Page 7 - The Bureau
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The first of these was in March 1998 in Money

         Marketing…’Bureau offers instant IFA Websites’
         and Insurance Times…Website offer to small fi rms’.



         This was followed by Brokers’ Monthly in May…

         1998 Brian Susman* talks to Alastair Murray
         about The Bureau’.



         The following year in 1999 it enjoyed

         monthly press mentions in insurance

         and financial publications as well as
         CGU’s own in-house magazine
         Insurance IQ.  In an article entitled

         ‘Net Profit’ CGU published a selection

         of Website case studies published

         during the year and a checklist of
         questions for brokers to ask when

         designing a Website. One of these key
         questions was …’what a Website can do

         for you’…which at the time was seen as a lot.



         The majority of Websites created by The Bureau
         included many of the features still used today,

         albeit now a lot slicker. Some were more
         pertinent at the time, including ‘Feedback’ and

         ‘Information Request’ forms onto which site
         visitors emailed their replies and comments.


         At a time when firms and their customers were
         learning how to use this new Internet media

         platform, both were experimenting.



         Most Club Elite brokers opted for specially
         produced ‘Website Promo Cards’ with ‘See Us

         On The Internet’. The Bureau had these
         personalised for each broker and IFA to send

         out and attract new visitors and enquirers to

         their specific Websites, with each displaying
         the broker’s or IFA’s Web address. In these early
         days direct mail was still an important marketing method.
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