Archive for the ‘Internet Marketing and SEO’ Category

Life Guard Insurance’s Top 7 Articles in 2011

A year in review with only 7 stops

2011 was a big year for Life Guard Insurance. We have gone far beyond our first website – Life Insurance Alberta, and are now building an information network across Canada for the benefit of all Canadians. Reviewing the top 7 articles of 2011 wasn’t easy, as I had to look at multiple websites to bring the data together. In the future I think the national website, Life Insurance Canada, will be the main source for all guests trying to dig deeper into our info about life and health insurance, but at present the Alberta website still gets lots of visitors too.

So, without further ado – here are the top 7 articles of 2011, with a brief description and reasons why they got so many views:

1. Whole Life Insurance Dividend Option: Paid Up Additions

This article was #1 because of pure search results. I wrote a 4 part series on Dividend Options for Whole Life Insurance that helped explain all the ways people could use dividends and this article ranked #3 on Google SERPs for keywords like “paid up additions”. Funny there hasn’t been a lot of comments yet. I guess I did such a good job of explaining the concept that no one bothered to ask more questions.

2. Pushy Life Insurance Agents Are A Dying Breed

This article got more views than most because of the image. I have a great picture of a crazy insurance agent trying to sell a contract. Google Images results ranked the picture very high for keywords such as insurance agents, pushy salesman, etc. Not sure how many people actually read the article vs. looked at the picture. Worth a read anyway.

3. Jack Layton Loses to Cancer. Why Were We All Surprised?

Just like most Canadians, I was moved by the death of Jack Layton to his second bout of cancer. It seemed so sudden to me (probably the same for you), but as I thought about it and my family’s history with cancer, it wasn’t that surprising to see someone lose to the disease. This is a more personal piece about battling cancer and how people try to remain positive in order to overcome the illness. A very timely piece that got some good attention.

4. Whole Life Insurance Dividend Option: Premium Reduction

Just like the #1 article of the year, this article too got excellent placement by Google for keywords around premium reduction and whole life dividend options. Hopefully those who found the page got their questions answered and helped them make a good decision about buying whole life insurance and how to use their dividends.

5. VIDEO: Canadians in Denial Over Bank’s Mortgage Insurance

This short article with attached video was inspired by the CBC Marketplace report on Bank’s Mortgage Life Insurance and how the application is designed in such a way that you can probably not answer the questions without making a mistake, giving the bank the ability to deny your claim. Having met a few people who had mortgage insurance claims denied by one of the big 5 banks, I know how devastating it could be to not have your death benefit paid out and the surviving family left with a mortgage they can’t pay. Really worth a watch if you have bank’s mortgage insurance.

6. INFOGRAPHIC: Do You Have Enough Life Insurance

I started posting infographics towards the end of 2011 and they have been widely received. I will continue posting useful infographics I either find online or we produce in house. Hope you enjoy this one, like so many others did. A simple graphic that shows most Canadians and Americans have only about 3.6 times their annual income in life insurance, but 10X income is recommended to properly secure your families future.

7. Focus on Health Insurance

This is an overview article of health insurance planning at different stages of life. The follow-up articles for this post are not all done yet, so please check back for more information about life-long health insurance planning.

Life Guard Insurance is committed to bring you the best insurance information online

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read the articles and those who wrote comments. We are really looking forward to a strong 2012 with lots of growth. Keep you eyes out for lots and lots of new videos being produced for those who don’t like to read but would rather watch. Our new YouTube Channle, LifeInsuranceCanada, is up and running – please check it out.

And, as always, if you need personalized service with your life and health insurance needs, please contact us, and we will be sure to find a professional local life insurance broker in your area to help you.

The article was written by +Mitch Reynolds. If you found this article interesting or it made you think, please feel free to share your comments below. Liking us on Facebook, giving us a +1 on Google or Tweeting this article about the top 7 insurance articles in 2011 would also be very much appreciated.

Social Media Still A Mystery to Life Insurance Brokers

Why are so few life insurance brokers using social media?

I had the pleasure of attending an educational workshop in Kananaskis, Alberta a week ago, which included the use of social media by the life insurance community. During that two day conference, put on by PPI Solutions in Alberta, there were two presentations about insurance advisors and financial planners starting to use social media. This is in stark contrast to just one year ago when the topic of social media and internet marketing was not even on the radar screen.

How quickly the message has changed from the life insurance companies who were making the presentations about using social media. I remember a year ago I was at another educational day, and the company rep from one of Canada’s leading life insurance companies was talking about how the internet gives clients misinformation, and it was the job of insurance brokers to cut through the internet clutter and bring the truth about life insurance planning. How things have changed in just one year. Now the message clearly is to get online and participate in creating the online message and influence it.

Regulations prevent life insurance brokers from engaging social media

Many life insurance brokers are also licensed to sell mutual funds and/or stocks and bonds. The regulatory bodies that govern the sale and distribution of such investment products have much stricter rules about advertising, communication and the use of social media. It is both the regulators and the dealerships who manage the individual sales people who have not yet figured out how to use social media. They are concerned that clients will get the wrong information and there will be liability issues back to the dealership and investment company that manufactures the mutual fund or other investment product.

So, in order to protect themselves from a perceived threat that social media might bring, they have not allowed their salespeople to use platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube. The life insurance industry and its regulators are not so strict, and have not put barriers in the way of pure life insurance brokers from using social media. That is why Life Guard Insurance is so active on all social media platforms and blogs articles like this one regularly.

The day is coming when investment advisors will be allowed to use social media, in some limited fashion. Most product information will have to be vetted by marketing departments of dealerships and mutual fund companies, so the ability to share information quickly will probably not come for these advisors anytime soon.

Technical and internet ignorance holds life insurance brokers back

Another thing holding life insurance brokers back from using social media is their lack of technical savvy when using the internet and technology in general. With the average age of life insurance brokers in Canada around 57, most brokers grew up in an era when computers were not used to illustrate life insurance to clients. This was an era of face-to-face communication, selling concepts and ideas, and finally taking weeks to illustrate and actual solution using head office plans mailed to advisors or crunching numbers themselves using insurance rate books.

Today, any life insurance company in Canada has software that can give you the most detailed and complex life insurance policy illustration in a matter of minutes. Yet, even with such power at their fingertips, I know many life insurance brokers who are reluctant to open their computer in front of a client for fear it would interrupt the sale. These same life insurance brokers would find it very challenging to set up a Twitter account, start tweeting, have a Facebook fan page, and get their LinkedIn profile to 100%.

Unrealistic expectations of business outcomes from using social media

What have most people heard about social media and the internet? It is the best way to build your brand; your message can go viral; attracting followers/friends is easy and can pay huge dividends. These sorts of messages are true, for some internet marketers who really know what they are doing. For most life insurance brokers, they should expect to use social media as a way to stay connected with their regular clients and share information to a small circle of influence.

When the ‘viral’ effect of the internet doesn’t happen immediately when they post their first video or article, they get discouraged and abandon social media. How many Twitter accounts have been set up by small business, quickly to be abandoned and the tweets stop? Well over 50%. Regular life insurance brokers don’t realize that social media takes work, and an ongoing dedication to creating and sharing information on a regular basis. Influence grows with consistent, high quality content and a commitment to share valuable info with your network. There is no magic bullet, or instance viral message we can create. There is a commitment to being part of the community and sharing the message, day in and day out.

‘Return on investment’ hard to measure from social media

So, what can a life insurance broker expect to get out of being a part of social media? New customers, recognition as an expert in their field, streamlining their business? Well, yes they can, but only in time. The quick return on investment is hard to measure, since there are few immediate results from joining the conversation. The new customers will not flock to you at first. People will not ‘follow’ or ‘like’ you immediately out of the gate. It takes time to build trust and influence within the communities you participate in. Especially if those communities are not groups of like minded life insurance brokers. Influencing general consumers is much harder to do, and they will expect a consistent message and regular updates as part of the community.

In affect, social media is one of the pillars of internet marketing. And internet marketing is a serious opportunity to grow your business, if done right. It requires a solid marketing plan, expertise in crafting messages online, running a dynamic website, and creating interactive online communities, via ALL the social media platforms. You need to reach you clients where they like to hang out. You can’t expect them all to come to you just because you posted a pretty website. Life insurance brokers have to get online, share their knowledge, gat active in their community and share valuable info across all social media platforms.

Life Guard Insurance is dedicated to online marketing and curating information via social media

Here at Life Guard Insurance we are dedicated to building our online presence and sharing information via all forms of social media. Check us out on all the following social platforms:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Google+
• Paper.li
• Scoop.it

See you on the social media platform of your choice.

The article was written by +Mitch Reynolds. If you found this article interesting or it made you think, please feel free to share your comments below. Liking us on Facebook, giving us a +1 on Google or Tweeting this article about life insurance brokers not using social media would be very much appreciated.

A Life Insurance Broker Knows the Mass Market Is Dead

Get a Uniquely Customized Risk Management Plan from a Life Insurance Broker

Any life insurance broker in Canada with any industry experience can tell you that the mass market of selling one size fits all life and health insurance to Canadians is dead. This is a fairly new shift in the Canadian life insurance marketplace. It was only about 15 years ago that life insurance brokers and managing general agencies (MGAs) became a major distribution channel for life insurance companies. Before that life insurance was mainly sold by career agents who worked for one of the major life insurance companies.

These captive agents, of which there are a few remaining organizations in Canada like Sun Life Career Sales, Primerica and RBC Insurance Career Sales, have only one limited product line to sell. They must try and squeeze all their diverse clients’ needs into a one-size fits all product for life and health insurance because they don’t have the ability to shop the Canadian marketplace for alternative solutions.

How a life insurance broker can give you choice

The life insurance agency that Life Guard Insurance works with is called PPI Solutions. PPI Solutions is Canada’s largest national MGA (Managing General Agency) and has thousands of life insurance brokers under contract across Canada. You see, life insurance companies like Manulife and Sun Life don’t deal directly with each individual life insurance broker. They outsource the maintenance of regional offices, administrative staff, client management systems, etc. to an MGA who has the staff, systems and resources to service a whole group of life insurance brokers.

PPI Solutions, being Canada’s largest MGA, has contracts with 18 of Canada’s largest life insurance companies. Each life insurance company has a suite of products to choose from. Therefore, our life insurance brokers can access all these different life insurance companies to sell policies to their clients. Now that is a lot of choice! Our brokers affiliated with PPI Solutions have access to well over 150 different life and health insurance products. Each policy can be uniquely customized for the amount of benefit required and individual riders that can be added.

So, there is an almost unlimited amount of choice when dealing with a life insurance broker. They don’t have to fit you into a product. Rather, they have to research the market and find the insurance product that best suits you and make it fit your unique situation.

The advantages of dealing with a broker face-to-face

Email, the internet and the phone make doing business much easier today than even 5 years ago. Documents can quickly be scanned and emailed. Original documents can be sent overnight by courier. Video conferencing can make it like you are almost in the same room.

Maybe one day when video technology is of high enough quality and universally used the traditional face-to-face appointment with an advisor could be replaced (we would also have to replace the formal ink signature with an e-signature of some type). Until technology is so good that it becomes invisible, and the connection between life insurance broker/advisor and client is not watered down, the face-to-face appointment is still the best.

A life insurance broker needs to understand your unique family or business situation. Everyone’s story is different, and by meeting with you and doing a full discovery of your needs a life insurance broker can then recommend the right products to solve your risk exposure. There might even be risks you have never before thought of. There is a lot more to the life insurance business than plain old life insurance.

As an example, here is a brief description of my last 5 clients (without divulging any personal info):

• A young family with a new baby wanted to do proper life insurance planning. The parents got Joint First-to-Die Term 100 life insurance and the baby got a small whole life insurance policy.
• A wife and mother of a child with a disability took out permanent life insurance to make sure she leaves money to her disabled child when she passes and is no longer there to provide support.
• A senior IT professional who just left employee status to become a consultant lost benefits and needed life and disability insurance.
• An Oil & Gas drilling consultant needed disability and critical illness insurance to protect the family, especially since deciding to take up motorcycling again.
• A young couple having a baby in the 2011 wanted a low cost life insurance plan since the husband was finishing university and the wife will need to go on maternity leave soon, so they got term life insurance.

As you can see there isn’t one case here that seems similar to the other. Even though our houses might look like cookie cutter, color matched, row-on-row suburban uniformity, behind each door there is a family as unique and different as you are from the parents who raised you. A life insurance broker knows this and can design YOUR plan that is fits your family.

Why the internet can never truly replace the role of a life insurance broker

I do believe the internet will rock almost every industry in the world to its core and change the way we all do business and interact with those who have products and services to sell us. Where the internet excels is by taking inefficient markets and eliminating those inefficiencies and reducing costs for the end consumer.

This is where the traditional middleman comes in and creates barriers for consumers and adds a layer of cost for consumers to cross those barriers. Jeff Jarvis, in his book What Would Google Do? highlights real estate agents as a classic example of a middleman making money off an inefficient market:

Real-estate agents have nothing to fear from me – or, they think, the internet – because they control one of the last dark pools of restricted information left in the business: the multiple-listing service (MLS) database of properties for sale. If your house isn’t listed there, buyers won’t see it and other agents won’t show it and sell it.

And that is the main reason real-estate agents can charge up to 6% commission to sell your house. Otherwise they are a glorified door opener. You can make up your own mind whether or not to buy the house. And it has been researched that real-estate agents actually create less value, as they typically leave their own personal properties on the market 10 days longer and sell them for 3% more than their clients’ houses.

So why do I go into detail about real-estate agents. In order to compare them with life insurance brokers. I believe that more people would buy life insurance if they had an open source of comprehensive information about life and health insurance products to research on the internet. And if they knew their life insurance broker has access to all the life insurance companies in Canada and could shop the market on their behalf. The vast amount of products, complexity of those plans, individualized design, continuing education and training, and the market research broker’s do for their clients does bring value to the market. Then, if a prospective client can quickly and easily compare prices from all different insurance companies online, that too keeps the life insurance broker accountable to their clients to find the best deal.

A life insurance broker cannot be automated by an internet program because they bring value in advice and access that can only be gleaned from human interaction.

How a life insurance broker earns commissions by providing value

I thought this section would be valuable for life insurance shoppers to understand. A life insurance broker is paid a commission from the insurance company for selling you a policy. There is no advance on commissions. They can only earn the commissions once the policy has been through the underwriting process, is issued by the life insurance company, and accepted by the client (you). There is a lot of hard work that goes into meeting with clients, designing plans, researching market alternatives, presenting solutions, and dealing with underwriting in order to get to a finished product – a life or health insurance policy in place.

Once they deliver you the policy they are paid a commission approximately equal to the annual premium you are paying. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. This is a onetime commission payout, and the life insurance broker has only a very minimal trailer on the policy which might end after 4-5 years. From that commission, the life insurance broker must run their office, pay staff, lease office space, and all other expenses a small business owner might incur.

The business of being a life insurance broker can mean a good income, but not without a lot of hard work and taking care of their clients not only for today’s sale but far into the future as their needs change.

Life Guard Insurance can help you find the best life insurance broker

At Life Guard Insurance we have connections with PPI Solutions life insurance brokers across Canada. We can find the best life insurance broker in your area who specializes in family and business life insurance planning. Feel free to contact us today to be matched up with a life insurance broker.

The article was written by Mitch Reynolds+. If you found this article interesting or it made you think, please feel free to share your comments below. Liking us on Facebook, giving us a +1 on Google or Tweeting this article about the value of a life insurance broker would be very much appreciated.

How YOU are changing the way life insurance companies will do business

Life insurance companies must adapt to social media, Google and the Internet

So, you’re reading this article, consuming information on the internet. YOU are the reason why life insurance companies must change, and change quickly, or be left behind. The entire life insurance industry, and banks and investment companies for that matter, are so far behind the average Canadian it is scary.

The internet is changing everything. This article will explain how life insurance brokers are leading the way on the internet, giving online insurance shoppers what they are looking for. Are life insurance companies capitalizing on the huge amount of online traffic they could be getting from their websites? Do you find visiting a life insurance company’s website to be useful, informative and easy to navigate?

The simple answer for most of these questions is NO. Life insurance companies are still stuck in the era of the early world wide web, where companies put up glorified brochure websites and expected people to flock to them. The online life insurance shopper is looking for recent articles written for easy consumption where they can take away a useful nugget or two. Interaction with the company or a local life insurance guru would also be nice. Immediate tools for helping you do your online research would be highly beneficial also. Do you find the life insurance company’s websites afford you these things in an easy and friendly environment?

Life insurance brokers are ahead of life insurance companies on the Internet

Even though life insurance brokers are giving the online insurance shopper the best website experience, that is not to say things are very good in Canada. Website development for many life insurance brokers has stalled or been a half baked attempt at getting an online presence to meet customers. Life insurance brokers are generally not very internet savvy, and don’t know how much work and effort it takes to be fully engaged online.

Besides a very few online life insurance brokers (and I mean you can count them on one hand) there are no brokers who combine a complete online experience for their clients. A complete online experience includes the following:

• Have an informative, well designed website that engages clients
• Have new and fresh articles and content to encourage online shoppers to come back again
• Have a complete social media strategy that includes Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn as a minimum
• Optimize website to be found by search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing
• Understand and optimize pay per click advertising for their online marketing efforts

Without doing all these things in concert an online presence will not be able to engage with all people across the internet. Life insurance companies have to be hanging out where YOU, the customers, are. And if that means being in multiple places at once, then so be it.

Engaging with potential life insurance customers on their terms

Everyone wants to do business on their terms. The days of cold calling for leads is dead (don’t know about you but I just hang up on telemarketers now). The internet has afforded people the power to shop for what they want, when they want it, and without the pressure of dealing with a pushy sales person.

This is where internet marketing has really begun to shine for both consumers and life insurance companies. People can find the insurance products and services they want quickly and easily. They can research., browse and quote to their heart’s content. Only when YOU, the online insurance shopper, are ready to make a purchase or proceed with the sale do you “click” through.

So, if the power is in the hands of the consumer, how do traditional life insurance companies compete. The theory has always been that life insurance is sold to people, and that they don’t go out looking to buy the product. This is not true! People will shop for the insurance they need when they make time to do financial planning. Internet marketing is about being found online by life insurance shoppers, and presenting useful information, tools and an interactive experience for them online. The power is in the hands of the consumer to move ahead with buying insurance when they are ready. Its all about trust.

This is a real win-win scenario. Clients aren’t harassed by life insurance agents looking to sell them when they are not interested in life insurance. Agents aren’t chasing after disinterested clients try to “educate” them about risk and sell an insurance policy. Life insurance companies and consumers can really use internet marketing to create a meeting of the minds – where buyer and seller are both interested and motivated through the process of buying life insurance.

Caution: Let’s not lose the personal touch when buying life insurance

On thing I would really caution against is trying to use the internet to complete the entire sale of life insurance and other health insurance products to clients. This is a real danger because only a few online shoppers will take the time to be fully informed about their options and their insurance needs. Providing tons of information for people to consume is great, but very few will spend the hours required to become an expert in life and health insurance.

Once YOU, the online insurance shopper, has found enough information to be motivated to proceed the next step, you should always meet face to face with an insurance advisor. The realm of life insurance and living benefits insurance is so vast and complex it takes an advisor/broker’s full time focus and continuing education to be ready to give you good advice and direction.

Buying online will result in only simplified and low cost products being sold. These online sales have begun in Canada but beware. You will be hard pressed to get ongoing service and advice. You might not get a life insurance policy that meets your future needs, just your immediate risks. Frankly, you might buy the wrong product.

Life Guard Insurance is the online life insurance company you need

At Life Guard Insurance we are focused on being Canada’s best online experience for the life and health insurance shopper. We can connect you to any number of local brokers across Canada who can give you qualified advice. On our website you will find a wealth of information about the right insurance products for your needs, tools to help you research, and the ability to quote life insurance rates to your hearts content.

Only when you feel informed, empowered and ready to proceed will you click through to contact a local Canadian broker. We look forward to helping you with your online life insurance shopping. Please feel free to post your comments below on how we can an even better online life insurance company.

The article was written by Mitch Reynolds+. If you found this article interesting or it made you think, please feel free to share your comments below. Liking us on Facebook, giving us a +1 on Google or Tweeting this article about life insurance companies online would also be very much appreciated.

Online Insurance for Term Life

BMO Insurance and Life Guard Insurance offering an online insurance application

For so many people across Alberta getting some basic life insurance seems like such a chore. Term life insurance is becoming a highly commoditized product, where the lowest cost and most convenient application process is what people are looking for. One life insurance company in Canada has developed an online and telephone application process that can make it easy and convenient for you to buy term life insurance quickly and easily, online.

How the application process works

At Life Guard Insurance we have made the process of getting term life insurance online as easy and convenient as possible in Alberta today. When going to our online insurance application page you will have 3 sections to help you. Firstly, there is an introductory video explaining the process. Please watch the video before applying for coverage, so you know what to expect and the steps in the process.

Secondly, there is an online insurance quoting tool. Here you will be able to quote BMO Insurance term 10, 20, and 30 products. Be sure to enter your correct birthdate, smoking status, gender, etc.  You can chose any amount of coverage you want and the length of term coverage and get an instant quote for the premium. To get a more accurate premium, please use regular health style. The other preferred rates are more rare to qualify for and you would have to be in above average health for an Albertan.

Thirdly, there is the application form. If you find the premium to be affordable you can move onto the application form. Please fill in all fields with personal information, the amount of coverage, length of term, etc. There are a few general health questions that need to be answered either yes or no. If you have to answer Yes to any of these questions there is an “additional information” section below the Insurance and Personal History sections where you can explain the details of your Yes answer. Once you have completed the form, please double check your answer to make sure everything is correct. Then click Submit Your Application Online.

Your application will be received by Life Guard Insurance an processed within 24 hours. We will forward your application onto BMO Insurance and order the nurse to visit you at your convenience. At this point, here is how the process will work:

• You will receive one phone call from Life Guard Insurance to verify your information, ensure you would like to proceed with the application and to collect banking or credit card numbers (we don’t collect this info over the intent for security reasons)
• A paramedical nurse will phone you to set an appointment
• Complete the paramedical appointment where the nurse is authorized to also collect signatures on the application form and verify your ID, like driver’s license
• All evidence is sent to BMO Insurance for underwriting
• If everything is normal you will be approved for the term life insurance and the policy will be printed
• The policy is delivered to Life Guard Insurance
• We will then courier you the policy with the delivery receipt to be signed and any other amendment forms and first premium to be return in the addressed return envelope
• Once you have sign the receipt for acceptance and mailed back the first premium you are covered – your insurance is in force
• Life Guard Insurance will forward premium payment and all documentation onto BMO Insurance once received and you will be getting a welcome letter from BMO Insurance

It might seem complicated, but really it isn’t. You are only involved in a few steps of this process and everything comes directly to you. At Life Guard Insurance we have adapted the telephone application process to be very easy and friendly as an online application form. If you were to watch the video and go through the application it should only take you about 15 minutes. That is a lot less time than booking an appointment with an insurance advisor, having a 2 hour appointment and ending up with the same application submitted to BMO Insurance.

We can help with your online insurance application

Please fell free to contact us directly if you need more help or if you are looking for insurance other than term life via our online insurance application process. At Life Guard Insurance we offer not only term life insurance from BMO Insurance. We offer term, universal and whole life insurance from all of Canada’s top insurance companies and health insurance benefits like critical illness, disability and extended medical and dental insurance plans. We are here to help, either online insurance or in person.

The article was written by Mitch Reynolds+. If you found this article interesting or it made you think, please feel free to share your comments below. Liking us on Facebook, giving us a +1 on Google or Tweeting this article about online insurance would also be very much appreciated.

Podcast #2: What Makes Life Guard Insurance Website Different

Welcome to Life Guard Insurance. In this podcast I would like to talk to you about what makes the Life Guard Insurance website different. Whit most other insurance websites out there they are providing a little bit of content and information but really they are just trying to give you a quote to capture your name and phone number to then market directly to you.

I don’t believe this is the right way to run a website in today’s internet age. I think the website should have a huge amount of content. I am constantly adding new articles and new pages of content where you can learn as much as you want about; term life insurance, whole life insurance, or universal life insurance, disability insurance coverage, critical illness insurance or even insurance company’s investment products like segregated funds and annuities.

When it comes time to research what the price should be for a life insurance policy there are lots of tools available on the internet. Lots of companies are giving you access to their online quoting tool but they are usually asking for your name and phone number first in order to market to you. I don’t believe this is right. You might want to do a lot of research and get multiple quotes for different types of term life, whole life or T100 sorts of products. If you want to do quoting Life Guard Insurance gives you unlimited access to our online quoting tool. We do ask that you become a member of the website. This also allows you to receive the monthly newsletter, post comments on the site, and we will even give you three free special reports about life and health insurance once you become a member.

If you take the time to fill out form to become a member you can then access the quoting tool as much as you want. You can generate multiple types of research into life insurance. Then, if you are interested in pursuing it further, after you know more about what you want, and feel empowered to make the right decision, feel free to contact us. There are different types of contact forms all over the website. When you contact Life Guard Insurance we will respond within 24 hours, but only if you want us to.
Thanks very much for visiting Life Guard Insurance. Feel free to browse the website as much as you want, get as much information as you need, become a member and quote as often as you want. Thanks very much and take care.

Buy Drug, Dental and Health Insurance Online in Alberta

Buying health insurance online just got easier in Alberta

If you are without employer benefits or are self employed without a health and dental plan, you know how expensive paying for your medical bills out of pocket can be. Even though the Alberta health care system covers many of your major medical expenses, there are still lots of costs that come directly from your pocket.

Prescription drugs, dental care, extended medical service, and even ambulance rides could cost you thousands per year. Wouldn’t it be comforting to know you have a health, drug and dental plan in place to protect you and your family from unforeseen medical costs that could break your budget?

Life Guard Insurance and Manulife Financial have partnered together to offer you the most flexible and cost effective drug, dental and health insurance online plan in Alberta today. And you can quickly and easily quote costs and apply for coverage online. Shop for the insurance you need now, and if you choose, start your plan immediately by applying online. You can even pay the premiums from your credit card and earn valuable reward points each month.

Manulife offers two highly customizable products through its CoverMe Health & Dental insurance plans: Flexcare and Followme.

Flexcare

Flexcare is designed to offer flexible choice in your plan design. Choose from a plan focused mainly of prescription drugs, dental care, extended health care or a combination of all three.  Once you have chosen the type of health, drug or dental insurance you want to focus on, then you can choose from either basic coverage or the enhanced plan. There are also valuable add-ons you can choose from to customize your coverage even more to meet your needs.

Plans can be designed for single people, couples or whole families. The online quoting system will allow you to add members of your family to the plan and generate a comprehensive quote. You can combine add-ons and basic plan designs until you have made the perfect plan that both meets your insurance needs and your monthly budget.

Here is a brief description of the core plans you can choose from, the Add-Ons that can be included and the Stand-Alone medical plans you can also buy with Flexcare:

Core Plans

Flexcare Core Plans let you choose between dental coverage, drug coverage or a combination of both. With each Core Plan you’ll also receive generous coverage for registered specialists, travel emergencies, accidental death and dismemberment and more. Your provincial plan doesn’t cover all this!

If you are 65 years of age or over, you are likely to have special health priorities. That is why Flexcare health plan coverage is adjusted to reflect your needs.

DrugPlus^TM

DentalPlus^TM

ComboPlus^TM

Add-Ons

These coverage options are only available with a Flexcare Core plan. They allow you to customize your Flexcare DrugPlus, DentalPlus or ComboPlus plan to create your own “One-Of-A-Kind” coverage.

Extended Health Care

Hospital

Vision

Travel

Accidental Death and Dismemberment

Catastrophic

Stand-Alones

With Flexcare Stand-Alone coverage, you don’t need a Core plan. You can select one or more Stand-Alones to create your own “One-Of-A-Kind” Flexcare health plan.

If you are 65 years of age or over, you are likely to have special health priorities. That is why Flexcare health plan coverage is adjusted to reflect your needs.

Hospital

Catastrophic

To find out how each Core Plan, Add-On or Stand-Alone plan works, please visit Life Guard Insurance’s Manulife portal for information, quotes and the ability to buy online, now.

FollowMe Health

FollowMe Health is designed to offer uninterrupted health and dental coverage for you and your family when your employment and group benefits end. If you apply within 60 days of your loss of group health and dental benefits, you will qualify without having to complete a medical questionnaire. And with four levels of protection to choose from, you can select the plan that best meets your specific needs. Choose from four FollowMe Health plan designs:

Basic

Enhanced

Enhanced Plus

Premiere

Learn more about how these plans can meet your continuing health and dental insurance needs and choose the one that fits your budget. Go online now for a quote and to purchase coverage in Alberta now.

Life Guard Insurance for Health Insurance Online

If you would like more information about your insurance needs, including health, drug and dental plans, feel free to contact Life Guard Insurance. We are ready and willing to answer your insurance enquiries in Alberta.

The article was written by Mitch Reynolds+. If you found this article interesting or it made you think, please feel free to share your comments below. Liking us on Facebook, giving us a +1 on Google or Tweeting this article about health insurance online would also be very much appreciated.

Online Life Insurance Quote in Alberta

Get A FREE INSTANT Life Insurance Quote Online Now!

With the internet today shopping for life insurance has never been easier by getting a life insurance quote online – instantly. At Life Guard Insurance we provide Alberta shoppers with the quickest and easiest way yo get an online life insurance quote.

Now, you might think that doing online shopping for life insurance is easy, but there are a few catches you should know about. this article will explain how other websites are using online quotes to market insurance directly to you. If you need a more detailed life insurance quote you can get one by using an online quote request form and then being in contact with a licensed life insurance broker.

The Instant Online Life Insurance Quote

The first catch when you find a website that offers an instant online life insurance quote is divulging your personal contact information in order to access the life insurance quote results. This is very intrusive because you know once they capture your name, phone number and email address they will begin marketing life and health insurance products directly to you. But you might not be ready to buy and are still researching your options. With our online life insurance quote form we allow you unlimited access to get as many quotes as you wish without giving over any personal information. We respect your privacy!

Now, remember, these other websites are really just providing a service. You can’t actually buy life insurance online without speaking to a licensed life insurance broker. The problem is they are not respecting your privacy and are often trying to sell to people who are still shopping and researching information. At Life Guard Insurance we want you to be comfortable using our online resources without intrusion, and when you are ready to speak with a life insurance broker you can contact us for help.

If you are using an online life insurance quote form and input your contact information into a website, you should be prepared to receive a phone-call or an email follow-up after you receive your quote. The website might even capture the product you quoted and the premiums you were looking at. They will try and sell you the life insurance you were shopping for, but is this the correct way to advise Albertans on their life insurance needs? At Life Guard Insurance we believe the internet is a tool to educate and empower consumers to make the right decision regarding their life and health insurance needs. We also believe you need to speak with a professional and experience life insurance broker when you are ready to buy insurance, to make sure the life insurance or health insurance products really meet your immediate needs and long-term goals. Purchasing life insurance online or over the phone can leave you without proper advice or without an advisor for your changing needs throughout life. The lowest priced insurance policy isn’t always a good fit.

Don’t you want to feel comfortable when going online? Do you want the confidence that no salesperson will call you just for showing up on a website?. This is what we offer at Life Guard Insurance. We will not call you or email you unless you want us to. Feel free to use the life insurance quote form as much as you want. When you are ready, and if you trust we can help you, we hope you will contact us. Our life insurance brokers will help you get the insurance advice you need.

The Request for a Life Insurance Quote Form

Requesting a quote is from an Instant Online Life Insurance Quote. Typically, the instant quote for life insurance is limited ONLY to life insurance, and can’t quote universal life insurance. It is limited to term and whole life insurance quotes. Online lie insurance quote forms also can’t quote health insurance products like Disability Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance or Long Term Care Insurance. These products are too complex to run a basic price comparison quote and need to be designed by a licensed life insurance broker.

Here is an example of complexity: Disability Insurance

• There are three main variables to classify your risk; health (including smoking status and age), occupation, and income level.
• There are multiple choices on plan design, like waiting period before benefits begin, length of benefit payout, amount of monthly benefit you chose, and many optional riders.
• Certain disability products are designed for different occupations. There are specialized plans for professionals like doctors and lawyers which are very different from plans available for blue collar workers.
• There is no standard price for all working Albertans – there are many variables.

If you need a quote for a more complex type of insurance you can request the quote online via a contact form. You will be asked to input your name, email and phone number. This is because an insurance advisor will need to contact you and discuss your unique needs so they can deliver a quote that is tailored to you.

Requesting a quote from a life insurance broker licensed in Alberta is your best option. You should expect to be contacted. The insurance broker will be phoning to open a discussion your situation and needs, gathering information in order to deliver a high value quote that makes sense to you. There is a lot to be said for using the request a quote form as you will have the opportunity to speak with a qualified life insurance broker. You can explain you situation and your needs and get a more accurate and tailored quote that meets your needs. You can do all this over the phone, and only need to make a face-to-face meeting with the advisor if you trust them and know they will be able to help you find a proper life insurance policy.

Internet/Online Shopping for Insurance is the Future

Internet technology means the future of shopping for your life and health insurance has already become an online affair. The research you do, and quotes you get online are the first step in your buying process, but are vital that you understand the insurance products you need and contact a life insurance broker you can trust. In Alberta you still need to meet the life insurance broker face-to-face to complete applications and sign for your policy. There is no way to buy ife insurance purely online yet in Alberta – and maybe there never should be.

At Life Guard Insurance we believe that a purely online sales process for life and health insurance will leave the consumer with typically low cost, low value products that might not meet their future needs. Insurance is complex, and clients need advice to guide them when choosing the right insurance for them. Designing the best plan for you takes the help of a qualified insurance professional. Building a relationship with a life insurance broker, and explaining your needs and concerns to him/her is the best way to buy insurance. If you trust your insurance broker has your best interests at heart, and they can shop multiple insurane companies in the Canadian market, you will be getting the best life and health insurance advice and products.

Please visit our Quote Center for your free, instant online life insurance quote now, or just contact us for immediate service.

The article was written by +Mitch Reynolds. If you found this article interesting or it made you think, please feel free to share your comments below. Liking us on Facebook, giving us a +1 on Google or Tweeting this article about getting an online life insurance quote would also be very much appreciated.

Life Guard Insurance is an SEO Success in Alberta

Recently, my Internet Consultant, Richard Grills from Millenium Consulting, posted an article on the success of Life Guard Insurance’s internet SEO efforts. The article was very flattering, and showed how I was able to get top rankings on Google, Yahoo and Bing in a matter of two months.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Richard from Millenium Consulting for all his education, design and coaching that has led to my success. Richard has empowered me to create the online presence for my business that I wanted, and taught me how to do almost everything myself. In fact, with his guidance, I have kept my internet marketing costs to a minimum while investing mostly my time and energy.

The article in question, Client Achieves Page 1 Organic Search Position on Google in Only 8 Weeks, is worth a read, as it describes how I followed Richard’s guidance, and had some patience (not natural for me) and the results ultimately came.  Here is an update rankings report for the main keywords I am tracking for online success:

Keyword                                              Google   Bing     Yahoo     Google.ca          Bing.ca   Yahoo.ca

Life Insurance Alberta                       4                4            3                4                            7                1

Life Insurance Quote Alberta           7                8            4                6                            5                3

Alberta Life Insurance                       9                6            4                9                            8                2

Alberta Life Insurance Quote           10             10          5                11                          6                2

Term Insurance Alberta                    22              1            1                22                         1                1

Alberta Term Insurance                    30              5            1                30                         5                1

The next stage in optimizing the website is to focus on individual static pages that describe specific topics, like the page dedicated to Term Life Insurance. Google always seems to be slower and more cautious to identify relevance throughout a website, and has yet not picked up on the work I have done to the static page on Term Life Insurance. The ranking of 22/30 I am getting for Term Insurance Alberta or Alberta Term Insurance is identified relevance on the home/landing page of the website, not the static sub-page dedicated to the topic. I am waiting impatiently for Google to identify the relevance of sub-pages of my website, and send searchers directly to those pages vs. the home page. This will ultimately increase the number of high ranking entry points to my website, increasing my targetted traffic.

Thanks again to Richard at Millenium Consulting for showing me the way. I hope you, as the reader, find this website to be relevant to the information you are trying to find on personal life and health insurance solutions in the Alberta, Alberta area.

Mitch Reynolds

President, Life Guard Insurance