We all know social media sites can drive traffic to your site and help you climb the SEO ladder (check out Honey’s blog post about SEO). And I’m sure your business is already on a few of them. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are all familiar, right? I hope so.
But what about some of these other ones: Instagram, Yelp, Pinterest, Flickr, Tumblr… You don’t have to get on all of these right now (and it might take some creative thinking to relate them to the insurance world), but it may be helpful to check them out and see what all the fuss is about.
Let’s take a look at a few of them:
Yelp
Yelp is not just for finding the best restaurants and avoiding the bad ones anymore. Yelp is a very popular way for customers to leave feedback about all types of businesses. (In fact, I may have written a Yelp review about my local insurance agent.) Yelp is important because when you Google a local business, one of the first search results after their website and Facebook is typically a Yelp review.
Find your business at http://www.yelp.com and click “Claim This Business” to complete your details and add a logo or photos. Then encourage your clients to write good (albeit honest) reviews.
Pinterest
What’s this Pinterest site that popped out of nowhere? And isn’t it just for women? The concept is basic: users pin pictures and sites they find interesting onto a virtual pinboard and share it with the world. These images can be liked and repinned indefinitely, while each pin links back to the original site. And it’s definitely not just for women. Check out the US Army’s Pinterest board.
You can create boards that focus on work-related topics like the markets you cover, tips on how to take care of that prized boat, events and conferences you attend, community service projects, company history, etc. But Pinterest boards don’t have to be overly promotional – actually, sometimes it’s better if they’re not. You can also pin up non work-related things like adventures with the office dog, travels, recipes, etc. Sign up for an account at http://pinterest.com.
Instagram
They say pictures speak a thousand words. How about 2011’s App of the Year – Instagram? Facebook just bought it for $1 billion and it recently became available for Android with over 1 million downloads in the first 24 hours… so you know everyone and their mother will be using it. Instagram can make even the most mundane shots interesting. Hey, if CNN can make the GOP debates look glamorous or if GE can make turbines into art all with a camera phone, you can make insurance sexy. I’m sure of it.
Just snap a photo, apply a filter, edit, then share it with your social networks. Visit http://instagr.am for more info.
When you’re using any social media sites for marketing, here are some good rules of thumb to follow:
- Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your mom to see
- Post consistently
- Comment back and keep the conversations going
- Show your audience that you’re human and relatable
- Don’t make it too salesy or promotional
- Keep it classy and positive
- Have fun with it
Now proudly show off all of those hip social media icons on your website.
Topics Training Development
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