Does your insurance agency already have an active presence on large social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter? If so, you may question the need to spend time and resources on yet another social website. However, the possibility of using this platform to obtain better natural search engine visibility and natural integration with other Google products makes Google+ tough to ignore.
Basics of Google+
Many beginners find the interface less intuitive than either Twitter or Facebook, but you should get a handle on it in no time if you just dive in. Basically, you just need to set up an account, work on your profile, find or invite connections, and start posting. Of course, you will want to constantly search for more connections to add to your various circles. Circles, in Google+, are groups of people that you can segregate. One major advantage that this platform has is the ability to develop different circles to divide your connections up into groups. That means that you can create a different presence for your business associates, insurance agency partners, clients and personal connections. You can choose which of these groups to share various posts with, which is much tougher to accomplish on Facebook or Twitter.
Make the Most of Your Time on Google+
Here are some tips to maximize your investment in Google’s social network:
- Set up authorship: You can add yourself as a contributor to your own website or blog on Google+. Also, connect your website back to your Google+ profile. If you use WordPress, for example, you can find some free plugins that make this easy. That way, your profile picture should eventually appear in Google search results right beside your listing. This gives you automatic social proof and makes your entry more visible when potential clients search for the products and services you offer.
- Develop your social circles: You can show your posts publicly to everybody, choose specific circles, or even specific individuals. That means you can talk about lead generation strategies with other agents without risking your reputation with potential clients if you plan your circles well.
- Find good communities to join: On Google+, communities are like groups on Facebook. You could start by finding active communities where you have the chance to network with potential clients or interface with other agents to trade tips.
Don’t Forget the American Agents Alliance Community
In addition to supporting agents with sales tips and education, American Agents Alliance also helps our member agencies network within their community and all over the country. Of course, you can also find us on Google+!
