& Business Magazine. The two had shared a number of mentors
over the years, including Verne Harnish. Those mentors
stressed one singular thing: owning the ink in your industry is
the key to success in your industry. That gave Andy the idea to
start Carle Publishing, and once Carle was up and running, he
approached Steve to become a Client-Partner in the company.
Having a branded magazine may seem more like a dream than
a reality. That is especially true in a world where just about
every company has a digital newsletter and blog. The truth is,
the creation of such a magazine isn’t as difficult as it first seems.
Not only that, but the credibility that comes with having a
physical copy to put in the hands of clients and prospects is
hard to match.
The magazine acts as a huge marketing tool in the Benson
Kearley IFG arsenal, with Steve illustrating some of the
most important factors himself. The mailing is primarily
business focused, with issues being sent to current and future
commercial business clients. Its purpose is twofold: first as a
marketing tool and then as an educational platform.
the magazine, the content and how it is received, even by
competitors in the same business space.
A branded magazine provides a lot of opportunities to grow
your business, market effectively and differentiate your
company in the marketplace. The most surprising part,
however, may be the ease of the process. At first glance, it is
hard to believe that the creation of a branded magazine could
be as easy as it is. Carle, however, handles things from start to
finish. Either through the choice of topics and articles from
its content library, or the creation of original content through
your employees or with the help of a ghostwriter, it’s all taken
care of.
So what about you? What does your marketing toolbox look
like? Having a branded magazine—particularly a physical
magazine over a digital one—says a lot about your company
and what your brand is capable of. With the help of Carle, that
could be a reality. Not only that, but the process couldn’t be
any more simple or straightforward. What’s stopping you?
According to Steve, the platform has been a great marketing
tool and an excellent medium for reaching out to the business
community. But why? Simple. Clients and prospects get great
content and education through the magazine, and it gives
Benson Kearley IFG credibility as a thought leader. The big
surprise for many readers—particularly since the magazine
is coming from an insurance company—is that it’s less about
insurance and more about business in general, including many
topics on human resources, service and leadership.
Moreover, it plants the seed of doubt in prospects’ minds:
“Why isn’t our agency doing something like this?” It’s a
differentiator to set Benson Kearley IFG apart from the pack. A
wedge that gets in the mind of prospects and drives them to the
company to find out more.
Steve noted one particular instance when it became clear just
how valuable the magazine had become as a tool. Benson
Kearley IFG does a lot of acquisitions of smaller brokerages
and insurance firms. Part of that is having a complete package
to present. A part of that package is Risk & Business Magazine.
One firm that Steve spoke to stated that they knew all about
the magazine and had been receiving and reading copies for
years. That type of unsolicited feedback shows the value of
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