Does your new year come with a new commitment to networking? For some people, the networking aspect of insurance agency marketing is a delight. For others, it's intimidating. How can you create a strong, cohesive insurance network this year, even if marketing intimidates you?
Get Involved In Your Local Community
While you might draw clients from a wide geographic area, getting involved in your local community can still help you build your business networks. Whether it's joining the local Chamber of Commerce or participating as a sponsor of one of the high school sports teams, the more opportunities you have to show who you are in the community, the better. These actions build peoples' trust in your business and encourage them to promote you to friends and to become clients themselves.
Consider Yourself a Resource
How can you help others this year? Writing about what you know is a way of sharing with others and becoming an important resource for your clients and for others who come across your website. For instance, if you provide auto insurance, you can write about how to choose auto insurance and what clients need to know about different types of insurance.
If you're a leader in your professional field, determine your niche and write about this, and you'll build your insurance network as well. For instance, you might have a lot of experience building a new business from the ground up in a small community. By writing about experiences like these in professional venues such as LinkedIn, you'll develop credibility in the insurance community. Comment on LinkedIn discussions as well; according to SisWare, you will want to be sure your comment adds value to the conversation because that adds credibility to your reputation as a leader in the field.
Connect People With Each Other
As your networks grow, you'll find that you meet people who have a few things in common. If you connect those people together, you'll develop your credibility as a caring, thoughtful insurance agency. Insurance Splash states that "when you’re the person introducing two others, you’ll naturally assume a position of power within that group of three." You don't need to give anything except your time.
Rely on Others
If you dislike networking – or even if networking is your favorite thing to do – you should also send your staff to networking events instead of going yourself. When many people at your agency feel comfortable talking with other businesses and leads about what you do, this makes your insurance agency stronger because it builds your overall networking capacity.
Follow Up
If you meet someone at a networking event, the connection you made at that event only grows if you nurture it. Just like nurturing a lead, you need to follow up with your connections with a quick email. You can also connect that person with information, leads, and contacts in the business so that you provide value immediately to your new contacts.
Go Outside Your Comfort Zone
Where can you cross-market this year? Going outside your usual group of leads can yield excellent results for your business. Reach out to organizations and businesses that are not in your field, but who could benefit from your expertise. For instance, a seniors' center might be interested in having a workshop focused on safe driving and auto insurance. By making activities happen that are outside of your usual scope of work, you'll build connections with other community organizations and with prospective leads.
At American Agents Alliance, we're here to create an insurance agent association that you can trust to help you build your insurance network. Learn more today; take a look at our membership benefits and explore the networking possibilities of our Alliance Convention.
