Social Media

[davehowell@me.com]

How does your agency deal with employees using social media at work to enhance your agency's search efforts?

[mickeyfridia178]

that depends on the agency and the way they work, some agencies do utilize all the resources
and some dont...ask your agency before signing up with them.

[michga11]

CEO is fine with whatever as long as it produces some business.

[JasonBHBCo]

Any agency foraying into social media should definitely have a Social Media Policy in place that addresses acceptable use, agency guidelines, and have a sufficient amount of training in order to ensure privacy and security concerns are well understood. The ACT website has several examples and numerous presentations on the topic.
Additionally, if an agency is serious about using online media and marketing, and especially if it has an active marketing plan, some strategic planning should be done. Minimally, goals should be outlined and metrics defined to capture the ROI of the agency's efforts. These should be well integrated with the marketing that is done via traditional channels. Assign the right people to drive this effort, provide appropriate planning and training, and with consistency, the agency will see significant results.
Regards,
Jason

[michga11]

we have a board of shame.

[RandyOlson]

+1 to Jason. Typically, company sets out clear goals as to what should be communicated over the Internet. Such policy documents help internal as well as external customers understand the communication channel.

[michga11]

bump. good read.

[Rainmaker]

As it relates to the use of Social Media over the entire population of an insurance agency - I would agree that a policy be put in place to mitigate the personal use of this medium, specifically, to align it towards that which contributes to the agency's ability to generate new clients or produce happy ones!

As it relates to this issue 'silo'd' specifically to new business development efforts, there is, in my opinion, a great deal of opportunity here that would serve new business development efforts.

For example, we are about to publish a report from data derived from our Producer Skill Set Survey which asks questions in 30 different categories relating to what producers do (or do not do) to win more new business. We found that 85.7% of the insurance producers polled DID NOT use Social Media to support their new business development efforts!

However, when we cross referenced that answer with producers who were selling north of $232,000 of new business per year, 94.7% of them were using Social Media to aid their prospecting efforts and effectively close new business!

We'll be issuing the full Report, with commentaries and conclusions, downloadable from our website in about 30 days for a nominal fee. In the meantime, for those who sign up for our mailing list we are happy to send an abbreviated data extraction of 10 foundational elements free of charge.

(Sorry to post a pseudo-advertisement but I genuinely think the data is compelling and will help help people so I am mentioning it!)

Food for thought. Hope this helps.

[icanewfriend]

I found the comments here to be very helpful. I have been doing quite a bit of research on the Insurance industry's noted hestistation in fully embracing social media. In fact, I recently completed and published a two part blog post that I think your readers will appreciate reviewing. From some of the comments I have received, following publication, I am told that I am spot on with my remarks. I am glad this was the case, since I studied long and hard to understand many of the related issues, so as to be helpful to my company's clients.

Here are links to the two posts. I'd appreciate any feedback you have to offer. Please feel free to E-mail me at marc.levine@RiaEnjolie.com.

Part One: http://www.icanewfriend.com/blog/?p=123
Part Two: http://www.icanewfriend.com/blog/?p=139

Thank you!

Marc LeVine
Director of Social Media
RiaEnjolie, Inc.
http://www.riaenjolie.com/insurance-websites.html

[insurancenewb]

I'd say social media is not such a big deal as they make it to be, just go to Twitter and Facebook, get some accounts there, notify your regular customers to follow you and that's pretty much all.

[icanewfriend]

What would you all say are the greatest risks that an agent or broker has regarding his or her active participation in social media? What topics and/or information would you say are off limits and taboo, that can actually create regulatory infringements?

[Gunther]

What would you all say are the greatest risks that an agent or broker has regarding his or her active participation in social media?

A dissatisfied customer writes something unflattering on your Facebook wall or tweets about a bad claim experience.

My question, once this does happen how should a situation like this be handled?

[d's insurance store]

I recently had two nasty comments posted to a social media site about my agency...the first from a former client who put in writing a request to cancel his policy and go elsewhere, and then when certain facts were made available to the new carrier, they declined coverage and he wanted his old policy back. The former carrier now knew about the deficiencies and delcined to reinstate. I then had the honor of being blasted for cancelling a policy without permission.

The second case involved a former client who let his personal auto policy go to non pay lapse, and then got angry when the carrier turned him over to collection for unpaid/earned premium which was never paid. He called my agency and wanted help to stop the collection action...we delcined, and were lambasted for poor service.

In each instance, as I learned of them, my first inclination was to go and post an answer, giving my side of the story. And in strong language, absolve my agency of any blame and label the two posters as idiots. I then decided to cool off before letting loose, and I'm glad I did. Internet searches love this kind of back and forth conflict because of the search visability. I did not want to show up in searches on the internet because of some crazy back and forth 'I'm right!, NO! You're wrong and I'm right!'...and how can anyone tell who is the nut case in these matters anyway?

So, my position is to just ignore it. I cannot defense against unreasonable lunatics that might happen to stop by my agency for a policy from time to time, and I certainly don't want to lend credibility to their own expressed demons in the public world of the internet. As someone much wiser said to me..."what do you care...the kinds of people who are friends of these folks you don't want to be dealing with anyway, so why obsess over what they post..."

[JasonBHBCo]

Great examples d.
You hit the nail on the head when you said that you decided to cool off before thinking about posting something.
Sometimes engaging and replying in a professional manner in a (public) online forum is the right way to go; especially when you have provided less than optimum service, but you are fixing it. This shows everyone that you care, that you are interested in what the client sees from their point of view, and when others see that it further builds your reputation.
On the other hand (and as it seems in your examples), if people are complaining and they are in the wrong (or they are unreasonable lunatics!), it becomes readily apparent in the way they post complaints. The online community is sophisticated enough to see when someone is just making a lot of noise. And sometimes, your true clients and connections will act and respond on your behalf instead.
Regards,
Jason

[e-bit]

The best thing about Facebook is you can delete comments left on your wall.