View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/blogs/2012/11/28/271669.htm
This post is part of a series on insurance marketing and training sponsored by Astonish.
Having a well-defined social media strategy is crucial to reaching and marketing to the modern consumer. And every well-defined strategy requires knowing where to get the most bang for the buck – in this case the buck is the time and effort it takes to implement a good strategy.
When starting out with social media, the best place to focus an agency’s efforts is on Facebook. This social network has 1 billion active users per month, according to recent statistics compiled by the company, making Facebook the largest social network in the world.
So how can your insurance agency leverage this social power-house to reach the masses? Much like blogging, it requires more than writing a few random status updates every once in a while when it “feels right.” You’ve got to set up a plan and stick with it.
That plan should include these essential elements:
Timing of Status Updates
Most insurance professionals post too frequently on the agency’s Facebook page or too infrequently. Posting too frequently is the quickest way to lose “likes” and “friends” because it can clog up consumers’ news feeds. Not posting enough is a good way to discourage new consumers from liking the agency’s page, since there’s not a lot on the page to interact with or draw people to it. So where’s the middle ground? The best rule of thumb when timing status updates is to aim for 1 to 3 updates per day. There are some really astonishing social tools out there that can help agents plan Facebook updates in advance. This also limits the amount of time it takes to login everyday and create status updates. HootSuite, VerticalResponse Social, and Sprout Social are just a few.
Entertaining Content
Posting ONLY about insurance on your agency’s Facebook page, isn’t going to get the agency the exposure it needs on social networks. We know the urge to do this is strong, but please fight it with all your might. Those agency pages that get the most traction on Facebook are ones that use humor and community-related status update… and lots of pictures or images! That’s not to say you can’t post about insurance sometimes, it’s just better to make sure the focus is on entertaining the agency’s followers. Don’t forget about the images as Facebook is a highly visual medium.
Contests & Special Offers
In a study conducted by ExactTarget, 58% of consumers said they expected to get access to exclusive events, sales and discounts after liking a company page on Facebook. That’s why it’s so important for insurance professionals to think of ways to use Facebook strategically to not only entertain and brand their agency, but to offer exclusive information and events that consumers wouldn’t find elsewhere. An example of this might be a Facebook contest that provides contestants a prize for liking the agency’s partners’ Facebook pages. The prizes could be discounts on partners’ products and services. One of our Astonish clients achieved awesome results through this type of contest, outlined in this case study.
Listening to Your Friends
Lastly, one of the most effective ways to use Facebook is as a listening tool. Spend some time each week responding to or engaging people who comment on or like your agency’s page. Ask them questions. Let them know you’re listening.
These are just some of the aspects of a killer Facebook marketing strategy that your agency could implement today, though you’ll need to get a solid grasp on your agency’s brand and marketing goals before implementing a social media strategy. For more help on that front, you’ll need to work with a company that provides insurance digital marketing solutions, one that can be your true partner in developing an online presence and sales management system that gets results.
About the Author: Adam DeGraide is the Founder and CEO of Astonish. As an Internet marketing veteran and sales guru, DeGraide has spent the past 15 years creating “The Greatest Digital Marketing System in the World.” His company, Astonish, offers a complete digital marketing system built specifically for the insurance industry that combines the best digital marketing tools such as: websites, CRM, SEO, SEM, social media, blogging, email marketing, mobile marketing, and text message marketing, with powerful sales training and agency consulting. Hundreds of agencies across the country are leveraging the Astonish system to increase their revenue. Learn more at www.Astonish.com.