Are You Marketing Your Bail Agency Online?
- December 02, 2008
- by Collateral Staff
[caption id="attachment_377" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="It is important to develop a web presence for your bail agency."][/caption]
When we were first talking about Collateral, we spent a lot of time debating whether or not to do a print magazine or an electronic magazine. We (obviously) decided to go with a magazine hosted on the Internet.
The question you may ask yourself is, what does the internet have to do with the bail industry? The answer is - a lot. The Professional Bail Agents of the United States have recently decided to "go green," which involves switching to more electronic communication than paper. In addition, many people in the United States are "plugged in" in a variety of ways, all of which lead to being online. From smart phones to netbooks, it is more and more common for people to have the internet at their fingertips at all times, not just when they are in front of their computer.
To give you an idea, there are currently over 200 million U.S. Internet users. The fastest growing segments of new internet users are women, minorities and baby boomers according to Nielsen//NetRatings. Broken down, this means that more than 1 out of 2 people in the United States have access to the internet, and that number will only continue to grow.
There are already bail agencies across the country reaping the rewards of larger and higher quality bonds because of online marketing.The most expensive aspect of running a bail agency, aside from recovering skips, is getting your phone to ring. Advertising in the telephone book is expensive and has a limited reach; this is exactly where the internet can be used as an effective means of reaching new customers. With a web site and some cost-effective online advertising, your company can be found in every city, county and state, including your local area. If the indemnitor is in another city, county or state, there is a good chance that they will not have access to your local advertising. How will they find you? More and more, people are turning to the internet to find the information they need. With online marketing, people have the opportunity to find you when they search the web for a bail bondsman in a specific location. This also applies to people looking for a local bondsman. When customers call, they are usually scared, confused and embarrassed. Finding a bail agency and more information about the bail process on the internet allows the indemnitor to maintain their anonymity while doing more research about the bail process and what to expect until they are ready to make contact over the phone. Bottom line: your customers are getting online to find information about bail bond services.
Agencies effectively utilizing the internet as a marketing channel have had strong returns. Bottom line: Better exposure means an increased volume of bond calls. The internet is not going anywhere. As it continues to grow, it is important to increase your online identity.
