Nobody ever said that insurance marketing was easy or cheap. Generating leads, building a stellar website and crafting great content are all good ideas, but they take time, money and effort.

We definitely recommend that you put some energy into those tasks, but it’s nice to have a few easy strategies in your pocket too. Here are five insurance marketing strategies that you can implement right now, with very little effort.

1. Change Your Email Signature

Too many professionals overlook this simple and free marketing opportunity. Go into your email program and set up a signature that will automatically attach to every email you send. Your signature should include:

• Your name
• Basic contact information such as your phone number, mailing address, email and web address
• Social handles with direct links to your LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter profiles
• The types of insurance you sell

2. Ask for Referrals

Insurance marketing strategies don’t have to be complicated. This one is about as simple as it gets. The main reason that most salespeople don’t get referrals from their existing customers is that they don’t ask for them.

We realize that this can be uncomfortable, but it will get easier with practice. It doesn’t even require a special phone call. The next time you speak with each of your clients, let them know that you would appreciate referrals.

3. Create Profiles on Consumer Review Sites

Google is still king when it comes to searching for businesses. But many consumers use review sites like Yelp to find products and services. In fact, according to ReviewTrackers, 61.2 percent of consumers say that an insurance agency’s online reviews could influence their decision to do business with them.

If you haven’t already, set up an agency profile on Yelp, MerchantCircle and other consumer review sites. Be sure to include your contact information, photos, a map of your location, your specialties, the story of how your business started and a personal profile of the agency owner.

The Yelp terms of service forbid you from incentivizing reviews, but that doesn’t mean you can’t let your clients know that your business has a profile and they are welcome to review it. And when you get a review, positive or negative, be sure to respond. It could be the first thing that pops up in Google when someone searches for your business.

4. Create an “Everything We Sell” Sheet

You might have clients who love you and would love to purchase more insurance products from you if only they knew you sold them. In just a few minutes, you can type up a one-page document that lists everything you sell. Be sure to give copies of them to every client or prospect you meet with.

5. Become a HARO Source

HARO stands for “help a reporter out.” It’s a site that journalists use to find experts to interview for stories. Go to the site and register as a source. Once you do that, you’ll receive three emails a day full of queries from reporters who need experts to interview. When you see one that matches your expertise, respond quickly. Thoroughly explain why you’d be the perfect source for their article, and try to answer their questions in your email if possible. That’s free PR.

While you can’t overlook traditional insurance marketing strategies, like advertising, Search Engine Optimization and content marketing, there are a number of less complicated options you can try. We hope that you find some of these strategies useful. Do you have other ideas for simple insurance marketing tips? Let us know in the comments!