Confidence & compliance: How insurance marketers are adapting to lead gen shifts
In our webinar “Insurance Perspective | Navigating 2025’s Shifting Landscape,” we delved into the evolving world of insurance lead generation, exploring the industry’s current state and how compliance and technology are shaping its future.
Industry experts Matt Fraser, GM of Insurance at ActiveProspect, and Brock Thompson, Vice President of QuoteWizard by LendingTree, shared their insights and experiences in navigating the complex terrain of lead generation.
Key takeaways
Below are some of the key takeaways from our Insurance-specific webinar:
- The one-to-one consent rule being knocked down by the courts left both buyers and sellers scrambling, leading to a focus on maintaining compliance and understanding customer intent.
- Compliance is crucial and remains at the forefront of lead generation practices, even after the one-to-one rule was rescinded.
- Feedback loops are becoming more consistent and granular, helping marketers and buyers make better decisions and adjust to industry changes.
- The insurance industry is cyclical, and while there is budget and appetite, it is more thoughtful and focused on the right customer and the right product.
- The impact of external factors, such as tariffs, new car technology, and state regulations, on insurance profitability and lead generation strategies is significant.
- There is a need for better alignment and understanding between marketers and carriers to ensure that data is used beneficially rather than weaponized.
Let’s take a closer look at the topics presented above.
Q1 in review: The rollercoaster of compliance and uncertainty
Diving into the first quarter, it’s clear that the landscape was anything but calm. As Matt points out, the one-to-one consent compliance issue took center stage, with a new administration bringing about a whirlwind of changes.
The real drama, however, unfolded when the courts delivered a last-minute blow to one-to-one consent, leaving both buyers and sellers scrambling to navigate the new terrain. Budgets and volumes were in flux, creating a significant amount of uncertainty. Meanwhile, TCPA litigators were quick to adapt, shifting their focus to target those who didn’t comply with the new regulations. It’s a clear reminder that the legal and regulatory environment can change rapidly, and staying informed is crucial.
Navigating one-to-one consent and its impact on buyers and carriers
Brock highlights how the team at QuoteWizard and LendingTree went the extra mile to prepare for one-to-one consent.
They conducted extensive testing, customer surveys, and mapped out consumer journeys, all while having in-depth discussions with carrier partners. The goal was to reduce excess calls and avoid distractions from primary products, while still offering consumers choice and timely information.The balance between these objectives was a key focus, especially in a comparative market like QuoteWizard.
They spent significant time analyzing the market, collaborating with acquisition partners, and refining the consumer experience. This preparation led to a better understanding of their customers and how to empower them to make the right decisions at the right time, aligning closely with carrier partners’ acquisition goals.
However, the flip side was the persistent litigation. Brock was surprised by how many companies were unprepared if one-to-one consent had gone through. The market became saturated with lawsuits. To counter this, Brock and his team spent 15 months tightening their processes, working with partners like ActiveProspect to implement robust monitoring, guardrails, and feedback loops.
This proactive approach allowed them to quickly address issues and position themselves for a stronger, more compliant 2025.
QuoteWizard’s compliance strategy: Tracing customer journeys and partnering for success
Brock emphasizes that compliance “starts with understanding your own processes.” It’s crucial to know how you acquire customers and whether you can trace their journey back to the point of origin. If you can, you need to ensure that this point of origin is fully compliant.
At QuoteWizard, they track, monitor, and collaborate with internal and external compliance teams and legal counsel to ensure they are always putting their best foot forward.
However, the challenge increases as you move upstream and work with third-party companies. This is where partners like ActiveProspect come in, helping to bridge the gaps and capture essential data. This way, they ensure that customers receive what they requested, are treated with respect, and that matches are made with the customer’s best interest in mind.
Once the customer moves downstream, the focus shifts to their performance and feedback. How are they responding to our outreach—whether by phone, email, text, or direct mail? What are they saying about our services? This feedback is crucial for making necessary adjustments. Sometimes, it’s as simple as tweaking the language or setting different expectations. Other times, it involves changing processes.
Regardless, compliance acts as the fulcrum of the business. According to Brock, as long as you have a solid compliant foundation, you can make quick adjustments while maintaining the overall effectiveness of your operations.
Choosing the right contact strategies
According to Brock, “it first starts with confidence.” You need to be confident that the customer wants something you offer—whether it’s a single product or multiple options that could benefit them. This confidence is the foundation of compliant engagement. It involves ensuring that your TCPA language, your partner’s TCPA language, and your processes are all sound.
With a solid foundation, you can start to get creative. This creativity comes from a deep understanding of your customer and your acquisition partners. As a facilitator, you need to determine the best way to meet their needs. What are the customer’s goals? What are your goals? How can you align with them? Each step should have a feedback loop to ensure continuous improvement.
If you approach this with honesty, transparency, and vulnerability, it’s like building a relationship with a human. By doing so, you can foster a strong relationship with your customer and your buyer.
The importance of feedback loops
In Brock’s opinion, the landscape of feedback loops has significantly improved over the past few years. Four to seven years ago, obtaining and integrating information was a major challenge. The buying feedback loop was loose, and stitching together data, tracing it back to its source, and breaking it down by state or demographic was incredibly difficult. While it’s still not perfect, the situation has markedly improved.
In 2024 and 2025, feedback loops are becoming more popular and sophisticated. AI is now capable of scanning data for trends, anomalies, and similarities, and API integrations are making data collection and analysis more efficient. Although we’re not yet at real-time feedback, we’re much faster than we were a few years ago, no longer dealing with delays of months.
However, there are still areas where people fall short:
- The usage of the data. Are you leveraging it to make better decisions and improve your strategies?
- Tracking this data upstream to ensure that your language and processes remain compliant as regulations like the TCPA and TSR evolve. Staying informed about the latest regulatory shifts is crucial for using feedback loops effectively.
Moreover, the regulatory landscape is changing. States are now taking the lead, creating a complex 51-state (including DC) regulatory environment. This raises questions about how these regulations will interact, especially in areas where state lines are close. Ensuring consistency in language, processes, and feedback loops across these jurisdictions is a significant challenge.
According to Brock, this is where marketers and responsible businesses must come together. By staying informed and adaptive, we can navigate these changes and maintain compliance while fostering strong, data-driven relationships with our customers.
How tight and honest feedback loops can transform the Insurance industry
What Brock really wants to see in the industry is more instantaneous and granular feedback, and a better understanding that data can be used for benefit rather than being weaponized. Himself and others in the industry prefer to use data to become smarter, not to leverage it against others, though he understands the hesitancy around this.
Tight, vulnerable, and honest feedback loops can help insurers stay ahead of the game, making more informed decisions and adapting to changes more effectively.
Budgets and channel trends: What’s growing and what’s shifting?
Brock highlights that in the Property and Casualty (P&C) world, there’s a recurring cycle we go through. Post-COVID, feedback loops and adjustments have become more consistent, helping marketers mitigate the peaks and troughs of this cycle. However, external factors like inflation, tariffs, and losses remain challenging. While vehicle losses are decreasing due to advanced safety features, home losses are becoming more expensive due to higher material costs and severe weather events.
Despite these unpredictable elements, there is a clear appetite and budget from carriers, agencies, and buyers. It’s not the Wild West, but it’s also not as restrictive as it was in 2022 and 2023. The focus is on the right customer and the right product, ensuring a thoughtful approach.
In this environment, marketers must be more conscious of budgeting and work closely with carriers to understand and adapt to these evolving dynamics.
The key to navigating a complex compliance landscape
Brock highlights that the strategies for marketers, distributors, and organizations need to be adaptable. The key is to stay aligned with both customer and buyer expectations, whether in P&C, health, or Medicare. This involves navigating the three-dimensional shifts in the compliance landscape, including state and federal regulations.
By staying informed and integrating all these elements, we can ensure consent-based marketing, aligned strategies, and effective feedback loops.
According to Matt, the key is finding the right balance. At the end of the day, you need a scalable business across the board. Volume is crucial because it’s a numbers game, and it always will be. The goal is to improve those numbers continuously.
Conclusion
As compliance, technology, and consumer expectations continue to evolve, one thing is clear: the insurance industry must stay agile to thrive. By investing in smarter acquisition tools, tightening feedback loops, and maintaining transparency throughout the lead journey, marketers and carriers alike can build stronger relationships and drive better outcomes. The path forward requires not just compliance—but confidence in every step of your funnel.
Want to see these strategies in action? Watch the full episode of the webinar for deeper insights, or book a free demo to see how ActiveProspect can help you protect your brand, improve lead quality, and scale with confidence.
