The Ultimate Insurance Agent Resource List

Insurance Marketing Tools & Resources
Last Updated on September 14, 2023

Over the past 10+ years since launching Insurance Leads Guide, we have regularly received emails from agents asking for recommendations for just about everything from lead management and marketing tools to website platforms and FMOs.

I have personally done my best to help out where I can and often ask trusted colleagues when I don’t have an answer based on firsthand experience. I thought it would be a nice option to aggregate these tools and services into one central list as a reference.

Short on time? No sweat! Get access to the full source spreadsheet version of this list.
Click here for the Ultimate Insurance Agent Resource spreadsheet.

This list will be regularly updated so please bookmark and check back for updates. If you see a great resource that is missing be sure to let us know here.

Lead & Data Providers

Insurance Lead Companies

Our list of fresh and real-time lead companies. You can also see individual provider reviews through the links on the right side of this page.

Prospecting & Marketing Lists

Often confused with leads, list services offer targeted contact lists for direct mail, telemarketing, door knocking, email prospecting, and digital marketing. The difference between leads and lists is that a person on a prospecting list is simply aggregated data. The contacts did not submit their info with the intent to buy or get more information for an insurance or financial product.

Aged Leads

Exclusive Leads

Telemarketing Leads

Coming Soon

Insurance Software & Sales Resources

CRM & Lead Management Systems

Below are a few of the top CRM and LMS providers in the industry. Many are seeking to become a one-stop solution so they might incorporate other services listed in the categories below. The right solution for each agency is becoming a bit more complicated every day. The options vary depending on being independent or captive, by product line, and by state. Your ideal solution will also vary based on your desire to cherry-pick services or go with an all-in-one provider. We suggest putting in some serious research time before choosing because it can be very painful to switch once integrated.

Quoting Software and Comparative Raters

Here are some of the top quote and rating solutions. Many are line specific which could mean multiple solutions for multi-line brokers.

Dialers

Dialers took a major shift with the introduction of DNC laws. Dialers today can help with lead response and productivity. Many of the top providers will integrate with your CRM/LMS.

eSignature Solutions

Website Solutions & Resources

Website Builders & CMS Platforms

For those that want to build their own website, we have a list of the top CMS (content management system) platforms and website builders avaiable. Open source CMS platforms, specifically WordPress, have traditionally been the starting block for non-developers who want to build a website. In recent years, easy to use “drag and drop” DIY site builder software services have become extremely popular. Site builders allow anyone, regardless of skill level, to build a nice looking website in minimal time. Website builder services do have a monthly fee, but they include web hosting which is a separate expense (and learning curve) required when using a free CMS platform.

WordPress Themes & Page Builders

WordPress is a free CMS platform that is used by over 25% of websites on the Internet. Because of its popularity, there are countless WordPress plugins, themes and resources available to build just about any type of website one can imagine if you are willing to put in some time and effort. Below are some of the best places to find a theme as well as page builder plugins that can simulate the drag and drop design of popular site builders on the WordPress platform.

WordPress Themes

WordPress Page Builder Plugins

Web Hosting

With site speed becoming a search engine ranking signal (fast) hosting is now even more mission critical to online lead generation. I have personally worked with all of these services. This site is currently hosted by Cloudways, which has been excellent.

Insurance Agency Website Design & Development Services (DFY)

Don’t want to mess with creating or editing a website in-house? Here are a few insurance industry specific website design and development services to consider.

Content Distribution Networks (CDNs)

CDNs are another layer of hosting that can make your website faster (big SEO factor) and more reliable by serving files across a distributed network of servers. Files are served to visitors from the closest server location, which makes the site load faster for visitors and puts less stress on your primary web host. CDNs can also help with website security by blocking malicious web activity. Implementing a CDN service can seem daunting, but the process has gotten a lot easier to implement and user-friendly over the past few years. ILG uses Cloudflare which I have found to be the most user-friendly solution. I’ve worked with all of the options below. If you need some help hit me up in the comments through the contact page.

Domain Names

Below are a few domain registrars and aftermarket domain marketplaces to find a good name for your website.

Domain Registrars

Domain Aftermarkets

Website Chat Tools

Adding a live chat tool to your website can net an immediate boost in leads and conversion rates. We have evolved into a society of seamless communication and instant gratification. Live chat knocks down the objection of having to wait for someone to call back and allows producers the opportunity to communicate with prospects when they are most engaged.

Website Conversion & Landing Page Tools

These tools add proven engagement and call to action elements. They are easy to implement and can instantly optimize lead conversion. They are all paid tools, but I’ve found that they easily pay for themselves with the increase in lead generation.

Quote and Web Form Builders

Want to roll your own custom quote or contact form? These tools can help you get the job done. Mix in automation tools like Zapier and Integromat and you can connect most of the solutions below directly into your CRM, LMS, Dialer or Quote Engine.

SEO, Content & Market Research Tools

These are some of the most popular SEO, competitor analysis, content marketing and keyword research tools.

  • SEMRush – Best all around SEO and research tool for the money.  Check your agency domain in the box below for an overview audit of your website.  The regular plan is paid, but new users can get a 7 day full access trial for Free.

  • SERanking
  • AHREFS
  • Moz Link Explorer
  • AnswerThePublic

Logo Creation

Below are some good resources for creating your own logo or having one custom made.

  • Looka (Formerly LogoJoy) – Create a custom logo with the help of powerful AI assistance
  • 99 Designs
  • Design Crowd
  • See Freelance Marketplaces Below

Freelance Resources & Marketplaces

These resources are where you can find just about anything you need including contractors talented in video, programming, web design, graphics, web copy, telemarketing and more. The first 3 are project based bidding platforms. Fiverr is a marketplace for small gigs that cost as little as $5 each.

Lead Generation, Marketing & Prospecting Resources

Door Knocking Apps

If selling door to door is part of your sales mix, stay organized and map out your game plan with a professional door knocking sales app.

Email Outreach

Use these tools to scale and automate personalized cold email outreach.

Prospecting Data Tools

If you are missing key contact details for an email (or phone) pitch or need a really specific list of contacts, the following tools can help.

Advertising Platforms

These are the top options for online business advertising. Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising (Bing+Yahoo search) will be the most effective because of the high user intent of search but they will also cost more per lead. Social platforms are great for generating initial interest and retargeting visitors who have already shown interest in your services.

Social & Advertising Graphic Creation

When it comes to advertising on social media platforms, the images you use are just as important as the ad copy. These tools and services help you get it right the first time.

Video Production Tools

Coming Soon

Social Media Tools

A great social media strategy requires a balance of manual and scheduled posting. These tools help to organize and automate some of chaos that is social media marketing.

  • HootSuite – Social media discovery and scheduling across all platforms
  • Buffer – Best social media scheduler for Twitter
  • MissingLettr – Create drip social media campaigns
  • Refind – Best discovery tool for targeted curation of great content to share
  • Meet Edgar
  • SEMRush – Social Media Analytics + Term Tracking + Scheduled Posting

Email Marketing & Newsletter Services

Email is integrated into several of the CRM and LMS solutions which can be a good or not-so-good thing depending on the implementation. Keep in mind that an email only service is likely to have a higher delivery rate than a software integrated feature.

Email marketing and automation can be a lead generation and sales boon if used properly. These tools can be used for email newsletters, autoresponder sequences, sales funnels, and automated lead follow-up. Many options below also offer free full-featured starter plans up to 1000 subscribers.

Sales & Web Automation Tools

Sales automation has become a key component of the lead machine for top producers. Some of the top agency and lead management software suites have automation fully baked in. Of course, these high-tech features can come at a high price. The good news is that there is a growing number of middle-ware services that provide platforms to connect and automate just about any online service without a computer science degree. The following tools are a must-use if you want to automate actions between different tools and online services.

Direct Mail

Below are a few of our most recommended providers for direct mail. There are a variety of different services in this category and a few more to come.

Local Directory Marketing

These are services focused on local search marketing. Google Business Profile is the first priority. Be sure to complete every field possible. Yext is where I go next for an instant impact building an online profile and citations; critical components for strong local search rankings. If you are captive, you might already have a Yext profile managed through your carrier.

Letterhead & Business Cards

Here are a few services for stationary and business cards. If you want something super impressive (a la American Psycho) you’ll want to opt for letter press. Fair warning though, it is expensive.

Insurance Operations & Organizations

Agency Management

Insurance agency management software offers an all-in-one solution to running a modern insurance agency or brokerage. Each software solution below has its own unique set of options and solutions. Some are product line specific while others offer a generic platform that can be customized. If you are already using a separate CRM, lead management software, quote engine, dialer or email marketing software you will want to consider all integration and migration options before making a decision. I also recommend looking for a provider that can grow with your company and accommodate any additional product lines you would like to add.

Email & Business Suites

Hosted email solutions have come a long way in recent years. I’ve personally tested and configured just about every major option on the market today. It wasn’t that long ago that I was convinced the best option was a custom email server. Today, a custom server is almost out of the question due to cost, reliability, and regulatory concerns.

I am a customer of each of the solutions below and really like each one for different reasons. If I could only use one service to run my business I would choose Google Workspace (Formerly G Suite) due to the MANY integrations, the suite of services, reliability, and low price point ($6/mo per user).

Important Note About Using a Free Gmail Email Account

While Google Workspace might look exactly like the free Gmail alternative, It is very important to note that a standard Gmail account is absolutely not a viable option for business email (or political email 😛 ) due to the highly invasive terms of service. Google Workspace offers enterprise-level privacy, terms of service, and security. With a free Gmail account, you are giving Google access to use and publicly share anything that is transmitted to or from your account.
Gmail Terms and Privacy
Using a free Gmail account for client communications is a lawsuit waiting to happen. If you want to work with Google email and apps, do yourself a favor and use Google Workspace instead.

  • Google Workspace (Formely G Suite) – Full suite of Google email and business software with your domain name, enterprise grade TOS, configuration options, email client flexibility (including Outlook) and more storage for $6-12/mo per user.

    Note: I’ve been using Google’s business grade email since it was in beta and regularly get access to one-time use referral codes good for 10% off the full business suite for the first year of service. Feel free to email me if interested and I’ll share one if I have any available at the time.

  • Microsoft Office 365 – Microsoft continues to improve on their cloud based email and Office software solution. I like it as much as Google Workspace, but it doesn’t have quite as many integration or 3rd party applications that I rely on. If you love Outlook and Office, it is an excellent option.
  • Fastmail – Fastmail is a highly reliable, low cost hosted email service with a focus on enterprise grade security and privacy.

Licensing & Continuing Education

Below are some of the more popular sources for licensing and online CE classes.

E&O Insurance

Having good errors and omissions coverage is a must. Below are a few direct sources and agent organizations that offer E&O policies. If you work with an FMO or belong to an independent agent organization you should check to see if they offer E&O insurance as well.

Field Marketing Organizations & Appointments

It would be difficult to make the topic of insurance marketing organizations and contract appointments more confusing. Titles such as IMO (Independent Marketing Organization), FMO (Field Marketing Organization), and MGA (Managing General Agent) are often used interchangeably. The definition of each can depend on the product line and is even further muddied by conflicting carrier definitions and agencies using the terms (and variations) as titles for marketing. Generally speaking, all of the above are agencies or organizations that can offer carrier contracts to independents with many offering additional services such as training, technology, back-office support, and lead programs. Below is a list of some of the more popular FMO/IMO/MGA options with supported product lines.

VOIP & Phone Systesm

Below are a few VOIP providers for business lines, online fax and 800 numbers. I am personally very happy with RingCentral.

Video Conferencing & Webinar Services

Telesales and webinars done properly can be very lucrative as a compliment or substitute for traditional in person appointment and seminars. Online video conferencing software can serve multiple purposes including webinars, remote team meetings, sales presentations and client calls.

Productivity Tools & Resources

Many of you are already familiar with these services but just in case we decided to list a few of our favorites.

 

Whew! There you have it.

Over 250 tools and services for insurance agents and brokers.

What do you think? Did we miss anything? Feel free to share your favorites, suggestions, and any other thoughts in the comments below.

30 thoughts on “The Ultimate Insurance Agent Resource List”

  1. I can’t even begin to imagine how long it took to create this post. This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you! 😉

    Reply

    • Thanks, Shawn! Resource pages like this one are always evolving. The current version took a little over two weeks to update and is eight years in the making. I’m glad it worked out for you!

      Reply

  2. This is great! Check out Harvest – it is a really easy time tracker system that has reporting and invoicing built in. I was recommended it by a fellow agent and love it.

    Reply

    • Glad you liked it, Sandy. I’ll give Harvest a look. Thanks!

      Reply

  3. Hey There,

    This is such a helpful list – thanks so much! I was curious to understand if, in your experience, a service that helps with intelligent ‘Lead Qualification / Lead Screening’ is useful for agents.

    Thanks
    Rish

    Reply

    • No problem, Rish. I’m glad you found it helpful.
      Lead qualification, in general, comes down to taking the time to get on the same page and nail down a solid set of lead qualification questions or script. I’ve found this to be of critical importance whether you are talking about inbound or outbound, in-house or a 3rd party services. If the foundation isn’t set, the outcome is often marginal at best.

      Reply

  4. Thank you for the GSuite discount code! I found this page looking for in indy agency lead management CRM and stumbled onto the email software section. We have been using a shared Gmail account for lead followup and I had no idea our communications were so exposed. I noticed other free email options have similar exposure as well. GSuite was easy to set up and is working like a charm! 🙂

    Reply

    • My pleasure, Sharlet. Good move! The lack of privacy and full content ownership with most of the free emails services today is one of the most significant risks that I see with independent agencies.

      Reply

  5. I was so frustrated looking for these resources individually. But you’ve compiled them all in one post. Thank you so much for the investment.

    Reply

    • Thanks, Al! Glad it was helpful for you.

      Reply

  6. This is most valuable and helpful information. It take the search out many hours of looking for the right resources. Because their are many options and resourses compiled in one location.
    Thanks,

    Reply

  7. Awesome list, Bryan! Discovered a few great tools that I will have to check out. ????

    You may also want to add Leadsurance, a great suite of insurance marketing and lead gen tools with optional add-on services.

    Reply

  8. Need to know how can i buy insurance leads for trucking

    Reply

  9. This article will assist the internet people for creating new website or even a weblog from start to end.

    Reply

  10. This is an awesome list!! Do you have any suggestions for best CRMs for commercial lines agents?

    Reply

    • Thank you, Tricia. I don’t have enough first-hand experience working specifically with commercial CRM and agency management software to make a confident recommendation. I know there are a few niche options on the market, such as AgencyMaster (agencymaster.net). If you are having trouble finding something that checks all of the boxes, I’d recommend starting with a more generic CRM software like PipeDrive or VanillaSoft. You’ll save some money and have more flexibility if you can find a fit with one of those options.

      Reply

  11. I’m not sure how I came upon your list, but so glad I did — so many great resources, from logo creation to CRM options. I appreciate the effort that it must have taken to compile.
    Many thanks!
    Dorene

    Reply

  12. When I clicked on RingCentral, I got a message that said “OOPS! The offer you’re looking for could not be found.” I figured you would want to know.

    Other than that, this is an amazing list. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Thank you for the heads up, Frank! I’ve updated the link. 😉

      Reply

  13. Thanks for updating this list. Currently searching for a new e-signature solution because Docusign says our 8 users send too many documents (about 70 per week) and has raised us to over $8,000 per year (notice they never state how many documents you are allowed in any of the plans).
    You don’t have PandaDocs in the list and right now they seem to be the most interesting option. Have you looked at them at all? Their eSignature level seems to have everything the others do and their Business level includes many features that looks very interesting.

    Reply

    • Thanks for sharing your experience, Frank. I have a queue of recommended providers that I’ve been reviewing for additions and updates. PandaDoc is on the list. I have yet to use it myself but based on the number of times it has been suggested, it will likely be added soon. A new batch of updates is in the works.

      Reply

  14. PS. Just shared this resource on IAOA – Insurance Agency Owner Alliance on Facebook. It is a great resource that needs to be shared. 🙂

    Reply

    • Thank you, Gary!

      Reply

  15. Thanks for publishing this resource list. It is quite helpful!
    I found a couple of services that I was not aware of that I’m hopeful can help streamline my agency. Looking forward to future updates. Bookmarked!

    Reply

  16. Great post on Marketing Tools for Insurance Agency!

    Reply

  17. Lead Pilot is an email, social media, and all-around lead gen tool that definitely deserves a spot on the list. This is an awesome resource you’ve put together here Bryan!

    Reply

  18. Love this blog. It’s the best!

    Reply

  19. This is the best blog I’ve read so far for insurance producer resources.

    Reply

  20. Hi Ryan,
    My favorite dialing tool is Dialer360 and I have been using it for the last 5 years. It gives your complete call details reporting & can be integrated with the top leading CRM’s. I will give this dialer 10/10 ratings and hope that it will be added in your article in the dialing section.

    Reply

  21. Excellent resource and much needed. A few things I’ve struggled with are the e-signature platforms at an affordable price. We send many apps for signature, and the cost can add up. I especially don’t like spending extra money on an e-signature to send a cancellation request 🙂 I also wonder about the best route to go with a CRM and how to properly manage households vs contacts. Thanks for putting this together.

    Reply

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