Taking over a new business—even an established business (Wilcox & Reynolds Insurance has been in business since 1942)—is often a challenge. Doing it during a pandemic brought a whole new set of challenges.
Overview
Based in Stoors Mansfield, CT, Wilcox & Reynolds Insurance has been serving the community since 1942. The current owner, Lori Meagher, said, “I like the challenge of it… I’m kind of an insurance geek—I actually enjoy reading policies—knowing the nuances of the policy and where it fits.”
Wilcox & Reynolds provides a wide range of insurance products—from Life, Health, and Auto to Commercial policies—and even Classic Fire Truck insurance.
Lori purchased the business in January of 2020… only months before COVID shut everything down. “Timing is everything,” Lori said. “It seemed like a really good idea to buy an insurance agency then. Who knew?”
The Challenge
Lori said, “So I bought the agency and realized at that point… my staff is going home, my office is closed to the public… and I have to figure out ways to let people know, ‘Hi, we’re here. I’m the new owner. And oh, by the way, our doors are closed.’”
On top of dealing with the overwhelming difficulties that almost all local businesses faced with COVID, Wilcox & Reynolds had the added challenges that come with taking over an established business—trying to maintain the business Lori had just purchased, communicating with your established customers… without being able to meet face-to-face.
Of course, just maintaining the business was hardly what Lori was thinking when she bought it—she still had to have a plan to grow the business, even with COVID making it a greater challenge than ever.
The Hibu Solution
When Lori Meagher purchased Reynolds & Wilcox Insurance, Hibu was already managing the company’s website, and she felt an immediate connection with Suzanne, her local Hibu Rep. “As soon as I took over, [Hibu] helped me get a letter on the website - ‘Hi, we’re under new management… thank you for staying with us’… those kinds of things. I didn’t know how to word it or present it, so it would appear correctly. So, Suzanne helped walk me through that process.” Next, Hibu added a pop-up with the new office status - “Yes, our office is open, but not to the public… and all of that.”
“Then we got down to the nitty-gritty of [generating] clicks and [customers],” Lori said. Hibu made it easy for Wilcox & Reynolds to move from traditional advertising—print and radio—to an effective digital marketing strategy.
The Results
“Hibu has proven what they can do. They’ve been there when I had a question. I [my rep] is out, I can call… and someone will answer and walk me through what needs to be done,” owner Lori Meagher started.
“Hibu makes my online presence work. I’m appearing on page one of Google… at the top.” Using the call tracking implemented by the Hibu team, Wilcox & Reynolds has noticed a significant increase in call volume. “We’re getting regular phone calls from Google,” Lori shared.
“The money’s being spent well – it’s getting results, people are calling, walking in, emailing their info and saying, ‘Hey, I need a quote.’ Great. Super. So awesome!”
In a 90-day period, Wilcox & Reynolds Insurance’s digital marketing from Hibu generated:
- 567 total leads
- 979 ad clicks
- 1,327 website visits
- 270 customer reviews
Hibu is a leading provider of digital marketing solutions to local businesses across the US. With Hibu, your business has a truly integrated marketing program designed to increase your visibility online, drive visitors to your website, and generate leads. Visit Hibu.com or call us at 855-409-6569 today to get more from your digital marketing.
