With many companies declining life insurance policies for those at high risk of mortality, the demand for guaranteed-issue final expense insurance increases. Having access to a steady flow of final expense insurance leads is the key to maximizing your potential sales. While purchasing exclusive final expense leads is an option, there are other ways to generate leads with little to no upfront costs. Here we discuss the pros and cons of some of the top lead-generating options and how they can help your business.
What are final expense leads?
A final expense lead is any person looking to proactively find a policy that will provide their beneficiaries with enough money to cover the cost of death and funeral arrangements. With the average cost of funerals in the United States costing nearly $10,000, final expense insurance, also known as burial insurance or funeral insurance, is a vital yet often overlooked protection policy for your potential clients. The target demographic for final expense leads is people between the ages of 55 and 75 and have primarily been driven by direct mail campaigns.
Should you purchase final expense leads?
Buying qualified final expense leads can be an affordable way to generate new business as you are gaining leads that have already expressed interest in purchasing final expense insurance. When it comes to purchasing leads, you typically have two options: exclusive real-time leads and aged leads.
Exclusive real-time leads are between 24-48 hours old, providing you with potential leads that have very recently shown interest in purchasing a policy. Unfortunately, for new agents, these leads can be expensive.
Many of these real-time leads are often left unsold, leaving them to age. These aged leads are available for sale with prices based on their age. The older the leads are, the cheaper they will cost. While these leads have shown an interest in these policies, there has been a time since that interest was originally shown, meaning they may already have a policy in place. However, they can be a low-cost option to try.
Where can you find cheap final expense leads?
While buying leads is an option, there are also a few other ways to generate cheaper final expense leads. You can experiment with different options to find the best lead generation method that works for you.
Direct mail
Because the average age of your demographic is between 55-75, the most common final expense lead generation is still direct mail. While many Baby Boomers are becoming more tech-savvy, many still feel more confident with traditional mail vs. email. On average, 90% of direct mail is opened, while only 20-30% of emails are opened.
With direct mail, you work with a mail house to send business reply card mailers to potential prospects. These mailers include a return card that interested prospects can fill out and return. When looking for direct mail options, look for a fixed price per lead mailer program if available in your state to help keep your prices down.
Organic leads
Organic leads take advantage of your existing website and, when done correctly, cost you nothing in direct marketing dollars and only a little bit of time. When you have a website, it is important to provide informational content that benefits your readers. In the case of final expense coverage, blog posts about the rising costs of burials and how this coverage can provide peace of mind can educate potential leads on how this coverage will benefit them. On the blog, link to a form where they can provide contact details for more information. In this way, you generate your own exclusive real-time leads for no cost.
Facebook interaction is quickly becoming a daily part of life, even for Baby Boomers. Facebook-generated final expense leads are a relatively newer form of lead generation but gaining popularity quickly, and you don’t even need a Facebook account to generate leads.
Reputable vendors offer Facebook leads that you can receive as quickly as a couple of days. While this generation method is faster, the leads generated often have lower engagement than direct mail options.
Seminar marketing leads
As an agent that offers final expense coverage, it is beneficial to be active in groups that serve your demographic. Holding regular educational seminars on the benefits of final expense and live insurance policies to older adults and seniors groups is a great way to generate leads. Offering these free seminars, which only need to be 10-15 minutes, helps share your expertise, develop relationships, and develop leads.
Live transfer leads
Live transfer leads may be the most expensive out of your lead generation options, but the right vendor can result in a much higher close rate. With this lead method, your vendor transfers qualified leads directly to you through telephone calls. When they call, these potential leads are actively looking for a final expense policy, so it is up to you to close the deal.
Lead generation is essential for insurance agency success
As you can see, there are many different options for final expense lead generation. Trying each method allows you to see which one works best and provides you with the greatest success. Once you have a regular lead generation stream, adding an insurance CRM or AMS tool can help you better manage your leads and campaigns.
For more information about our insurance CRM software and how it can make a difference for your business, contact Better Agency today.