Guide: Marketing & Sales

Various tools are available to promote your agency and reach potential customers. Tools that you currently have in your agency may include marketing components. The goal is to establish strong relationships with your customers and increase sales.

The Catalyit Comparison Grid

Make an informed decision by comparing solutions side-by-side. Click the logo to take a deeper dive and learn more about the solution.

  Yes, Applies     |       Applies In Part

Lead Generation

Catalyit-Logo-Icon-white

Catalyit's Advice

Is the platform company-centric or contact-centric?

How much information about a prospect can you track?

Is campaign management included?

What reporting capabilities are available?

How easy is the platform for producers to use?

Steve Anderson's Take

“Many agencies suffer from follow-up failure. They talk to somebody, may go through the expense of creating a proposal, and if the prospect doesn’t buy at that point, they don’t have a process for following up long-term. The core of lead generation platforms is to help you be in a conversation with the prospects who are ready to buy.”

Steve Anderson headshot

Steve Anderson

Catalyit Co-founder & CEO

2023 State of Tech Report

Catalyit partnered with Big I state associations to survey 465 independent insurance agencies across the US and gather information about their tech stack and satisfaction.

13% Yes
Does your agency use a lead generation platform/service?
Most Used % Use Avg. Rating
TrustedChoice.com 28% 3.2
Zywave 20% 3.4
Cold Calling Service 11% 3.4
SalesPro 5% 3.5
Internal Sales Team 3% 5.0
QuoteWizard 3% 4.0
ZoomInfo 3% 5.0
Bold Penguin 2% 5.0
EZLynx (Applied) 2% -
SALT 2% 3.0
Other 21% 4.3

Marketing Automation

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Catalyit's Advice

Does your agency management system have automated marketing capabilities?

What customer and prospect touch points do you want to add?

Does the third-party solution provider integrate with your existing system?

Who will be responsible for implementing these marketing campaigns?

Make sure to track your results to determine your return on investment.

Steve Anderson's Take

“Creating systematic marketing automation campaigns can be one of the best ways to continue to build relationships with clients and let prospects know you haven’t forgotten about them. Today, there are a wide variety of platforms that will help you do that, ranging in simplicity and customization options. We recommend you start experimenting with something, and continue to add capabilities as you see additional opportunities.”

Steve Anderson headshot

Steve Anderson

Catalyit Co-founder & CEO

The Players

Take a closer look at all your available options by visiting their profiles.

AgencyZoom powered by Vertafore

AgencyZoom is a smart automation solution built expressly for insurance agencies – with complete lifecycle automation, easy access to data, and integrations for effortless information syncing.

Applied Marketing Automation

Applied Marketing Automationâ„¢ is the first of its kind in our industry that allows you to quickly build and track marketing email campaigns so you can deliver relevant, timely P&C and Benefits content to your clients and prospects.

Levitate

Levitate’s Client Happiness Platform is your one-stop shop for driving engagement, referrals, account rounding, and simply staying top of mind.

More Options

2023 State of Tech Report

Catalyit partnered with Big I state associations to survey 465 independent insurance agencies across the US and gather information about their tech stack and satisfaction.

31% Yes
Does your agency use a marketing automation and email platform?
Most Used % Use Avg. Rating
Applied Marketing Automation 17% 3.9
Agency Revolution 15% 4.1
Levitate 14% 4.1
Rocket Referrals 11% 4.0
AgencyZoom (Vertafore) 10% 4.1
Zywave 7% 3.5
Constant Contact 4% 3.8
Mailchimp 3% 4.0
InsuredMine 2% 4.3
EZLynx (Applied) 2% 3.7
Other 14% 4.1

Reputation Management

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Catalyit's Advice

What is the scope of services offered?

Will they help you generate online reviews?

Do they monitor your online reputation and alert you when negative information appears?

Do they understand insurance agencies?

Do they offer online reputation repair services?

Steve Anderson's Take

“A growing percentage of consumers start their search for insurance information online. Where your agency appears in their search results is based on several factors – including search engine optimization (SEO), the number and quality of online reviews, your social platform activity, and others. Actively managing online reputation is a vital part of your Internet presence and ongoing marketing activities, whether you want to learn how to do this yourself or engage with a company that provides the services on your behalf. It is one of the areas that will help you grow your agency.”

Steve Anderson headshot

Steve Anderson

Catalyit Co-founder & CEO

The Players

Take a closer look at all your available options by visiting their profiles.

BrightFire

BrightFire takes the burden of digital marketing off your agency, helping you stand out from the crowd, save you time, and generate more leads.

experience.com

Experience.com provides a powerful tool that motivates the right behaviors to rank high on search, helping enhance your organic leads and take control of your online presence.

More Options

2023 State of Tech Report

Catalyit partnered with Big I state associations to survey 465 independent insurance agencies across the US and gather information about their tech stack and satisfaction.

16% Yes
Does your agency use a reputation management platform/system (e.g., for managing customer reviews)?
Most Used % Use Avg. Rating
Google Reviews 39% 4.1
Rocket Referrals 20% 4.2
Podium 8% 3.5
Lift Local 3% 4.5
Managed In-House 3% 5.0
Swell 3% 5.0
AgencyZoom (Vertafore) 3% 4.0
Agency Revolution 1% 3.0
InsuredMine 1% 5.0
GatherUp 1% 3.0
Other 18% 4.4

Sales Management

Catalyit-Logo-Icon-white

Catalyit's Advice

Does your existing agency management system have capabilities for tracking sales opportunities as well as a producer sales pipeline?

How involved will your producers be in capturing required information?

Does your agency have a culture of sales accountability?

Ease-of-use is essential, especially if producers capture and update information.

How flexible is the platform to fit your particular needs? For example, are you able to add additional custom fields?

Steve Anderson's Take

“Every agency needs a system and process for tracking sales activity. Your existing agency management system may have this functionality included, so you may not need a separate platform and the additional expense to track sales activity if it does.”

Steve Anderson headshot

Steve Anderson

Catalyit Co-founder & CEO

2023 State of Tech Report

Catalyit partnered with Big I state associations to survey 465 independent insurance agencies across the US and gather information about their tech stack and satisfaction.

17% Yes
Does your agency use a sales management platform/service?
Most Used % Use Avg. Rating
Salesforce 28% 3.7
AgencyZoom (Vertafore) 21% 4.1
Applied Epic 17% 3.5
HawkSoft 5% 4.0
EZLynx (Applied) 5% 4.0
Agency Revolution 1% 3.0
Better Agency 1% 5.0
HubSpot 1% 4.0
InsuredMine 1% 5.0
Keap 1% 4.0
Other 19% 3.9

Social Media Management

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Catalyit's Advice

Which social platforms do they support?

How many different social profiles are available to you?

Can you create content that posts to multiple platforms simultaneously?

What other tools are included?

Does the tool allow you to repurpose existing content?

Steve Anderson's Take

“There are a wide variety of tools that will help you manage your social platform presence. Examining which tools will best fit your needs is important. If you’re just getting started, we recommend you take a look at some of the simpler and less expensive or free tools. If you’ve been managing your social presence for a while, it may make sense for you to upgrade to some platforms and tools that have more capabilities. Social media management tools will save you a tremendous amount of time and effort and allow you to be consistent — which is an important consideration.”

Steve Anderson headshot

Steve Anderson

Catalyit Co-founder & CEO

The Players

Take a closer look at all your available options by visiting their profiles.

BrightFire

BrightFire takes the burden of digital marketing off your agency, helping you stand out from the crowd, save you time, and generate more leads.

Levitate

Levitate’s Client Happiness Platform is your one-stop shop for driving engagement, referrals, account rounding, and simply staying top of mind.

More Options

2023 State of Tech Report

Catalyit partnered with Big I state associations to survey 465 independent insurance agencies across the US and gather information about their tech stack and satisfaction.

20% Yes
Does your agency use a social media management tool?
Most Used % Use Avg. Rating
Rocket Referrals 11% 4.1
Hootsuite 10% 3.4
Agency Revolution 8% 3.5
BrightFire 5% 4.0
Local Firm 5% 4.5
Managed In-House 5% 4.0
Lift Local 2% 3.5
My Insurance Videos 2% 4.0
Levitate 1% 4.0
Market Retrievers 1% 5.0
Other 50% 3.7

Website Development

Catalyit-Logo-Icon-white

Catalyit's Advice

Does the vendor have insurance agency experience?

Will the agency be able to update and maintain the website in the future?

Will your website be custom-designed, or created from a predefined template?

What content management system (CMS) does the vendor use?

Are images and other digital assets fully licensed?

Steve Anderson's Take

“There are many firms who create some amazing websites. However, our preference is for you to pick a vendor that specializes in insurance agencies. There are significant E&O considerations that must be taken into account when selecting the right vendor. You will also want to look at what other capabilities the vendor can build into your website, as well as determine who will maintain and update the website once it is live. Again, our preference is for the agency to be able to control this function, if they desire.”

Steve Anderson headshot

Steve Anderson

Catalyit Co-founder & CEO

The Catalyit Comparison Grid

Make an informed decision by comparing solutions side-by-side. Click the logo to take a deeper dive and learn more about the solution.

  Yes, Applies     |       Applies In Part

Features
BrightFire
Alicor Solutions
EZLynx
Forge3
Levitate
Anthem Software
ClientCircle
LZC Marketing
Insurance-Specific InformationWaiting on vendorWaiting on vendorWaiting on vendorWaiting on vendorWaiting on vendor
Insurance Industry Experience
Insurance Platform Integrations
Familiar with Website E&O Exposures
CMS
Custom/Proprietary
WordPress
Development
Defined Process
Time FrameWithin 4 weeks7 days2 weeks4-6 weeks
Page / Site Design
Custom Designed Pages/Site
Template Pages/Site
Sample Content Provided
Agency Ability to Build Pages
Content Changes After Go-Live
Agency
Provider
Lead Capture Forms
Agency-created Web Forms
Provider-created Web Forms
Chat Feature
Chatbot Capability
Live Chat Capability
Other Features / Functionality
Article/Blog Posting Capabilities
Ongoing Digital Marketing Strategy/Support
Responsive Website
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Video Proposals
WCAG 2.1 Guidelines/ADA Compliance Support
Contract / Subscription
Month-to-Month
Annual
Multi-Year
Next StepsLearn more about BrightFireLearn more about Alicor SolutionLearn more about EZLynx Agency WebsitesLearn more about Forge3Learn more about LevitateLearn more about AnthemLearn more about Best WebsitesLearn more about ClientCircleLearn more about LZC Marketing

The Players

Take a closer look at all your available options by visiting their profiles.

BrightFire

BrightFire takes the burden of digital marketing off your agency, helping you stand out from the crowd, save you time, and generate more leads.

Levitate

Levitate’s Client Happiness Platform is your one-stop shop for driving engagement, referrals, account rounding, and simply staying top of mind.

More Options

2023 State of Tech Report

Catalyit partnered with Big I state associations to survey 465 independent insurance agencies across the US and gather information about their tech stack and satisfaction.

39% Yes
Does your agency use a website development or management firm?
Most Used % Use Avg. Rating
Local Firm 32% 4.3
Agency Revolution/Forge3 19% 4.1
Zywave (formerly ITC) 7% 3.1
Advisor Evolved 4% 5.0
Developed/Managed In-House 4% 4.4
Banyan Theory 3% 4.2
BrightFire 3% 4.3
Agency Relevance 2% 4.0
Alicor Solutions 2% 5.0
EZLynx (Applied) 2% 4.0
Other 24% 4.0
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