Anyone who has been in the insurance industry for a long period of time will tell you that most of their business comes from word-of-mouth advertising. This is generally true and you can tell by the minimal amount of advertising that they do in the marketplace.

Occasionally you will see small ads in high school booster club schedules or other community-based marketing type places as the insurance agency ages. This is all well and good and generally happens because someone from a nonprofit group will come into the agency, which is also a client and look for someone to donate money to the group in trade for advertising.

But if you are a new insurance agency you will need to get clients and that is very difficult because no one really wants to buy insurance or even consider there might be a calamity in their life. Most people buy insurance because they take all loans for homes or cars and it is required by the lender or it is required by law.

One of the best ways to market a new insurance agency is to use direct mail in the appropriate ZIP codes and perhaps the areas where the demographics are slightly higher. A good account executive with a direct marketing and mailing company can help you decide where the best areas are and they have lots of data to show you, which is also of value. You might wish to consider direct marketing and direct mail and send your advertising through the U.S. mail if you own a new insurance agency. Please consider this in 2006.