What’s the value of a handwritten card?

How do you feel when you receive a card in the mail from a friend? Whether it’s for your birthday, a holiday or another special occasion, you probably feel pretty good when someone takes the time to write a card just for you.

Your insurance clients feel the same when you send a handwritten note in the mail. But writing and sending these cards takes a lot of time—time you don’t have to spare as an insurance agent.

At ClientCircle, we can send beautiful handwritten cards to your clients for any occasion throughout the year. This can save you and your team hundreds of hours each year, so you can focus on doing what you do best: selling insurance and taking care of your customers.

Still not convinced you should send cards to your clients? We compared how retention rates, reviews and referrals stack up for agencies that send handwritten cards to their customers throughout the year vs. those that don’t. Here’s what we found:

Welcoming new clients during onboarding

More than 80% of the insurance agencies we work with send handwritten cards to welcome new customers to their agency. If you aren’t sending cards, it’s very likely that your competitors are.

When you send handwritten onboarding cards, you’ll create a positive experience for new policyholders they can share with others at a time when they’re likely to talk about your insurance agency. In fact, clients who receive two handwritten cards within the first 60 days of being a new client are twice as likely to refer friends and family to their insurance agent.

Wishing customers a happy birthday

Many businesses send birthday emails and flood consumers’ inboxes on their special day. Everyone loves a free birthday latte, but insurance is different than selling coffee—you can’t offer your customers a free month of home insurance just because it’s their birthday. However, you can send warm, handwritten cards for your clients’ birthdays to show them you remembered their big day and wanted to make them feel special.

Clients who receive handwritten birthday cards from their insurance agent are 7.5 times more likely to leave a Google review. And when they leave a review for your insurance agency, they’ll have a memorable birthday experience they can write about in their review instead of leaving a star rating only.

Thanking your referral sources

Have you ever gone out of your way to mow your neighbor’s lawn or shovel the snow off their driveway? If so, you were probably hoping your neighbor would notice and maybe even thank you. It’s not that you want or need anything in return, it’s just that we all want to be acknowledged and appreciated. The same is true for your referral sources.

Your customers don’t have to recommend your insurance agency to people they know, but when they do, they will feel extra special if you notice and thank them. The best way to thank your referral sources is by sending a thank you card in the mail. In fact, agencies that send thank you cards have an average of 12.9% more customers who are likely to recommend their agency than those that don’t.

Sending holiday greetings

The holidays are a special time when many people, including your clients, are spending extra time with friends and family. This is a great opportunity for you to do something special for your clients that they can share with their loved ones.

Send your customers a beautiful card with a handwritten message wishing them and their families a joyous holiday season. Your customers will be bombarded with holiday emails and promotions, so sending a handwritten card will make you stand out in the best way.

Many people review their household or business budgets at the start of the year, which makes this an important moment to reinforce your value. A handwritten holiday card shows clients that your agency cares about them on a personal level before cost cutting decisions begin. That small gesture can be enough to keep clients from shopping their insurance, and even modest improvements in retention can translate into tens of thousands of dollars in protected annual commission revenue for a typical agency.

Remembering your loyal customers

You likely have many loyal customers who would be willing to recommend your agency to others but have never thought to do so. However, abruptly asking these clients to start making referrals is the wrong approach and may have the opposite effect.

Instead, send them a card to simply thank them for being a wonderful customer over the years and remind them you’re there for their friends and family as well. This tactful approach makes your long-standing policyholders feel special and could be the push they need to start recommending your agency.

Even if your clients don’t know someone who needs insurance right now, this special “just because” card is something they can mention in a review or testimonial. Clients who receive a loyalty card from their insurance agent are 2.7 times more likely to write a testimonial that can be shared on your agency’s website or social media accounts.