Social media has provided businesses of all kinds with a platform to promote their products and services and create loyalty in customers. The attraction to social networks for both parties is the instant communication capabilities as well as the fun ways to create those bonds. Everything from contests to viral videos and capturing precious moments has helped brands across the globe to become regular names. For some industries though, succeeding on social media takes a little more know-how and out-of-the-box thinking.
Insurance isn’t exactly a sexy topic that people are flocking to social media to keep tabs on. For companies in this vertical, having a dedicated social media professional who understands the market and can strategize how to stay relevant on social media is key. For many of the smaller firms, however, adding this overhead isn’t an option and many opt to just post to social when they remember or when a staff member is available.
Issues stemming from a lack of knowledge on what to post about and having multiple different voices coming from your brand’s social media account can all create a negative social media experience. Others even decide to forgo social media marketing altogether and in today’s hyper-social world, that’s just no longer an option.
The good news for insurance companies wanting to leverage social media to improve their marketing capabilities is that there are ways you can succeed at grabbing the right attention and being heard on this platform.
First things first. In order to succeed with social media, it’s important to understand why your agency needs it and what traditional channels its quickly replacing.
In the years before online communications, insurance agents were focused on growing their lists of prospects through word of mouth referrals, keeping in touch with their customers through mailings, and other check-ins that let them know their best interests were always in mind.
Today those face-to-face interactions and phone calls have been replaced by the Internet. Now if someone wants to get information on policies, check prices, or even find company recommendations from others, they’re all heading online to find out. Particularly on social media, where networks of others are already talking about these topics.
Your presence on social media is important. You want to be able to reach customers and potential clients where they are already looking, and you want to have your brand and voice in their newsfeeds, demonstrating your expertise and why choosing your company is the best choice.
Insurance agencies may have a harder time coming up with “sexy” content that’s timely and viral-worthy, but this shouldn’t stop them from posting regularly. Especially smaller firms struggling to get their name in the ring. Being confident in the content you’re posting can be tricky for brands who aren’t sure what they should be sharing. There’s fear over sensitive or non-compliant topics, for example, and may instill the hesitation to avoid posting content at all. Or, some brands opt for the complete opposite and “shout” their products/services at their audience consistently. Each of these scenarios both have the same result – there’s no relationship being built with the audience.
So how can these social hurdles be avoided? By adding a dedicated social media strategist to manage and monitor your brand’s account, you can have the best of both worlds. Your social channels will be used to educate the audience, answer questions and be an interactive environment managed by your marketing company while you can focus on making sales and growing your business.
Take time to study the competition and other big brands. Competitive analysis is a great way to see what others are already doing to succeed on social. For example, Geico’s brand mascot is one that is widely recognized. There’s also AllState who has become well known for using emotional content that pulls at the heartstrings to make their audience feel like they truly care and are not just in it for the business. Another route could be what Nationwide insurance has done and use a catchy jingle and celebrity endorser to promote offerings. The key is to think outside the box, find the ways your own insurance company can stand out from the crowd, and then develop your social media strategy around that.
Now that you know you’re ready to leverage your social channels strategically, you’ll need to develop an effective plan of action. Clearly define your brand’s social voice, plan for your post content, and identify what your goals are. Come up with a plan that involves clearly defining your brand’s voice and even planning out the types of posts and interactions you’d like to have. A great place to begin is to look at what other insurance companies are doing to distinguish their brands on social and find ways to do the same within your company’s own budgetary possibilities.
Choose Zero Gravity Marketing to help you increase your brand awareness, drive more traffic to your site, and build lasting relationships with your customers.