Hey everybody, welcome back to the All Aboard newsletter.

February has been busyyyy. C8 wrapped up earlier this month, which was a labor of love and a lot of fun. Now I'm writing this from the New Media Summit, a conference for newsletter operators, picking up new ways to bring more value to you guys. Meanwhile the agency is chugging away!

I want to start today with a question: Do you have your own agency website?

Not your carrier's page. Not a landing page they gave you. Your own website, with your branding, your content, your data.

If the answer is no, or "I think so, but I'm not sure," this issue is for you. And if you're a captive agent, this one is especially worth your time. Indy agents, you might not have this exact problem we’ll discuss, but if your website is basic or out of date, there's still plenty here for you.

Let's dive in!

If the embedded link doesn’t work, you can access the video here: Click Me (LINK)

For the best experience and most information, I highly suggest you click the video!

I was talking to an agent a few months back. Good guy, been in the business for a few years, spending big money every month on direct mail and internet leads.

He was lamenting about the drop in response he’d been seeing on mail, and we got to talking about how he tracks the responses from people who don’t call.

I asked him one question: where does someone land when they Google your agency name?

His answer? His carrier page. 💀

I asked him what happens when someone clicks "get a quote" on that page.

And in that moment it clicked. He was spending money to send leads to someone else.

Thats one of the main problems we’re trying to solve with this issue (but not the only thing!)

Here's what's happening right now for a lot of captive agents.

You're spending money on internet leads, caller ID branding, direct mail, community outreach. A consumer sees your name, goes to Google, finds you, and clicks your website.

Except it's not your website. It's the carrier's page they made for you.

And when they click "get a quote" on that carrier page, that lead goes to the call center, not to you. I know this is the case at Big Blue. I've talked to Farmers agents and they said the same thing. I can't speak to State Farm, but I hope its not happening to you too ✊🏻.

So you're spending all this money to build awareness, to get people to trust you by name, and then you're handing them off to the company's call center. No bueno!

You're Building Their Brand, Not Yours

Every dollar you spend on marketing that drives someone to a carrier page is building their brand equity, not yours.

I'm in this business to fund the growth of my own LLC, my own agency, my own equity. Not the company's.

And here's the part people miss: if you ever leave your carrier, or your carrier leaves you, you still own your website. You own your brand, your traffic, your data. That is an asset. It has real value. It can be sold as part of your business.

The carrier website gives you none of that.

But you might ask what is brand equity?!?!

Here's the best way I've ever heard brand equity explained.

Charmin and Kirkland (Costco's store brand) are made by the same manufacturer, Kimberly-Clark. When Costco partnered with them, they said: we something more premium than Charmin that we’re going to sell cheaper than Charmin. And they did. Kirkland toilet paper is better and cheaper than Charmin.

Yet Charmin outsells it three to one.

An inferior, more expensive product outselling the better cheaper one three to one.

THAT is what brand equity is.

It is trust built up over time that no price or product comparison can easily undo.

That's what a real website, consistent branding, and a genuine online presence can help you build for your agency.

This week’s edition of All Aboard is brought to you by:

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When you own your website, you own all the data that lives on it. And there's more there than most agents realize. Did you know you can actually de-anonymize the traffic in some cases?!

At a minimum, here is what you should have installed on the back end of your site to capture data:

You might be thinking "I'm not running Facebook ads right now." Doesn't matter. Install the pixel anyway. When you start running ads later, you'll have a warm audience already built.

At Peachy Insurance, we run an ad that automatically retargets anyone who's visited our website. They came to the site, didn't call, didn't buy, and then they see our ad when they're on Facebook later. You can run a cheap awareness ad to get people to the site, then hit them with a focused "get a quote" ad.

None of this is possible on a carrier website.

The marketing funnel has four stages: awareness, interest, decision, action.

Awareness is getting your name out there. Direct mail, caller ID branding, social posts, community sponsorships. That's all awareness work. Interest is what happens when someone lands on your website and starts to learn about you, read your reviews, watch a video, see your team. Decision and action come after that.

Most agents want to jump straight to action. "I just want someone to call me and get a quote." Makes sense. But most people don't buy that way. They need to know you exist before they can decide to trust you. And they need to trust you before they buy from you.

Your website is where awareness turns into interest. It's where you show social proof, tell your story, and give people a reason to pick you over the agent down the street. And when they land on your site and don't convert right away, that's where retargeting comes in….which only works if you own AND control the site.

There's no one right answer. Here are 3 options:

One important note before you do anything: check with your carrier on compliance and brand guidelines.

If you're securities licensed, you may not be able to put life or financial content on your site. And go buy your domain today before someone else does. If the name you want isn't available on GoDaddy or Namecheap, that's worth knowing ASAP.

again, if you need an intro to somebody, I'm happy to help, or you can find a ton of amazing professionals on Fiverr and Upwork.

In Closing

If you’re not convinced by now, let me know what’s holding you back. I’m always open to a debate!

If you are convinced but don't know where to start, here are a few actions you can take immediately:

1.) Buy your domain today — Go to GoDaddy or Namecheap, search your agency name, and buy it if it's available. It's usually under $15 a year. If it's taken, that's information worth having sooner rather than later.

2.) Install the Facebook Pixel this week — Go to Meta Business Suite (business.facebook.com), create a pixel under the Events Manager tab, copy the code it gives you, and paste it into the header section of your website. Not technical? Copy this paragraph and forward it to whoever manages your website with the subject line "Can you do this today?" It takes about 10 minutes.

3.) Write one location page for your best market — Pick the city or neighborhood where you want more business and create a new page on your website with the title "Auto Insurance in [City], [State]." Write 300 words about why locals should work with you, add your phone number and a contact form, and publish it. SEO takes 6-plus months to build, so the sooner you start the better.

As always thank you for reading, and if you need me, you know where to find me! Just shoot me a reply!

Cheers!

Three ways I can help you:

1.) If you need leads, calls, spam remediation, or data analytics - We’d love the opportunity to show how Next Call Club can help you grow faster and more profitably than before. We’re ready for the TCPA changes and can help you be ready too!

2.) Looking to scale in 2026? Maybe you’re shifting your strategic direction. Want a person you can work through plans with? Lets talk about 1:1 Consulting for you and your agency!

3.) Want to sponsor this newsletter? Lets talk about whether you’re a fit to reach 1,000+ agency owners every week!

As always - Thank you for the support! I’m looking forward to bringing you insights, ideas, and actionable strategies multiple times per month! If you enjoyed this newsletter or it gave you value, please consider sharing it with a friend!