To Be Successful on Social AAedia:

Just Be Yourself By Ted lanusz

Using social media to promote your agency may irstrequire a paradigm shift in yourthinking. Social media is

not about "advertising" but rather about "buildlng com

munities."Your Facebook page is not the place to shout"Call me todayto get a free insurance quote!" but ratherto engage your fans in two-way communications.

When I spoke at a recent convention for PIA of Tennes-

see, one agent told me that he successfully engaged his

followers by asking questions like, "Because of the recent

spate of weather occu rrences, you r tree fel I on you r

neighbor's house. Who doyou think is responsible fortheresulting damages?"

Not only did this open up a discussion on his Facebook

page, this dialogue allowed him to show that he was

both an insurance expert and a trusted member of thecom m u n ity, wh ich a re the two primary goa ls that you

want to achieve with your social media efforts.

Another independent insurance

agent who is both an expert and a

trusted member of his community is

Jason Verlinde, president of Verlindelnsurance in Richmond, Michigan.Today he talks with us about how he

has successfully used social media topromote his insurance agency.

O_: What kinds of otheradvertising and promotion doyou do or have you done for youragency? How have these efforts paid off comparedto the efforts you have made in social media?We ma i n ly do "Com m u n ity Advertisi n g." We sponsor

sports tea ms, golf outi n gs, loca I theatre, and zero tolera nce

(drug and alcohol) events at local schools. We do very littletraditional advertlsing with the newspaper, radio orTV.

Community advertising was "social media" before social

media existed, so it was a natural transition for us tomove into the actual social media arena.

It is tough to gauge the ROI on social media. As social

media expert CaryVaynerchuk asks, "What's the ROI ofhaving a cell phone?" But in a typical month abolt 50%

of our new business opportunities are generated by some

form ofthe lnternet. The other 50% of new business

opportunities come mainly from referrals, from providinggreat service and from being in the community for such a

long time.

iil

t

CaryVaynerchuk also reminds us that "social media is a

marathon, not a sprint."

Q: How did you get started with a Facebook page?

I actually started with Facebook because of a part-timephotography business I used to run. Having a Facebook

page for a photography business is the BOMBI lt's more

of a challenge with insurance, since it's more of a struggle

to keep posts releva nt a nd i nteresti ng.

Q: What has having a Facebook page done for youragency?First and foremost lthink it's a MUST have now.Just like

an agency Website used to be a "must have." A Facebook

page allows us to keep in front of current and prospective

clients. With over 1.25 billion people now on Facebook

and so many people spending so much time on the site,

you just have to be where your people are! For instance,

why would I advertise in the newspaper when so few ofmy clients and prospective clients even read the paper

a nymore ?

Total newspaper advertislnB revenue across the country

amounted to 542 billion in 2007. ln 20L3,it plummeted

to just 517.3 billion.

O-: One of the concerns for an agency starting a

page is "Where can I get content?" Where do youget the content for your page?

Today lwalked intothefront of the agencytotalkto a cli-

entwho is an excavatorwho came in to pick up a Certifi-

cate of lnsurance. When I asked him "How's business?" he

proudly explained that his phone is ringing off the hook

right now! Lots of people are planning to build houses

this spring. That's the kind ofthing that I post on Face-

book. lt's not insurance related, but it's what people like

and want to hearl Things are looking upl

Keepyour mind open forthingsthatyou knowyour Face-

bookfans wantto hear about, whetherthey are insur

ance related or community events. The key is to make

your posts be about them and not always about youragency. Always keepyour eyes open.

Here is the actual post ljust made:

"To get a real feel about how the economy is doing talk toreal people. Don't listen to the news or read the newspa-

per.They may have agendas.Two conversations I had thisweek. Two things I heard come out of clients' mouths this

Jason Verlinde ofVerlinde lnsurance inRichmond, Michigan

I

Continued on page 49

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To Be Successful on Socia I AAed ia : J u st Be Yo u rse lf ByTed Janusz

week. #1 - "1 could hire 20 mechanics and work them allovertime if I could find qualtfied people." #2 - My phone hasbeen ringing non-stop with people looking for excavatingquotes. Lots of new home building plansfor the spring."

I believe these people more than the Free Press, DetroitNews, Fox News or CNN anyday."

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I also alwaystryto include a photograph or some other image witheach post, to catch the reader's eye.

This post has already received some "likes." People love toseethatyou are real and thatyou care.

O_: What was the biggest thing you have learnedfrom trying different things in social media?Not everything works or gets traction. Something that I

think will be successful ends up going nowhere. Some ofthe things that I thought were "dumb" ideas a re the onesthat took off. You .1ust never know! lust keep tryingl

U n like trad ition a I ma rketing for wh ich you may com m it(and lose) hundreds or even thousands of doilars, withsocial media, the only real investment isyourtime.

Q: What has been the most successful thing youhave done?Probably the most successful thing we have done onFacebook was to promote a fundraiser for a local f remanwho had a massive heart attack. We posted the eventflyer and asked people to share. We advertised we woulddonate $1 for each share, with a maximum of $200.(Always set a maxl)

Although we didn't hit the 200 shares we did get over BO

shares (and we still donated the $200). The Facebook post

reached over 3,600 people, without us paying anything topromote the agency. Our hope is that we also inspired ourfollowers to donate to the cause.

Q: Do you think that Facebook pages and otherforms of social media can be successfully run byan outside consultant or centralized entity, or doeseach agency need to maintain their own page?As of this intervieW we do all of our social media inhouse. But I am looking into hiring a consultant to dosome of the managing, posting and writing. lf you findthe right person or organization who actually KNOWS

you and your agency's personality andbrand, I believe itcan be done successfully.

Q: What other advice would you give to otherindependent agents looking to start their ownFacebook page or participate in social media?B E YOU RS E LF. Do not try to be someth ing on line thatyou're not. People will see right th rough the fa ke. Andof course, the golden rule of social media: Don't' postanythingyou wouIdn't wantyour mother, grandmof heror priest to see I

Ted Janusz has been honored to contribute articles to all fivea n n u a I PIA Nationa I Agency Ma rketi n g C u ides. Beca use

92% oJ consumers looking for local businesses now starttheir journey with an lnternet search, Ted Janusz speakson how insurance agents can create great contentfor theWeb, so that their agencies wtll be found. Contact Ted atI e d ig I a n u s'o re-seir /'ni;ori s.rom.