Social media is meant to be a channel of two-way communication, not one-way like advertising and other marketing tactics of old. Consumers have shown themselves willing to have conversations with brands on social media.
One of the great things about social media is how easily consumers can have conversations with brands that they couldn’t have before. Social media is not a broadcast channel and should not be treated as such. If you only use social media to promote and market your agency, you will be spinning your wheels. Instead, focus on starting conversations, and you’ll start to gain traction as you build relationships and position yourself as an insurance expert.
How often you post about your services or your agency will depend on the social network you use. For example, a good rule of thumb on Facebook is a 1:4 ratio (for everyone self-promotional post, you share four posts about other topics). Because Twitter has a higher frequency of posts, you might aim for a 1:10 ratio.
So what do you post about if you aren’t supposed to talk about yourself? Here are seven ideas for the next time you find yourself wondering what to say besides “Is your auto insurance up for renewal? Call us for a free quote!”
Follow local news sources as well as industry news sources. Share breaking news as it occurs.
Share the content the people you follow post. This will help strengthen the relationships you’re building with the people you follow because you’re helping them broaden their audience. This content could be interesting articles, blog posts, statistic, and facts. Chances are you are probably already reading content that would be great to share. Just take it one step further and share it on social media.
Post your customer testimonials and reviews.
Look through your archives, and re-share your old blog posts. Just because you shared it once, doesn’t mean you can’t share it again. If the content is still relevant, your newer followers who missed it the first time would appreciate seeing it. Be careful to spread it out though. People will find it annoying if they saw the same post several times in quick succession.
Have fun with your posts. Social media doesn’t have to be serious and all business all the time. It’s a great opportunity to have a little fun so your followers can get to know you and your agency better. Share quotes, song lyrics, trivia, jokes and entertaining videos or photos, but decide in advance what kind of humor is appropriate for your agency’s brand, and stay within those limits.
Share behind-the-scenes pictures of your agency. These can be pictures of your team, clients (get their permission first), events, etc.
Post about your passion. We have a customer who is a huge college football fan. So during the fall he shares stories about his favorite team and posts about upcoming games and results. His clients love it because they get to know who he is besides an insurance agent. He’s getting personal with his followers without sharing information about his private life.
What do you like to post and share with your followers on social media?
About the Author: Laird Rixford, vice president of product development at Insurance Technologies Corporation (ITC), currently consults agencies nationwide on their online marketing initiatives. Laird and the Insurance Website Builder team have launched more than 2,000 insurance agency websites nationwide. In addition to Insurance Website Builder, Laird has designed the AgencyBuzz drip email marketing and lead management solution exclusively for the insurance industry. To learn more about ITC and its products and services for insurance agents, visit www.GetITC.com.
