Marketing for Brokers

Marketing in insurance isn’t about clever slogans. It’s about removing friction so more good cases get placed. If you’re a broker or BGA leader, you’re juggling carrier changes, long sales cycles, and advisors who need answers yesterday. This article lays out how to make marketing actually move the numbers that matter—appointments, submissions, placement ratios, and premium.

Why marketing is vital in insurance (and different from “general” B2B)

Insurance is invisible until the day it’s needed. That makes education and trust the core of our job. Unlike a typical B2B funnel:

• Risk is complex — Clients and advisors need help connecting strategies (buy-sell, key person, executive benefits, LTC, estate liquidity) to real outcomes.
• Cycles are long — From “curious” to “placed” can span weeks or months; marketing has to nurture, not just capture.
• Compliance matters — Archiving, disclosures, and carrier-approved materials aren’t “nice to have.” They’re table stakes.
• Multi-party sales — Carriers, BGAs, advisors, and clients all influence the result. Your marketing has to align all four.

What sets wholesale life insurance marketing apart

Wholesale life insurance is a B2B2C model. Your buyer is the advisor, but your content fuels their client conversations. That means:

• Advisor enablement beats lead gen. Advisors already have relationships. Equip them with plug-and-play content and they’ll open doors.
• Case design sells. Tools, one-pagers, and calculators that translate design into value (not just product features) outperform generic brochures.
• Speed wins. Pre-underwriting checklists, impaired-risk guides, and “what to send us first” templates shorten time to quote—and time kills deals.
• Neutrality is the value. The wholesaler advantage is comparative thinking across carriers. Your messaging should explain tradeoffs clearly and fairly.

Real-world concerns brokers face (and how marketing solves them)

1) “Our advisors are busy. They don’t market.”
Fix: Give them done-for-you kits—3 social posts, one client-facing explainer, a 60-second script, and a “send this email” template. Make it co-brandable.

2) “Leads are thin; referrals are everything.”
Fix: Position your firm as a practice-growth partner. Host short, high-value webinars (“15-Minute Case Clinics”), offer policy review campaigns, and publish “words that work” scripts for prospecting.

3) “Compliance slows us down.”
Fix: Build a content approval lane with SLAs, standard disclaimers, and an archive routine. Create a reusable message library so 80% of new content is pre-cleared language.

4) “Attribution is murky.”
Fix: Track the journey advisors actually take. Use UTMs on every asset, tag campaigns by concept (e.g., Buy-Sell, LIRP, RILA, LTC Hybrid), and report on downstream metrics: quotes requested, apps submitted, placed premium.

5) “Carrier materials are dense.”
Fix: Create concept-first sell sheets—start with the client problem, show the advisor conversation, then slot products as options. Add a “When this concept fits” box and a 30-second explainer.

6) “Events are a lift.”
Fix: Standardize a roadshow in a box: invitation copy, slide deck, CE outline (if applicable), follow-up sequence, and a calendar of quarterly topics. Keep sessions 30 minutes, max.

The broker marketing playbook (use and adapt)

1) Define your advisor ICPs
Segment by channel (RIA, P&C, Employee Benefits, Independent FA, Bank/BD) and by readiness (newly appointed vs. top producer). Tailor content depth to each.

2) Lock your message pillars

• Protection planning (term, perm, advanced needs)
• Business planning (buy-sell, key person, executive bonus, split dollar)
• Retirement strategies (income planning, annuities, RILAs)
• LTC planning (standalone and combo)
• Practice growth (referrals, review campaigns, scripting)

3) Build a reusable message library
Short paragraphs, compliance-friendly, written for advisors and clients. Include elevator pitches, objection handles, and email subject lines.

4) Create advisor toolkits per concept
Each kit = 1-page client explainer, advisor script, case checklist, two client emails, three social posts, and a 10-slide deck. Offer quick co-branding.

5) Stand up a 90-day nurture
Four streams: New Appointments, Dormant Advisors, Active but Stalled, and Top-20 Producers. Send one value-dense touch per week with a single clear CTA.

6) Make “office hours” a habit
Weekly 20-minute live Q&A with a case designer or underwriter. Record it. Send the clip with timestamps. This builds loyalty and pipeline velocity.

7) Publish short wins
Case snapshots (anonymous), underwriting tips, and “what worked” scripts. Real outcomes beat white papers every time.

8) Optimize your path to quote
Put a “Request a Case Design” button everywhere advisors interact with you. Auto-email the intake checklist and a 24-hour follow-up.

9) Measure like an operator
Report these four levels monthly:

• Engagement: webinar attendance, kit downloads, office-hours questions
• Activation: new appointments, first quote requests
• Throughput: time to quote, cases moving stages, touchpoints per case
• Outcome: submitted apps, placement ratio, placed premium, concept mix

10) Keep a quarterly theme
Example: Q1 Buy-Sell, Q2 LTC, Q3 Executive Benefits, Q4 Retirement Income. Align webinars, emails, social, and producer contests to the theme.

Quick wins you can ship this month

• “Review Season” email advisors can send to their book (subject: “Have things changed since we last talked?”).
• 15-minute webinar: “3 ways to fund a buy-sell without cash-flow stress.”
• Underwriting starter pack: cover letter template, field-underwriting cheat sheet, HIPAA form how-to.
• Top-20 producer care plan: quarterly co-branded campaign, shared calendar link for case-jam sessions.
• Weekly 3 roundup: one success snapshot, one script, one resource—sent every Friday.

Pitfalls to avoid

• Product-first messaging; lead with the client problem and concept.
• Jargon-heavy content; your explainer should pass the “spouse test.”
• One-and-done blasts; long cycles demand consistent, compounding touches.
• No archival discipline; if it’s not archived, it didn’t happen (in compliance terms).
• Vanity metrics; opens don’t place cases—quotes and placements do.

A simple 90-day rollout

Weeks 1–2: Audit assets, map your advisor segments, and finalize message pillars.
Weeks 3–4: Build two concept kits and the 90-day nurture; set up UTMs and dashboards.
Weeks 5–8: Launch your first webinar + office hours; start the producer care plan.
Weeks 9–12: Co-brand a campaign with five priority advisors; publish three case snapshots; review metrics and refine.

Bottom line

Marketing for brokers isn’t about being loud. It’s about being useful, fast, and repeatable—so advisors trust you with more conversations, more often. When you enable advisors to educate clients with confidence, placement follows.

Need help getting this off the ground?
At Shaw American, we co-create co-branded kits, run advisor webinars, and tighten your path to quote. If you want the templates mentioned here—or a 30-minute plan review—reach out to our team and we’ll share the playbooks.

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