If someone told you five years ago that you’d be selling insurance on social media, you’d have laughed. But today you’re reading, not laughing. The fact is, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, even Google+ are all great opportunities for insurance sales, for both your web leads and your aged leads.
Despite its gimmicky appearance, selling on social media isn’t the latest fad. It’s simply where smart sales agents are turning their focus because that’s where their customers are. As early as 2015, social media was surpassing organic search as the top website referral traffic source. In the years since, social media has become an even bigger part of peoples’ lives and targeting, analytics, and sharing algorithms continue to improve.
In today’s post, I’m going to share some social media marketing basics, plus some specific creative ideas for nurturing and selling to your social media audience.
Social Media Marketing Basics to Get You Started
Just where do you start with your social media lead gen and marketing work?
Watch and Learn
Well, first sign up for one or more of the big social media platforms. Facebook and Twitter are good places to start. Then, observe. “Follow” (or “like” as the case may be) some brands, news sources, or popular personalities. Take note of how people interact with each other and with brands like yours. Each social media platform will be slightly different, though there are general patterns that hold true for many corners of the web.
Put Yourself Out There
The only way to learn and get better is to try. So start posting after you get a hang of the basics. Don’t worry if you don’t have fans fawning over you immediately. It takes time to hit your stride, and, if it makes you feel better, the average social post has a half-life of a few minutes, so just carry on if no one laughs at your joke or comments on your office photo.
Post About Interesting Industry-Adjacent Topics
Since this will be social media with a business intent, think strategically about what content you put out. It should all make sense from an insurance customer perspective. Think car maintenance tips, household spring cleaning, retiree health and fitness — whatever fits with your lines of business, i.e., auto insurance, home mortgage refi, Medicare supplement, etc. Just don’t hit people over the head with hard sells or post only pictures of your little one’s chinchilla.
Be Consistent
A big factor in being seen in your followers’ social media timelines is posting consistently. The algorithm punishes business pages that post in fits and starts with low visibility. Users themselves tend to be annoyed when a page that has gone silent suddenly posts a firehose of content, too. Instead make a point to post daily, a few times a week, etc., and generally stick to it. There are also social media management tools if you prefer to schedule posts ahead of time.
Promote Your Social Presence
Lastly, don’t forget to tell your current clients, your network, and your friends and family that your agency is now on social media. There are widgets for integrating your social media content into the sidebar of your website and blog. You can also add social icons to your website, email signature, lead gen page, or even your business cards. And don’t feel shy about asking your biggest fans to share your page or your social posts, and help grow your social following.
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Creative Ideas for Your Social Media Content
Of course, you’ll grow your following faster and larger the more interesting and useful the content is that you post. This is where your creativity comes in. On social media, you should generally always avoid the hard sell. Instead, you want to subtly remind clients and prospects of your existence, add value to their online experience with good and interesting content, and build a positive, favorable reputation for your brand. Here are some ideas that might help:
- Post stories about saving clients money. Everyone loves a good, memorable story — especially when it has a happy ending for your insurance customers. Give some details — perhaps the type of car that was insured, or some detail about how they chose to go with your agency — and most important, the success that this decision led to.
- Post about the horror stories. The other side of the happy ending client story is the horror story about that person who didn’t buy life insurance or had a bad experience with a competitor. These negative stories can be just as persuasive as your own agency’s positive tales.
- Announce new product lines or coverage options. When you expand your business or begin selling new products, let your followers know. Make sure to personalize it — explain how this new product is great for people who… and fill in the blank.
- Cross-sell to your current clientele. Many of your biggest social media fans are already going to be customers. They’ve already bought and they only have so many cars or homes to insure. So use your platform to advertise other lines of insurance you sell, remind clients to refer their friends, and so on.
- Share positive testimonials. On social media, one of the most powerful marketing tools is “social proof.” The word of another person “just like” your target can go a long ways towards a sale. So when you have ecstatic customers, ask if you can use their glowing review as a testimonial on your website and social media.
As you can see, social media insurance marketing is no laughing matter. This is a real platform where you can reach real customers, build your brand, nurture leads to a closed sale, gain referrals, and more. It can take a bit of practice to get the hang of social media if you’re new to the game, but the results are worth it. Your customers and leads aren’t going anywhere, they’ll still be on Facebook and Twitter next year, so you might as well join them and introduce yourself.
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