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However, if poorly structured, they quickly become doomed for deletion without ever getting read.

But for those who understand the secrets to writing effective email copy, the results are considerable. Did you know that many direct-response offers delivered by email out-pull conventional mail by huge margins?

Now, before you run off to craft what you think is a winning email, be careful: This medium can be tricky. The rules of writing for print or even traditional direct mail don’t apply to email marketing. Yes, they are similar to sales letters in that they are a personal, one-to-one correspondence.  But the context of the reader’s experience is a fundamentally different one. And this changes the rules in big and small ways.

To gain even more mileage out of your email efforts, it’s a wise move to invest in an email autoresponder. Think of it as cruise control — or better yet, a chauffeur willing to do the driving, so you can relax in the back and concentrate on closing more leads.

This is particularly true if you go with a program such as Norvax’s LeadMiner autoresponder. This drip marketing system nurtures leads at every stage of the game, and especially at crucial junctures. Whether it’s sending welcome emails that prepare prospects for your call or keeping up with old leads, the automated nature of this program ensures that you are always at the right place at the right time.

Most importantly, the exclusive advantage of the LeadMiner system is that it includes updated individual health insurance quotes in every email. That means prospects can immediately see the first thing they want to know — how much a given plan would run them.

And while automated, the emails are completely customizable. So, apply your newfound email marketing know-how to writing them — and then sit back and let a program like LeadMiner take care of deploying them. In this best-of-both-worlds scenario, you will find the road to closing more leads stretching wide open in front of you.

By embedding a self-service quote engine into your website, you immediately create a 1-stop destination for consumers shopping for health insurance. What’s most important to remember is that once a shopper sees pricing, they’re now evaluating, not shopping. That’s when your role as the knowledgeable and trusted agent takes over.

In addition to researching health insurance prices, your visitors can use the quote engine to automatically generate dozens of eligible plans. They can then compare plans side by side, to see how their benefits and prices stack up. (HINT: A good quote engine software will allow you to select which plans you want visitors to see, avoiding a display of hundreds of options that can easily frustrate prospects.)

And as soon as a visitor uses the quote engine, their information is recorded as your exclusive lead.

They can even take the next step of completing and submitting an application online. Many agents and brokers, in fact, have reported earning commissions through online applications — without ever talking to the client.

The truth is that even the best websites lose too many visitors. Yes, some of these visitors are surfers not really interested in health insurance. But a lot of them are serious and ready shoppers — who were turned away by your website.

Fortunately, there are 17 free or very inexpensive tools that can help you determine how your website is losing potential buyers…and help you transform your website into a true lead generation machine.

Automated Surveys

Online surveys let you go straight to the source to find out why some website visitors convert into prospects… and why some don’t.

By the way, if you do make improvements to your website based on a visitor’s response, announce it. Let all your potential customer know that you’re one of the few businesses that actually listens to customer feedback.

Internal Search Engines

One reason your website visitors may be “bouncing” away is that they can’t find what they’re looking for on your site — even though you do have it.

If that’s the case, you should insert an internal search engine to your website. Like the name suggests, an internal search engine only looks inside your website — not the entire world wide web.

These engines are easy to install. Best of all, many of them are free…like these:

• JRank – www.jrank.com
• Atomz – www.atomz.com
• SiteLevel – www.sitelevel.com
• Google – www.google.com/sitesearch

My personal favorite is Google. Unlike the other 3 free services, Google doesn’t include ads in your internal search results. In addition, Google will help you track the most popular search queries… so you can make changes to make it easier for visitors to find the most popular pages.

Usability Testing Tools

According to a Forrester Research study, more than half of all consumers who experience usability problems on a business website will leave the site…and never come back!

To make sure they’re not losing potential customers because of poor website design and coding, online businesses are turning to usability testing that can cost thousands of dollars.

But relax. You can test and improve your site’s usability with several free or cheap resources now available on the web.

I recommend you start by first going to www.usability.gov. This government publication explains what’s involved in website usability testing — and why it will help your business.

Start with a survey just for current clients. Find out what they liked about your website and what made them decide to take the next step. But don’t keep it all positive. You also need to ask them how you should improve your website to make it a better experience for visitors.

Your second survey should be for all future visitors to your website. Keep it simple and ask to-the-point questions about your website’s effectiveness. Did they find what they were looking for? And how can you make it better?

Most online survey providers charge a fee for their premium package, but these offer a free basic account:

• SurveyMonkey – www.surveymonkey.com
• eSurveysPro – www.esurveyspro.com
• Zoomerang – www.zoomerang.com
• Kampyle – www.kampyle.com

You may need to offer an incentive to get people to complete your survey. So think about raffling off a $100 gift card to respondents who complete the survey.

Next, I recommend using some sort of usability testing tool or service. Some will record visitor behavior while they’re on your site. Others will manually review your site for key usability metrics. I suggest trying out both types, if you can.

The following are either free or offer free trials:

• UserFly – www.userfly.com
• SilverBack –

www.silverbackapp.com

• UXbooth –

www.uxbooth.com

• UserTesting –

www.usertesting.com

Subscriptions – A 3rd Option

Many consumers just aren’t ready to commit, so converting them into a full client or solid prospect may be out of the question…for now.

You can still convert them into a long-term lead that may eventually become real clients. To do this, you need to give your website visitors a middle option between talking to an agent and leaving your website.

Many websites offer this middle option in the form of a subscription to a newsletter or blog.

This allows you to build trust while you stay connected to potential clients. It also lets you provide them with the information they need to eventually arrive at a buying decision.

Now, unless you have the time, talent or employee to write a newsletter, I recommend going with a blog. Blogs are easier to maintain. And when you use a feed distributor, such as FeedBurner (www.FeedBurner.com), your subscribers can receive your blog postings like an email newsletter!

To get started, check out the top 4 blog providers…all of whom are free:

• WordPress – www.wordpress.com
• Blogger – www.blogger.com
• TypePad – www.typepad.com
• LiveJournal – www.livejournal.com

You can usually get your blog up and running in under an hour. Afterwards, set up your FeedBurner account to effectively turn that blog into a mini-newsletter.

My personal preference is WordPress and Blogger. Both Blogger and FeedBurner are now owned by Google, so there’s more integration. But WordPress offers many more themes and extra plug-ins you can use to really boost your blog’s capabilities.

Website Analytics

How well do you understand your visitors? For example, do you know how long they stayed on your website?

Which pages did they visit? Where do they live? Do you know from which website they jumped from to come to yours?

The answer to these and other questions can help you better understand your visitors. And that understanding can help you create a website that will convert more of your visitors into actual leads.

For example, web analytics can tell you if the visitors who came through one of your pay-per-click (PPC) ads only stay an average of 1 second — before leaving your site and never returning. That tells you that you’re wasting money on that particular PPC ad.

The good news is that many of the tools you need to collect this data are free:

• Clicky – www.getclicky.com
• StatCounter – www.statcounter.com
• SiteMeter – www.sitemeter.com
• Google Analytics – www.google.com/analytics

Google Website Optimizer

Similar to usability testing, Google Website Optimizer helps you create the best website possible by letting you test varieties of specific pages.

For example, you can test 3 variations of your home page to see which one persuades a higher percentage of visitors to subscribe or ask for a quote. You can then use the winning page as your official home page.

Unlike usability testing, the Website Optimizer doesn’t rely on subjective reviews of your webpages. Instead, it runs real-world tests to see which pages produce the results you want. Google will send traffic to both of the test pages and track how visitors respond.

Yes, the difference may often be incremental; but every bit helps. For more information, check out
www.google.com/websiteoptimizer.

Non-Stop Improvements

Creating and maintaining a lead-generating website is not a one-time project. It takes a commitment to continual improvements…especially testing.

Keep coming up with better pages and testing them against the pages that you do have. Then go with the winner for the future…until you come up with a webpage that converts even more visitors into prospects — and genuine revenue.

In a recent survey of over 200 buyers of professional services, 69% of participants agreed that websites have “A Great Deal Of” or “Some” influence over their initial decision to contact and open discussions with the provider. And the steady increase of people who begin their insurance shopping by first going online is already well documented.

So don’t sleep on this critical business tool. Ask yourself if your site has the seven elements that are absolutely necessary for effective insurance sales:

1. Clear Navigation
Navigation is vital to a website’s success as it directly determines the user’s experience. Otherwise known as the button bar, it functions as the gateway into different content sections. Keep in mind that web users have a very short attention span. If they can’t find their way around your site, they will leave it for another.

Make sure that it’s easy to use and a prominent element of your design — make it stand out enough that it doesn’t get lost in a sea of content. The most common location for a button bar is across the top of the page, as users shouldn’t have to scroll down to navigate further into your site.

You also want to use obvious section names. The section names of a site, especially as labeled in the navigation, should clearly state what lies behind them. Obscure, general words like “resources” and “tools” should be avoided when possible, as they only lead to users clicking on multiple buttons before finding what they are looking for. Stick to obvious button names such as “news” and “podcasts” to avoid confusion.

2. Up-To-Date Content
An effective website must contain current content. If a visitor sees you’re not updating your site, they may wonder how current your carrier information and rates are.

Especially right now, as health reform is sweeping through federal, state and even some city legislatures, consumers want to know that you are on top of every change — now as well as what’s coming down the pipeline. You may even choose to add a blog, a mailing list or an RSS feed, but at a minimum, keep the information you already have on hand up to date.

3. Contact Us page
If a prospect has decided to contact you, it’s imperative that they be able to find out exactly how within seconds.

If it isn’t obvious, they may click elsewhere. Along with connecting you to consumers, a Contact Us page will also lend your business credibility.

Take it from a customer’s point of view. If a number and address aren’t listed, they will be frustrated that they can’t speak to “a real person” and they will inevitably wonder why. Even worse, they may start wondering if there’s something illegitimate going on? Quell those fears right off the bat with a Contact Us page.

Start by making sure you link to it on the navigation bar in addition to every page. Your Contact Us page should offer visitors a complete list of ways they can contact you, including e-mail addresses, toll-free numbers and a physical address — as well as instant messaging if you can be consistently available. When it comes to contacting you, consumers want options.

Most successful sites also include a large ‘Call us Toll Free at 1-800-555-555’ graphic in the top right corner of their home page and sub pages. It’s a great visual reminder that no matter where they are in the shopping process, you’re there to help them.

4. About Us page
A comprehensive About Us section is imperative to add credibility and personalization to your site. The page needs to be clear, informative and easy to find.

With a solid backbone behind your online presence, visitors will be more likely to reach out to you for a policy. Here are some questions to consider in writing your About Us page:

What is the history behind your business?

Reflect on the core roots of your business and how it all began. Not only how, but why it began. If you are just starting out, think about what made you decide to start this particular type of business. It may sound hokey, but this information will make visitors feel like they know you and understand your ethics better.

In an otherwise anonymous, computer-based experience, this adds an important personal touch.

What makes your service different from other brokers?

This can be an extremely easy question to answer… or an extremely hard one. Think on this one for awhile. Your answer can range from offering expert advice to glowing testimonials from satisfied clients. Think about including something surprising like “I save health insurance shoppers and average of $314 off their current plans.” Make sure, however, your stats can be backed up. A simple average of the last 60-90 days of policies sold should suffice, providing you keep track of this data.

You can also give some general information here that may boost you above the competition, such as listing expert counseling with certain populations such as seniors or diabetics.

How long has your company been in business?

If you have a physical office, include the length of time it’s been around. If a customer sees that your brick and mortar office has been around for several years — whether it’s a home office or in a high-rise — they’ll feel they are in good hands.

What other information is important to provide?

Consumers want a sense of who they are dealing with. Some other things to include in your About Us page can include:
• Your actual physical location
• Your principal staff, even if this is only you. Pictures are a great idea along with how to contact people directly.
• Business organizations to which you belong.
• Significant industry awards.
• Company value or mission statement.
• Customer support links.
• Testimonial links.
• Email and customer information policy links.

5. Privacy Policy
Protecting consumers’ personal information isn’t just a courtesy — it’s a legal obligation. A clear, comprehensive privacy policy can mean loyal customers and more business. Here are some important tips for writing and posting a privacy policy:
• Consider using a privacy policy generator to help you. Here is a good place to start: http://www.the-dma.org/privacy/privacypolicygenerator.shtml
• Keep it short.
• Write in layman’s terms. Avoid lawyer speak.
• Incorporate the privacy policy page with the rest of the site (i.e. same voice, same colors and same font style).
• Keep the privacy policy easy to access, such as with a link in the footer bar.

6. FAQ
Most websites have FAQs for their customers’ or visitors’ convenience, but how often do you click on the link and find that your questions aren’t answered at all?

Consider what potential customer might want or need, and provide it directly and succinctly. Don’t fall into the FAQ trap of creating an unhelpful and virtually useless list of questions. Here are some key tips to writing an effective FAQ from the customer’s point of view:
• Never answer the same question twice.
• Separate long FAQs.
• Link to other pages when they are pertinent to the question.
• Distinguish questions from answers.
• Don’t include frivolous questions, keep the list focused.
• Continually update your FAQ.
• Make it easy to use.

7. Call to Action
Having an effective call to action is an essential part of any website. It will provide a focus to your site, a way to measure your sites success, and direction to your users.

It’s true that some prospects will go ahead and complete an application on your website without needing to speak with anyone. But many do need to speak with someone. As a matter of fact, most do.

Make sure that every page in your website has a strong and clear call to action. Whether it’s to call you or use your online self-service quote engine, your call to action should be obvious.

You’re not alone. Many agents and brokers have run into this same problem. They set up a website and start an online marketing campaign that drives lots of visitors to their site — but have few or no clients to show for it.
If this sounds familiar, chances are your website is committing one (or more) of the seven most common mistakes agents make on their website. Unless you take the time to fix these seven common mistakes, your website will continue telling visitors they should go elsewhere.

1. No Sales Priorities
Agents who sell several different lines fall into this trap. They try to give equal space on their home page for all their products.

The problem is that your products aren’t all the same. Some products will always outsell the rest because they offer the best value or are just more popular.

It’s time you take a page out of the retail industry’s handbook. More than one hundred years of retailing experience has taught successful storeowners that they need to devote their prime retail space to their top-selling products.
That’s why you don’t usually see generic brands at the eye-level or end-of-aisle shelves that draw the most attention. That’s where retailers put their top-selling items or special offers.

Similarly, your website should have clear priorities. Your top-selling products should have top billing, especially on your homepage.
Here’s another trick used by retailers. They place complementary products next to their best sellers. Just as you’ll find chocolate syrup and whipped cream next to the ice cream freezers, you may also want to include complementary products next to your top-selling plans.

The problem is that your products aren’t all the same. Some products will always outsell the rest because they offer the best value or are just more popular.
It’s time you take a page out of the retail industry’s handbook. More than one hundred years of retailing experience has taught successful storeowners that they need to devote their prime retail space to their top-selling products.
That’s why you don’t usually see generic brands at the eye-level or end-of-aisle shelves that draw the most attention. That’s where retailers put their top-selling items or special offers.
Similarly, your website should have clear priorities. Your top-selling products should have top billing, especially on your homepage.
Here’s another trick used by retailers. They place complementary products next to their best sellers. Just as you’ll find chocolate syrup and whipped cream next to the ice cream freezers, you may also want to include complementary products next to your top-selling plans.

2. Dead Ends
By providing good, informative content, you’ll have a better chance of converting more website visitors into submitted applications — as well as ranking higher on search engines.
But all that good content will go to waste if your page is a dead end. Those dead-end pages are an invitation to your prospects to jump away to some other agent’s website.
A dead end is when a page doesn’t tell visitors what to do next. Yes, they may be able to figure it out. But why take a chance?
Every page should lead the prospect to another page…preferably a page that leads them to a buying decision. For example, take a look at most agents’ About Us pages. They talk about the agent or the agency, but that’s usually it.
What’s next for your visitors? They have to backtrack out of that dead-end page to find where to go next.
Make it easy for your prospects by always suggesting the next steps. Invite them to review additional information on specific programs or complete a quote request form — and become your lead.
3. No Trust Building
Most first-time, and even some repeat, visitors to your site know absolutely nothing about you.
If they’ve had any type of bad experience with an insurance provider or ecommerce site in the past, they probably also won’t trust you. Unless you deal with this trust issue, there’s a good chance you’ll lose a lot of business without ever knowing it.
Having the right elements on your website can help you build trust the moment a visitor sees your website. Here are five easy fixes you can put to use immediately:

To make sure you’re not losing any prospects, your website should always offer visitors multiple contact options:
• Email
• Local phone number
• Toll-free phone number
• Online form
• Office address
Some websites now also offer a chat option, allowing prospects to chat directly with a sales agent through the website.
5. Insufficient Call To Action
Always Be Closing. The ABCs of sales also apply to your website.
In many ways, your website is your virtual sales assistant. With the right design, features and content, your website can engage and guide your visitors. It can also convert them into genuine exclusive leads and submitted applications.
But first you have to ask for the sale!
Yes, some prospects will take the bull by the horn and complete an application on your website — without ever talking to you. But many want to be asked. Most of the rest need to be asked.
This is why every page in your website must have a strong, clear and obvious call to action. This call should invite the visitor to take the next step. Whether it’s to call you right away or use your online self-service quote engine, your call to action should be big and bright.
6. Links to More Information
Studies have shown that most Americans today will first use the Internet to research any major purchase.
But if you visit most agent websites, you’ll see that educational material is in very short supply…or, at least, very hard to find.
Yes, your website is a marketing tool. But many online shoppers first want to be educated before they spend their hard-earned cash. Invest the time in creating detailed and easy-to-read pages that will help prospects better understand what they need and want:

• Glossary. Create a glossary of insurance terms. You may know the difference between a co-pay and a deductible, but your prospect may not.
• FAQ. Build a page for Frequently Asked Questions with clear answers.
• Program recommendations. Consider common life situations and suggest plans that would best serve a prospect’s budget and needs.
• Insurance-buying process. Consumers buying individual insurance or shopping online for the first time may be unsure of what’s involved from the time they fill out an application to when they finally get an approval.
There’s an added bonus to providing good content. In addition to guiding prospects to a buying decision, it can also help you rank higher on search engines.
7. Typos and Grammatical Errors
Finally, take the time to spell-check and proofread your work before you post it online. Better yet, have a second, fresher set of eyes proofread your work as well.
Your writing will influence how people see you. A missing comma or period may not be so bad. But if your website visitors see a pattern of misspellings and grammatical errors, they may start to wonder how attentive you are to the details.
Many agents and brokers believe that typos and grammatical errors are small things. Yes, that may be true.
But all the tips provided here are small things. Taken together, they can have a huge impact on your website’s conversion rates — and your agency’s bottom line.