In the old days or very old days when Triest Agency was first founded by my great grandfather, Montague Triest, our business came from word of mouth. That was in 1903 and the office was on Broad Street in Charleston. Montague opened an insurance agency probably with a couple of nickels he put together and a sign on the door. I don't think he had a phone. Back in 1903 phones weren't common in Charleston. Most people and businesses that used Triest Agency for their insurance lived downtown in Charleston. That wasn't really downtown back then because it was the town.
Home insurance and business insurance wasn't the same as it is today back in 1903. The perils covered were named in the insurance policy and most people bought insurance for fire coverage. A fire back then could spread through a city block and destroy all the homes and businesses in its path in a just a few hours. Residents of Charleston didn't worry about insurance for a leak in the roof or if the dog bit someone. I think if we took a trip back in time and mentioned some of the common perils of our time in history, they wouldn't believe the changes. These days if a dog bites a neighbor that could be a claim in the tens of thousands.
Fast forward by 114 years and now we live in the age of Google and Facebook. Charleston is growing rapidly and in order for Triest Agency to grow, we need to attract new clients. But where? Do we sit around and wait for them to walk in the door like in 1903? Certainly not. Do we advertise in the Yellow Pages book like I did 20 years ago. Probably not. Back in the 1980's, Triest Agency would spend thousand each month advertising in the local phone book (Bellsouth) to attract new clients. If we don't promote our business then how will all of those new people moving to town know about us? Enter Google and Facebook. The new way to promote our insurance agency. Trying to place an ad in Google requires a Phd. Not really but it is extremely complicated. To advertise for home insurance there are no less than 170 "search phrases". What's a search phrase? This is the phrase someone types in the Google search box when they're looking for home insurance. Simple? Not really. 170 search phrases like "home insurance", "homeowners insurance", "insurance companies", "insurance company quotes", "home insurance quotes", "house insurance", "cheap home insurance", "independent home insurance agents", "household insurance quotes" or "property insurance". Who would think that there are so many variations of something that seems to me to be very simple and straightforward. As an advertiser I have to pay for each one of these that I'm interested in attracting a new client. No wonder Google is the world's largest company! I wish I had a money tree but I would never have enough money to be able to buy the top listing on Google for each search phrase in Charleston. Triest Agency is not just competing for business against other local insurance agencies that advertise on Google but also national companies that sell directly or advertise for their local agents using Google.
Keep reading but I'll spoil the fun by saying that I'm not giving up my tried and tested secrets about how Triest Agency advertises for new insurance clients using the internet. That's locked in my brain. I've spent countless hours over the past thirty years developing and refining advertising for Triest Agency. It is a constantly changing and evolving project. The way we advertise for new home insurance, business insurance, lawyers professional liability insurance and probate bond clients today will not be the same in ten years.
I do find it interesting that I've always seen an insurance agency who is the "agency du jour". That's the insurance agency that spends ten times what I would spend to advertise on the hot advertising ticket of the day. They usually burn out quickly. Flash in the pan. The ones of us who try to stay on top and keep tweaking our insurance advertising in a modest fashion are the survivors. I'm certainly not the only one. There are other professional independent insurance agencies in Charleston that follow a similar acumen.
Keep an eye out for our ads on Facebook or Google. And thank you for sending your friends to Triest Agency for their Charleston insurance. One thing has never changed - A good old fashion referral or word of mouth new client is always the most valuable acquisition.
Happy Googling.
Home insurance and business insurance wasn't the same as it is today back in 1903. The perils covered were named in the insurance policy and most people bought insurance for fire coverage. A fire back then could spread through a city block and destroy all the homes and businesses in its path in a just a few hours. Residents of Charleston didn't worry about insurance for a leak in the roof or if the dog bit someone. I think if we took a trip back in time and mentioned some of the common perils of our time in history, they wouldn't believe the changes. These days if a dog bites a neighbor that could be a claim in the tens of thousands.
Fast forward by 114 years and now we live in the age of Google and Facebook. Charleston is growing rapidly and in order for Triest Agency to grow, we need to attract new clients. But where? Do we sit around and wait for them to walk in the door like in 1903? Certainly not. Do we advertise in the Yellow Pages book like I did 20 years ago. Probably not. Back in the 1980's, Triest Agency would spend thousand each month advertising in the local phone book (Bellsouth) to attract new clients. If we don't promote our business then how will all of those new people moving to town know about us? Enter Google and Facebook. The new way to promote our insurance agency. Trying to place an ad in Google requires a Phd. Not really but it is extremely complicated. To advertise for home insurance there are no less than 170 "search phrases". What's a search phrase? This is the phrase someone types in the Google search box when they're looking for home insurance. Simple? Not really. 170 search phrases like "home insurance", "homeowners insurance", "insurance companies", "insurance company quotes", "home insurance quotes", "house insurance", "cheap home insurance", "independent home insurance agents", "household insurance quotes" or "property insurance". Who would think that there are so many variations of something that seems to me to be very simple and straightforward. As an advertiser I have to pay for each one of these that I'm interested in attracting a new client. No wonder Google is the world's largest company! I wish I had a money tree but I would never have enough money to be able to buy the top listing on Google for each search phrase in Charleston. Triest Agency is not just competing for business against other local insurance agencies that advertise on Google but also national companies that sell directly or advertise for their local agents using Google.
Keep reading but I'll spoil the fun by saying that I'm not giving up my tried and tested secrets about how Triest Agency advertises for new insurance clients using the internet. That's locked in my brain. I've spent countless hours over the past thirty years developing and refining advertising for Triest Agency. It is a constantly changing and evolving project. The way we advertise for new home insurance, business insurance, lawyers professional liability insurance and probate bond clients today will not be the same in ten years.
I do find it interesting that I've always seen an insurance agency who is the "agency du jour". That's the insurance agency that spends ten times what I would spend to advertise on the hot advertising ticket of the day. They usually burn out quickly. Flash in the pan. The ones of us who try to stay on top and keep tweaking our insurance advertising in a modest fashion are the survivors. I'm certainly not the only one. There are other professional independent insurance agencies in Charleston that follow a similar acumen.
Keep an eye out for our ads on Facebook or Google. And thank you for sending your friends to Triest Agency for their Charleston insurance. One thing has never changed - A good old fashion referral or word of mouth new client is always the most valuable acquisition.
Happy Googling.
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