Social Media for Insurance Companies

What’s the most important thing an insurance company needs to know in Social Media?

What are our own agents saying?!? 


This is a logical place for any marketing, operations, customer service or other unit within an insurance brand to start. 

  • Are their posts working against your messages?
  • Are their posts inconstant with your best practices?
  • Are their posts focusing on selling services instead of engaging?
  • Is their activity compliant with FINRA’s guidelines?

 It’s easy to find out with the right tools. It’s essential to do if your brand is going to use Social Media at all.

Using a Social CRM tool, you should be able to instantly see a snapshot of what your group of agents are saying right now, across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, their own blog if they write one, and any other social network you’ve chosen to plug into your “corporate” interface. You should be able to view everything they are saying, or filter down by those posts specifically about the brand or other keywords.

Also, let’s not only look at this as a “gotcha” tool. After all you don’t want to play bad cop all day. There may be some great, appropriate content that your agents are posting. After all, your field agents are the front line, talking with customers face-to-face daily, and know your brand’s services better than anyone. Perhaps there’s some content they are posting that could be repurposed and shared to via your corporate fan pages or blogs.

Next week, we’ll take a look at repurposing and redistributing your agents’ content, as well as your clients’ content in a fast and effective way. 

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Social CRM Discussion on Social Geek Radio

Social Geek Radio


I’m looking forward to being BJ Emerson‘s guest Thursday night, June 30 at 8pm CT on Social Geek Radio. We will be chatting about all things related to Social Customer Relationship Management. Listen in, or even better, call in with questions or comments and join the conversation.

Listen Here!

Social Media Revolution 2011 by Erik Qualman

 

 


The first time I saw Erik Qualman’s first Social Media Revolution, I was blown away by the data and how well he told the story of Social in just a few minutes. And, it gets better with each update. If you haven’t seen his latest, please view below. My favorite nugget is is his take on the ever-troublesome Social RIO:

The RIO of Social Media is that your business will still exist in 5 years.
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Social Media Trends: What’s Ahead?


I am looking forward to moderating a terrific panel in Chicago on June 21. PRSA Chicago will present some of the city’s top agency leaders working in Social Media discussing “Social Media Trends: What We Know Now and What’s Ahead”.

These agency executives will share what’s hot with their wide variety of b-to-b and b-to-c clients and what all PR professionals should be doing right now to stay on top of the social wave. Speakers include:

Adam Keats, SVP Interactive, Emerging and Social Media Marketing, Weber Shandwick
@akeats

Mike Pilarz, Manager, Technology Practice, Burson-Marsteller and Co-Founder of Social Media Breakfast Chicago
@mikepilarz

Glenn Raines, CEO, Social Media Moves
@socialmoves

Moderated by Jack Monson, VP, Engage121
@jackmonson

If you’re able to join us, please bring questions to the event and be ready to participate in-person, via The PRSA Chicago Fan Page, and on Twitter (hashtag: #prsachicago).

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When
Tuesday, June 21, 2011 11:30 AM  –  1:30 PM

Where
Maggiano’s Little Italy
516 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 

Attire
Business Attire

Fees
Member  $37.00
NonMember  $45.00
Student  $37.00
NOTE: Walk-in registrants will be charged an additional $5 per person.

Sponsored by GolinHarris

 

PRSA Chicago
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Facebook Flags for Memorial Day

Before you run off for your long Memorial Day weekend, check out this way to share a quick memory or patriotic greeting with your friends and family on Facebook.

Click here to send a Flag!

Flag Pin

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This virtual gift app that I’m using was developed by Engage121. Anyone visiting my Fan Page is welcome to choose a flag and send it to their Friends on Facebook. 

I will leave this virtual gift up & running on my Facebook page throughout the summer so you can use it for Flag Day (June 14th) and The Fourth of July.

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Social Media: Get In, Get Out, Get On With Your Day

Today’s guest post is from my friend Jack Campisi of Engage121. When working with his clients who range from large franchise systems to small business owners, Jack’s advice is to “Get In, Get Out, Get on with your Day!” – a concept I love! JC reports in here from a conference where he’s leading a discussion on SM basics.

Jack Campisi
Jack Campisi: Get In, Get Out, Get On With Your Day.

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Platos Closet Social Media Group

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I ran two great workshops on the basics of social media today at the Plato’s Closet Convention in Las Vegas, and I tweeted pics of the groups during the sessions. Here’s a shot of one of the groups.


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One of the great things about these events is that even though I am teaching a class, I also end up learning a lot. One of the biggest challenges facing small businesses, and franchises like this, is that the level of social media knowledge varies greatly from person to person. And all of these people, no mater their social media savvy, are all busy. So the objective today was to help them understand the social media landscape, rules of the road and the tools at their disposal. No small task.

One of the things I encouraged the group to do, especially the newbies, was to not jump head first into the deep-end of the social media pool. Start slow… get your toes wet. Start to surf the various sites like Facebook, Twitter and blogs. See what’s being said and done. Get an idea of how it works. Get the lay of the land. Once you’ve done that, you’ll have a better idea of where you want to start in social media. 

The Difference Between Facebook and Twitter That No One Seems to Get

Apples and Oranges

Many people used Facebook for a quite a while before using Twitter. For many, this may have created a misunderstanding that Twitter works the way Facebook works: you post content and people with whom you’re connected will see it in their feed. Sure, it can work like that (and does for those who follow only 100 or so people).  But here’s the little secret that none of your followers will tell you…

How Twitter Really Works:

1. You post content and none of your followers read it.

What?!? They don’t read it!?! At all?!? Hold on, it’s about to make sense.

2. Then, when anyone, follower or not, searches for a name, keyword, topic, or hashtag, they see your content.

So when we all say great content is key, we’re not kidding. High quality, high value, interesting content – with an attractive headline or catchy wording – is much, much more important on Twitter than your number of followers. Remember, all of those followers aren’t really reading everything you write. Sure they say they are, but Tweeps are nice like that.

More to think about: RTs not only matter, but also perhaps are the most important thing besides quality of content. We used to think about RTs as a great way of your content getting shared into new groups of people and communities. But, no one is reading all of your followers’ Tweets either. Or your followers’ followers’ Tweets. But, once again, it’s all about search. If anyone searches about your topic and sees multiple RTs pop up with your content, I’m betting that it will get read and your links will get clicked more often than if it only shows up once.


So, remember these Twitter points:

Interesting content      =   Most Important

Searchable Tweets      =   Very Important

RTs of yours        =   Important

Number of followers =   Not so much…

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Gini Dietrich – Social Media for Senior Executives


Here are some video highlights from last month’s PRSA Chicago program. I had the honor of moderating the discussion and Q & A session with Gini Dietrich, CEO of Arment Dietrich and founder of the new SpinSucksPro. Video edited by Jack Newell. Enjoy!

And, if you haven’t already registered for the best networking event of the year for anyone in PR, Communications, Marketing, and Social Media, do yourself a huge favor and reserve your ticket now for the 2011 PRSA Chicago Skyline Awards Gala. Register here!

PRSA Chicago Skylines

3 Million Check-Ins But No One Was There


There seems to be a lot of buzz about the lack of buzz about Foursquare.

Is it not as interesting, fun, or useful for you as it was a year ago? Or is it not as interesting as you thought it would be by now? Please share your thoughts in the comment area!

My take is that Foursquare may have been just far enough ahead of its time that expectations were huge. And, I think the non-early adopters (i.e., the consumers who matter to brands) may still be wading in if not jumping in. Last week, on 4/16 (Foursquare Day…I know, groan), it broke 3 Million check-ins. Not Facebook numbers, sure. But seriously, that’s still a major milestone.

Here’s a not-so-scientific study, but I’m interested in learning if you are having the same experience:

Dozens of the places I set up myself on Foursquare in 2009 and 2010 (all local stores and restaurants) are suddenly getting new mayors. I’m getting ousted weekly! Some people get angry about getting ousted, but I love seeing this. It indicates that more people in my community are jumping in each day.

Obviously, the continual growth of smart phones by all demographics plays a big role, so it will be fun to watch how deep these folks with their first iPhone, Droid, or BlackBerry go with it. I’m also curious to see how Google’s new launch of Latitude will grow in comparison.

Twitter: Just #Do It

 

Author: Jack Campisi

As a person immersed in social media, one thing I encounter on a regular basis are people who are unfamiliar with Twitter. There are usually two kinds:

#neverbeenRTd

The Twitter Virgin:  These are people who have never been on Twitter. They’ve heard about it, maybe they have looked at the site, but they don’t have an account nor a clue about what it’s all about.  They may be a little technophobic or they may just have not gotten around to it yet. A common phrase from a “TV” is “Why would anyone care if I’m on line at Starbucks or going to the gym. And what do I care if other people are?”

Twitter Default

The Twitter Quitter This person has actually set up an account, tweeted a couple of times, and then dropped off the map. They didn’t have much to say and they didn’t get much back to make it worth their while. So they simply stopped tweeting or paying attention.
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Both of these types can be people who either use Twitter for business or personal use. Regardless of their potential motivations for Twitter, they just don’t get it. But often, these people continue to hear about Twitter and many of them want to get on the bandwagon… or back on the bandwagon, in some cases.

It’s not always easy to describe Twitter to someone unfamiliar with it. Ever try explaining a hashtag to someone? It usually starts out something like… “It’s a word with a number sign or the pound symbol in front of it… with no spaces.”

I usually try to start with the benefits of Twitter, like the wealth of information and news that is available on Twitter. Whether it’s news about world events like an earthquake or an election or maybe just the latest celebrity gossip or breaking sports news.

Or perhaps I’ll focus on the marketing and networking opportunities. There are countless amounts of people just waiting to be engaged. These can be potential customers, fans, employers, employees or new friends. I’ll also touch on the advantages of monitoring the Twitterverse for mentions of significant keywords, like your name or brand name

But this article is not meant as a Twitter tutorial. I just wanted to give you a little advice if you are curious about Twitter. To borrow a famous catch phrase: JUST DO IT!

No, this is not a sneaker commercial, but the fact remains that the only real way to learn about Twitter is to do Twitter. You don’t have to start off as a content generating machine. Just get on there. Start by signing up, surfing around and following some people. Follow your friends, favorite bands and celebrities and your favorite companies. If you have a smart phone, install a Twitter app.  

Send some tweets and do some retweets. It can be as simple as commenting on your favorite show, a 140-character review of a movie or restaurant. (Maybe tweet from the line in Starbucks, just to see what it’s like.) Over the next few weeks, read a couple of articles on Twitter basics. Ask your “social media” friends about it. Learn how to search Twitter and set saved searches on your phone app.

I guarantee that after a while, you’ll start to get it. You’ll start to sift through the noise and find the value. You’ll even start to understand hashtags.

So what are you waiting for? It’s free, it’s not rocket science and Twitter doesn’t bite. Twitter may or may not be the right tool for you in the grand scheme of social media, but you’ll never know until you try.

 

Jack Campisi is a Sr. Account Director and Social Media Consultant at Engage121. He is also the co-host of The Purple Goldfish Project and the MRA Hot Seat video podcasts. Twitter: @jackcampisi