customers. It may seem trivial, but it’s a CX move that shows you care.
• Remember the payback plans we mentioned in the intro? Sometimes the unexpected happens, prompting a direct mailing that outlines new information or coverage options.

MSP’s direct marketing automation systems make these types of campaigns possible. But direct mail automation is only the beginning. We’ll also help you personalize your direct mail campaigns with variable data printing (VDP). Studies have shown that personalization using VDP leads to increased sales. In fact, almost 90% of shoppers say that personalized marketing increases their chances of making a purchase. With that in mind, we can also combine your digital and direct mail efforts into successful multichannel marketing campaigns. Again, research has shown that when businesses use a multichannel approach, they have a 3x higher effectiveness rate than those that don’t.

5. Direct Mail Panorama: The Future of Direct Mail Management

With direct mail, results are everything. Without a solid understanding of how your last campaign performed, there’s no way to make adjustments on future campaigns. In other words, the more you know, the better your results.

MSP provides a revolutionary software solution called Direct Mail Panorama. This game-changing program gives your insurance brand more control and a better understanding of your direct mail marketing campaigns than ever before. Yes, it provides all the details of each campaign’s performance—like an in-depth “panoramic” view of all your direct mail metrics. But it also features an automated proofing system for simplified editing and approvals prior to finalizing a campaign. You can follow your direct mail campaigns from production to delivery with software that increases both transparency and accountability, including an audit trail to monitor all the changes.

The Nuts and Bolts of Auto Insurance Marketing and Your Next Direct Mail Campaign

As you look to create new and innovative auto insurance marketing methods, examine the advantages that a proven direct mail provider can give you. Virtually unlimited quantities and high-quality, consistent presentation. Marketing automation and revolutionary direct mail management capabilities. All from one trusted direct mail marketing partner. MSP is poised to help your brand achieve its greatest successes. We’ve already helped some of the world’s biggest brands with their direct mail marketing success stories. We can help your brand too.