Is your insurance agency on the right social media platforms? If you like to communicate in pictures, try Instagram. Instagram is a photo-sharing social media platform that allows you to communicate with those who need to buy into the insurance industry: the 18 to 35-year-old age bracket. Most of the 150 million plus people on Instagram fall into that age group, and it can be a powerful way to communicate with them using a visual medium. Here’s how your insurance agency can use Instagram to connect with this audience.
1. Send Out an Invitation
Part of Instagram’s power lies in its hashtags. With them, you can create a buzz about an event or a campaign and send it out to your Instagram followers. For example, if you’re hosting a home safety workshop for new parents, take photos of dos and don’ts and add a hashtag about the workshop. Make sure that the images are informative and engaging so that people will share the image and its tag. Be aware of other insurance, health, and safety-oriented hashtags on Instagram so that you can take part in larger campaigns as well.
2. Express Your Brand
Instagram is an opportunity to express your brand in a new way, through pictures instead of only words. If you’re blogging and using Facebook and Twitter, you likely have a feel of how your business interacts with social media and how your brand translates online. Take this to a new level and express your brand visually. For example, if you have a strong community orientation, share photos of your business participating in community events or photos of your community. Instagram gives you the opportunity to express your brand in a new way online.
3. Share Information
Sharing photos also gives you the chance to share information about local and national events and promote public safety and wellness. Whether it’s sharing the news about preparations for a hurricane in another part of the country or reminding people about the flooding that happened in your town the year before, you can use Instagram to share others’ photos and share historical photos from your area. This makes you a source of valuable information, news, and tips.
4. Demonstrate Solutions
How can local tenants protect their homes from fire? What’s the best way to stay safe on an icy road? Instagram gives you the opportunity to demonstrate solutions for your customers. Show them a visual, and link to more information, adding a call to action to your Instagram photos.
5. Invite Participation
Part of the fun of Instagram is the ability to create a photo campaign for your business. Develop a stronger connection with your younger customers by getting them to send out photos for a campaign or contest that you hold. For example, you could host a public safety campaign around Halloween, focusing on the safety of trick-or-treaters, and encourage people to post the costumes that they or their children are wearing.
As an independent insurance agency, you’re constantly challenged to think about how to promote your business in new ways. At American Agents Alliance, we’re here to help. Join us and connect with other independent agencies who face the same promotional challenges and opportunities. Contact us today to learn more about our many membership benefits.
