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Insurance Agent Marketing: Get Social to Build Your Business

Are you enjoying social media to stay up to date with friends and relatives, and maybe to find out what’s new with your favorite brands? Are you also connecting with customers and prospecting for new business? 

Quick note before we get started-be sure to check out your employer’s social media policy to comply with state insurance regulations and employee rules.  

Connect + Engage = Stay Top of Mind

Seven-in-ten Americans1 use some type of social media today—and you can bet these include your customers and future customers. At some point in time, they’re bound to be looking for the insurance services you offer. They may need some advice about supplementing their major medical insurance or increasing their life, disability or accident coverage.

Do they think immediately of you?  Keep in mind:

  • 77% of consumers are more likely to buy a product when learning about it from friends on social media2
  • 92% of consumers trust content published by their peers more than they trust content published by brands3

Make sure your social profile is a click—or a share—away for fast customer service and referrals. Here are some tips to make the most of Facebook and LinkedIn as business-boosting resources:

Connecting with customers on Facebook

Facebook has 2.23 billion monthly4 active users—and growing. It’s likely you’re one of them, so you know its value for staying connected to the people, companies, organizations and brands you care about. Using Facebook for your business updates can serve your goals by:

  1. Raising awareness of your products and services
  2. Showcasing your success stories
  3. Promoting social sharing, engagement, and leads
  4. Connecting with your potential customers

If you do it correctly, sharing business updates boosts your professional credibility, as your connections will see that you’re associated with a reputable insurer, and that you have insightful and interesting information to share.

Post about things that are related to your business but also of interest to your Facebook Page followers, such as: 

  • Health and wellness news or tips
  • How insurance can help financial security
  • Community news or events you’re involved in
  • Ideas for solving problems with insurance
  • Business accomplishments you want to brag about

Ideally, followers will share your posts with their own Facebook networks—and that’s how social media helps spark referrals. What’s more, customers can post reviews about how great it was working with you. And if a follower wants to contact you, it’s easy for them to find your phone number on your page or send you a Facebook message.

Engaging with customers on LinkedIn

The professional networking platform, LinkedIn, has upwards of 562 million registered users,5 making it the perfect place to drive business growth—especially if you sell group insurance to companies. To see what we mean, look at the ways an insurance agent can leverage the site:

  • Connect with existing customers
  • Gain access to your connections’ contacts, who are potential customers for you
  • Build your personal and professional credibility among customers, prospects, and other industry colleagues
  • Participate in industry-focused conversations in discussion boardslink opens in a new window among both professionals and consumers, allowing you to demonstrate knowledge and promote solutions

Here are some ideas to make the most of your LinkedIn experience:

  • Include a professional picture in your profile so your personality shines through
  • Link to a company pagelink opens in a new window (either your agency page or Combined Insurance’s page, depending on your business model)
  • Ask satisfied customers to provide testimonials
  • List any industry designations and highlight key experience and industry expertise
  • Share relevant, useful information with your network, following the guidelines we provided for Facebook 

If you want to prospect for new business, LinkedIn makes it easy. One feature you’ll want to take advantage of is the search tool. You’ll be able to search for potential customers inside and outside of your network by keyword, zip code, etc. If you find a professional you’d like to meet, you can ask a shared connection for an introduction or send the individual a personal message.

When meeting new connections, don’t jump into a sales pitch. Rather, earn their trust. Take the opportunity to get to know them and invite them to keep the conversation going in case you can be of service to one another in the future.

Be sure to “like” Combined Insurance’s Facebook Pagelink opens in a new window and “follow” us on LinkedInlink opens in a new window!

 

References:
1 Author, No. “Demographics of Social Media Users and Adoption in the United States.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, 5 Feb. 2018, pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/social-media/link opens in a new window.
2 “Newswire | A Multi-Mix Media Approach Drives New Product Awareness | Nielsen.” What People Watch, Listen To and Buy, nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2013/a-multi-mix-media-approach-drives-new-product-awareness.htmllink opens in a new window.
3 “Who Do You Trust? 92% of Consumers Trust Peer Recommendations Over Advertising.” LinkedIn, linkedin.com/pulse/who-do-you-trust-92-consumers-peer-recommendations-over-joey-little/link opens in a new window.
4 “Top 20 Facebook Statistics - Updated September 2018.” Zephoria Inc., 19 Sept. 2018, zephoria.com/top-15-valuable-facebook-statistics/. 
5 S. (2018, September 21). • Linkedin by the Numbers (2018): Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts. Retrieved from omnicoreagency.com/linkedin-statistics/link opens in a new window