Independent Agent 2.0: Branding Through Blogging and Beyond
National News • October 10, 2008
Real time technology is giving agencies immediate access to carrier information on their clients, allowing agencies to quickly and efficiently transact quotes, billing inquiries, endorsements, ...
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Subject: Is There a Role for Web 2.0 in the Agency System?
Posted On: October 13, 2008, 8:44 am CDT
Posted By: Kevin McDonald
Comment:
As Mr. Morgan points out in the rest of the article, the answer is clearly yes. If anything, the article is too tepid. Take for instance this quote:
'Is there a role for Web 2.0 in the agency system?
Morgan: Yes, yet I don't think we fully understand what that role would be.'
We understand completely what the role of Web 2.0 is - and that is to communicate with a community and to communicate one-on-one, but transparently, so that a larger community might benefit from, or contribute to a blog, YouTube video channel, LinkedIn, or Facebook exhchanges.
Insurance agents are clearly and rightly concerned about capturing younger customers. And those younger customers are all over the Web 2.0 mediums referenced above. Progressive gets it. That's why they have a blog. Wells Fargo gets it. That's why they have a YouTube channel. If you want to capture the attention of consumers, you need to communicate in the mediums they frequent.
Mr. Morgan also correctly points out that insurance agents are already developing 'content'. They are just confining that content to emails, newsletters, and promotions. If an insurance agent wants to be heard by a younger target audience, then that content needs to be set free in a Web 2.0 medium.
Posting to a blog or setting up a YouTube channel may not get the desired results, but that is often the case with old school marketing and communication tactics as well. Web 2.0 tools make it possible to do something now, on a very modest budget, ascertain results quickly and retool quickly. It makes no sense, if the goal is to capture younger customers, to sit on the sidelines and wonder about Web 2.0.
Subject: Is There a Role for Web 2.0 in the Agency System?
'Is there a role for Web 2.0 in the agency system?
Morgan: Yes, yet I don't think we fully understand what that role would be.'
We understand completely what the role of Web 2.0 is - and that is to communicate with a community and to communicate one-on-one, but transparently, so that a larger community might benefit from, or contribute to a blog, YouTube video channel, LinkedIn, or Facebook exhchanges.
Insurance agents are clearly and rightly concerned about capturing younger customers. And those younger customers are all over the Web 2.0 mediums referenced above. Progressive gets it. That's why they have a blog. Wells Fargo gets it. That's why they have a YouTube channel. If you want to capture the attention of consumers, you need to communicate in the mediums they frequent.
Mr. Morgan also correctly points out that insurance agents are already developing 'content'. They are just confining that content to emails, newsletters, and promotions. If an insurance agent wants to be heard by a younger target audience, then that content needs to be set free in a Web 2.0 medium.
Posting to a blog or setting up a YouTube channel may not get the desired results, but that is often the case with old school marketing and communication tactics as well. Web 2.0 tools make it possible to do something now, on a very modest budget, ascertain results quickly and retool quickly. It makes no sense, if the goal is to capture younger customers, to sit on the sidelines and wonder about Web 2.0.