The Broker Investment Group (TBIG) has entered 2024 at a sprint, adding the Bedford-based brokerage Bullerwell Insurance to its roster and revealing the launch of a brand new commercial insurance broker in Insurance Connections. At the helm of rolling out these announcements to the market is Tim Crighton (pictured) who stepped into the newly created role of marketing director at TBIG late last year.
It was quite a ‘homecoming’ moment for the longstanding marketing consultant who had worked alongside TBIG CEO Dave Clapp when they were both at The County Group. They started working together in 2009, he said, and over the course of the next eight or so years supported the business’s growth from a £1.5 -£2 million GWP brokerage with a small team to an approximately £80 million GWP business with circa 200 staff.
“I got to know Dave really well and always admired how he recognized the role of marketing in growing your business,” he said. “When I exited the business after the GRP deal, I then set up my own business – Crighton Marketing – where I spent a very enjoyable six years supporting both insurance broker and non insurance broker clients. In the last two years, The Broker Investment Group were my biggest client and then Dave asked me to come on board full-time as marketing director.
“It made sense for me because I’ve always enjoyed working with Dave and it’s a great team where I know everybody in the office and I know the industry really well. And I enjoy the security of the job which you don’t get as much of as a consultant but I also enjoy the variety my role offers because they’ve got about 30 brokers in the group now which means every day brings something different.”
Each of the businesses supported by TBIG has a different level of marketing experience, Crighton said, and he’s enjoying the opportunity to go out and support the brokerages in developing strong marketing plans. Whether they’re looking to rebrand, boost their brand presence via social media, or gain new leads, there’s a range of activities they can undertake and for those that haven’t undertaken much marketing before, it’s always a pleasant surprise just how effective it can be.
“The truth is that marketing is often not high on their wishlist so when you deliver leads and results, they really do enjoy it,” he said. “What I’ve especially enjoyed is working to help different brokers rebrand. I’ve supported about five or six in the last 12 to 18 months and they get so excited when you share the new websites and logos and strapline and business cards with them. It’s not necessarily about revenue generation when you do a rebrand, it’s not about the numbers. It’s about giving them and their businesses a new zest for life.”
Whether it’s Google Ad campaigns, or social media, or more traditional marketing mediums, Crighton has found that, by and large, the brokers he works with are receptive to the value-add that is effective marketing. Naturally, some people are more inclined towards that side of things, he said, while those who haven’t done much by way of marketing in the past can be a bit more reticent. But certainly, when they see the early success of campaigns, it proves an energiser that encourages them to do more and think more creatively about their brand presence.
After a packed 2023, he noted that the business has no plans to rest on its laurels or slow its rapid growth in 2024. Looking at his agenda for the year ahead, Crighton noted that his emphasis is on supporting all TBIG’s many broker partners – new and long-established alike – with their marketing efforts so they can continue to grow their businesses organically. And where its wholesale insurance businesses make acquisitions, he’ll be looking to support their rebranding efforts as they look to create greater brand alignment.
“TBIG’s brokers have got great account execs and people out there building their brand reputation through word of mouth about their great work,” he said. “And I recognise that they’ve built up their businesses to where they are today without me, and often without marketing. But I believe we can turbo-charge that growth and get them to the next level. That’s what the whole of The Broker Investment Group is after – continuing to grow the GWP of the group overall and each of its partners individually. So, it’s definitely an exciting time to be doing my job!”
