The insurance and financial services industry is highly competitive, with more than 500,000 independent representatives in the U.S., alone. Combined with the challenges in the current economic climate, the pressures are greater than ever to reach customers, provide personal attention and to find new ways of saving money for clients.

Yukon Insurance Agency, engaged the Small Business Practice within BraveMatters to provide expert evaluation about their current marketing efforts and to develop a cost-effective limited-engagement to better protect and expand Yukon Insurance Agency’s customer base.

BraveMatters developed a strategic program and leveraged its mobile messaging and social media platform address specific challenges in the sales cycle where customers miss paying their premiums, and in some cases, lose their coverage. BraveMatters also identified that by modifying behavior around paying premiums, customers purchased more frequently on an annual basis and fewer customers were lost. The results make significant difference in cashflow and annual profitability,  not to mention overall customer satisfaction.

Yukon Insurance Agency sends monthly payment reminders, birthday messages and other relevant messages via SMS and BraveMatters mobile broadcast platform. Yukon Insurance Agency utilizes the self-service application to easily manage communications with internal resources.

Henry’s clients are receiving, and reading their messages and Yukon Insurance reaps the benefits. “The results have been amazing” said Henry.  “My clients appreciate the reminders and they are paying their premiums on time.  I have also begun cross selling more products through mobile voting campaigns.”

McMahon comes to BraveMatters as a former professional snowboarder, Mountain Dew social media marketer and graduate of Colorado State University. Most recently he served as a licensed financial representative with Northwestern Mutual, based in Denver, CO. He currently lives in Norman with wife Autumn.

BraveMatters drives new revenues and improves customer loyalty through a strategic platform of measurable marketing programs, insights and innovation. The organization’s mission is to help each client build an effective and systematic market approach that returns consistent profits to shareholders and creates long-term value for customers, employees and their families. BraveMatters was founded in 2008 and is based in Norman, OK with additional operations in Austin, TX. For additional information, please visit www.bravematters.com.

Korey McMahon | Linkedin | Twitter

Rue Dwyer, Owner of Citywide Garage Sale, opted for Merge Messenger’s unlimited mobile SMS broadcast platform and BraveMatters consultation to reach Citywide’s fans and to keep them informed about show dates and digital coupons. According to Dwyer, “It’s a great service to offer our loyal fans. Everyone carries their mobile phone with them now. We know nearly every person who opted-in to our list will receive, and actually read, the text message. For them, it’s a courtesy notification. For us, it’s a numbers game. The more people we have on our text message list, the more people get reminded, the more business our vendors win, the more business we generate at the door. Everybody’s happy. It’s a no-brainer.”

Mobile advertising and the Merge Messenger platform offer community organizations, the ability to create a greater level of engagement and an immediate, anywhere-connection, from the convenience of a mobile phone. The platform will provide the Norman Chamber additional opportunities to monetize this new advertising platform through sponsorships.

BraveMatters developed a custom mobile marketing program, tailored to the unique needs of the local Chamber of Commerce and its members and will provide consultation on the configuration of mobile campaigns and methods of seamlessly integrating the technology into the overall communications program.

• Instantly text specific property listing info upon request – 24/7.
• Setup custom automated text responses (for each mobile keyword) – Number of beds/baths, agent’s number and website, listing price – Additional listings based upon price, neighborhood, and category searches – Auction date, time, and location of foreclosures.
• Effortlessly generate a mobile database of home buyers to contact in the future with new property listings Quickly launch mass text messaging campaigns right from your own cell phone with one text message, or of course using our web-based software.
• Steamline the lead generation process allowing you to spend less time and money attracting customers, while at the same time attracting more customers than ever before.
• Schedule text message alerts/reminders to go out at specific dates and times.
• Save money on printing costs and classified ads.

SMS alerts and mobile advertising provides a direct, digital-link to 90% of your customers.

Stay top-of-mind with reminders and special offers during the busiest times of the year, and the slowest.

If you own or operate a business that schedules appointments with customers, then you know how important it is to maximize all of your available capacity. Every forgotten appointment and available opening hurts profitability.

Our Merge Messenger, mobile appointment application provides the ability to schedule reminders, when the appointments are booked or to reach out to VIP customers or even your entire list to offer special rates to come in TODAY and fill empty slots.

Your subscribers have given their permission to contact them via a text / SMS message so you are directly connected with the one device they have at all times, their mobile phones. 95% of your subscribers will read your message within just a few minutes of the broadcast.

• Hair Salons
• Day Spas
• Veterinary Clinics
• Dentists & Dr. Offices

Businesses are rapidly moving away from traditional advertising media and  direct-mail programs and investing in the convenience of mobile advertising and mobile coupons. SMS coupons utilize standard technologies that are supported by virtually every mobile device and subscribers typically read their text messages within 4 minutes.

No-Spam, Permission Based Advertising

Customers want to hear from the brands that they trust and value. Companies are using mobile marketing strategies to reach new customers and serve them in new ways. By providing content that is specifically targeted to customers whom have given their permission to contact them, businesses are tapping into a direct, relevant, digital connection that sets them apart from the competition.

Convenience for Customers and Business:

No need to carry around paper coupons or use special technologies. Mobile coupons can be accessed from the convenience of any text or SMS enabled device and redeemed simply by showing the text message to the store attendant. This level of reach accounts for nearly every mobile phone and mobile user. SMS messages can include authentication codes and expiration dates, just like paper coupons.

Environmental Responsibility

SMS advertising reduces the use of paper and the associated costs of processing and mailing, thus reducing a company’s overall carbon footprint.

Highly Measurable

Mobile marketing programs are highly measurable. With the right processes and plan in place, it is relatively easy to measure subscribers and redemption. By using a different keyword for every different type of media, you can effectively measure the effectiveness of each media channel to attract new subscribers, not to mention the power of reinforcing your mobile program across multiple communication channels.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Process frees talent and energy in your organization to take action within a given set of guidelines and provides reasonable contingencies for exceptions to the rule. A process provides a roadmap for clear and consistent interactions with your customer at every stage of the relationship. Your brand is dependent on clarity and consistency. The value of your business is then dependent on its ability to continue to drive profit in the future. Without process, you’ve bought yourself a job.

One of the fundamental problems is that, with surprising frequency, companies rarely understand the winning formula of their own success when times are good and buyers are abundant. If you have a record quarter. Stop and uncover what’s working, so that you can continue to invest in the right areas and build a recession-proof business.

1. Stop spending and start making investments: Have a clear understanding of the requirements to make your marketing investment practical and necessary. What’s the value of acquiring a new customer or the profit on selling another unit? Prioritize the strategies that drive not only the best, but most sustainable results.
2. Pick the right customers: Align your offering to industries that demonstrate improving trends and best understand your value. Utilize an end-to-end marketing process that nurtures prospects and creates an ongoing dialogue long after the sale. These interactions will shorten your sales funnel, lower your cost of sales, and protect your margins.
3. Be a broker of solutions and opportunities: Ask your customers about their challenges, even if it involves solutions that your company doesn’t provide. Find out where they are struggling and use your network to connect people that have needs and those that can solve problems. Your stock will skyrocket.
4. Good, satisfied customers are great marketers: Don’t assume that all of your customers are happy, they aren’t. Make sure you regularly take their pulse. Use negative feedback as an opportunity to fix a relationship that might be headed for the competition. Ask satisfied customers for referrals and give them a way to promote you. Profile your customers in your newsletter, your website and your social media interactions. Create a portfolio of customer stories and promote them on your website.