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Does your insurance agency have a full-time Social Media/Marketing Specialist? If not, you should really consider making a hire. Let’s face it; marketing simply isn’t what it used to be. Marketing strategies have evolved over time, because technology keeps advancing on an almost daily basis. Marketing can still be done through word of mouth, building relationships, and of course by positioning yourself to be an industry leader… but when we live in a day and age where we can connect ourselves to a wide audience in just minutes through various forms of social media, shouldn’t we be embracing the technologies that have been seemingly handed to us? Social media marketing is the future of name branding, an efficient and transparent form of building engaging conversations, and overall, a guaranteed method to generate more sales for your insurance agency.
Social Media = Power
Think about the concept of social media for just a moment; hundreds of millions of people stay connected through different forms of networking, and we have the ability to put whatever information we choose in front of them, at any given point of time. Social media is an immediate form of communication that is both efficient and relatable. We can explore multiple outlets and connect with our audience the way they want to communicate. If we have a certain set of people that enjoy networking through Facebook, we can reach out to them there; if we have an audience who tweets regularly, we can work to get their following; and the same concepts go for various other networks such as LinkedIn, blog posts, and many more avenues. We can put our information in front of mass audiences after just a few clicks, and with well thought-out content, we can attract those people into our wheelhouse. Distributing content has never been easier, and with marketing strategies constantly evolving, it’s great to know that social media networking is always staying up to date, and that people actually want to stay connected with one another. Let’s reach out to people in a way that is going to leave a mark.
Let’s Talk Branding
Let’s dig a little deeper. Name brand recognition is something that isn’t new to any of us, but… how exactly do we go about legitimizing our brand to a vast audience all at once? Think about this for a moment; when we say the phrase “I’m Lovin’ It,” what is the first thing that comes to mind? Or if someone tells you to “Just Do It,” what d
oes that make you think of? The answers, of course, are McDonald’s and Nike respectively, and that’s something that hits the forefront of our minds simply by hearing their company’s slogans. It’s about connection and repetition, and social media gets us one step closer to maintaining this concept of brand recognition. One of social media’s most recognized benefits is that it gives us an opportunity to introduce our brand to an entire marketplace. With the many outlets of social networking available, we are able to distribute content to multiple sources in a small amount of time, and in the process, maximize our reach. Social media is a source of information that most people interact with on a daily basis. Having your brand in their newsfeed keeps your insurance agency’s name in the forefront of their minds. Just imagine, if someone were to say the words “Our Trusted Insurance Agent,” wouldn’t it be nice if the first thing that came to their mind was your agency? This is the essence of what we are looking to capture, through strategic, well-developed, and credible social media content, that is both engaging and enjoyable for our target audience.
It All Boils Down to ROI
Alright, so social media has a lot of bells and whistles, and that’s clear to all of us at this point. At the end of the day though, what is it that matters the most to a company? It all boils down to sales. For a company to maintain success, it needs to stay lucrative, and that truly is the goal of extending our brand and reaching out to our mass audiences. When you stay in front of your customer base on a regular basis, they will think about your brand name first before your competitors when they need your services. It’s about applying multiple touches through social media in a way that validates your company so that your audience feels that you are a trusted solution to their problems. Social media can legitimize your b
rand through the use of success stories, clientele reviews, and through other forms of content that engages your network such as informative visuals or videos. Think about this, once you reach out to one person, and their friends see that they are part of your following, there is a mutual connection formed that makes bridging the gap to your next target prospect that much easier. You can keep your content up to date and relevant and constantly deliver on a regular basis, and when people know that you are professionals, they will be more inclined to come to you, and feel as though you genuinely care about the services that you are providing. Success is like a snowball effect, and once you’ve hit success within your audience marketplace through multiple forms of social networking, you can focus on maintaining (and growing!) your brand over time.
What are you Waiting For?
It is clear that social media marketing is an imperative source of putting your brand in front of many people at once. Even though other various forms of marketing are still effective in today’s world, it’s important to reach out to people in whatever ways we can to maximize our business efforts. Immediate and efficient communication, name brand recognition, and increased sales have all evolved through the technology that social media marketing has provided us with. I truly stand behind the fact that you should have at least one full-time social media marketing specialist in place if you want your agency to continue growing. I have a team of multiple individuals at my insurance agency dedicated strictly to our marketing efforts. Let’s embrace change, keep moving forward with our marketing strategies, and recognize that social media marketing can be a successful way to pave the future for any company.
