Free Tools to Assess Your Competitor’s Marketing & Advertising Efforts

Although the term “you get what you paid for” usually holds true, there are some ways to access free tools in business that can be quite valuable when properly implemented. For instance, before committing to a paid service, subscription, or other vendor, look for companies that offer free trials prior to purchase. Companies that are confident in the effectiveness of their products or services rely on free trials knowing the product will sell itself.

Across most industries, companies are relying more heavily on software tools that not only help track and analyze their own website performance, but also analyze competitor performance. Below are just a few of the services currently available to help you start thinking about what options you may look into to improve your marketing and advertising efforts, or simply to get a better idea of the competitive landscape.

SEMRush.com

Although this is a paid service, you can get free sample reports from competitor websites. Reports contain various tracking metrics such as organic and paid keyword data, ad content, website traffic, and more.

Wordstream.com

Word Stream provides pay per click (PPC) software to help companies optimize their online advertising campaigns. Although services and pricing vary, Word Stream offers a number of free offers including: AdWords Landing Page Grader, PPC Advisor free trial, PPC Optimized Landing Pages & Leads free trial, and a number of other free reports. Try downloading a report to assess whether or not the data you receive is useful to your marketing needs.

Moz.com

Moz offers website analytics to help track and improve search engine optimization (SEO), social media, branding, link building, and content marketing efforts. Moz offers subscription based services at various price points and currently offers a free 30 day trial.

All information provided in this blog is for informational purposes only. The sources used are presumed accurate. CalSurance Associates, Brown & Brown Program Insurance Services, Inc. and Brown & Brown, Inc. will not be liable for any errors, omissions, losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use and will not assume responsibility for any misguided information. No guarantees are implied.

Product Understanding is Essential

Selling a product without product understanding misses the mark and often causes losses for Broker/Dealers and their Registered Representatives. Read below to see how a simple lack of product understanding led to large losses:

If it was not Documented, it Didn’t Happen!

For Registered Representatives, documentation is key to loss prevention. Read on to find out why:

Ensure Funds Are Invested as Requested

Registered Representatives can help themselves avoid loss and reduce exposures using a few simple tips. Try using the below loss prevention tip to improve your risk management strategy:

Don’t Overpromise and Under Deliver

Making false promises is not only detrimental to a firm’s reputation, but can also lead to E&O exposures. Below are a few ways to ensure you are preventing E&O exposures when it comes to serving clients and expanding business:   

Complete, Accurate and Timely

“The thing about information is that information is more valuable when people know it.”

Find out how communication can help prevent E&O claims for Broker/Dealers and their Registered Representatives:

Happy 4th of July!

The SEC and Courts May Consider Events Outside the Five Year Statute of Limitations in Crafting Enforcement Sanctions

By Andrew Dorman and Chetan Patil, Reminger Co., L.P.A.

As a result of the 2008 financial crisis, industry oversight and regulation by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has increased significantly.  One aspect of this oversight has focused on a firm or individual's duty to ensure overall compliance, which is a distinct obligation under federal securities laws.  The importance of complying with FINRA and SEC rules was underscored by a recent court ruling that broadened the scope of potentially sanctionable activity to past supervisory violations. Read More…

All information provided in this blog is for informational purposes only. The sources used are presumed accurate. CalSurance Associates, Brown & Brown Program Insurance Services, Inc. and Brown & Brown, Inc. will not be liable for any errors, omissions, losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use and will not assume responsibility for any misguided information. No guarantees are implied.

How to Select the Right Coverage- Broker Dealer E&O

When it comes to Errors & Omissions Insurance, not all policies are created equal. Similar premiums do not guarantee similar coverage. Policies may renew with important changes that affect your coverage. Follow these steps when selecting or renewing your E&O policy.

“Never Put Off Till Tomorrow What You Can Do Today”

Simple tip for Registered Representatives to reduce risk: Stop Procrastinating! Read on to find out how procrastination could cost you money: