You are here: Home / 2009 / Archives for October 2009
October 25, 2009 By 4 Comments

How an insurance agency generates business using Facebook

I always enjoy hearing stories of small business owners using social media to generate leads and connect with new clients. As much as I encourage people to give social media a chance, it’s the real-world case studies that speak the loudest.

Jim DeWitt is an owner at DeWitt Insurance Group and is a member of my BNI chapter. Jim’s agency offers life and health insurance (both business and individual), as well as property and casualty insurance. During our BNI meetings, Jim sometimes shares with us how he finds new clients. Frequently his clients come from Facebook as a result of his commitment to staying active in social media. I sat down with him to learn more.

Jim let me know that he started off on Facebook just reconnecting with old friends and used it for keeping in touch. He did not overtly talk about business but when people asked him how he was doing, he would let them know that he was an insurance agent and that he enjoys helping people save money on their insurance. This frequently led to opportunities to provide quotes to his connections and sometimes led to new business. At its most basic level, Facebook allowed Jim to expand his network and engage in business conversations with his connections.

As Jim earned more and more business via Facebook connections, he began to share his stories via the Facebook news feed. One such posting announced that he was able to save someone $1,000 a year on insurance and explained how much he enjoyed his job. It was not a hard sell, but rather an authentic story that displayed his passion for helping others. Following this post, a number of his connections asked him for quotes on their insurance. Jim acquired 3 new clients as a result of that post.

Facebook also helps Jim keep an eye out for opportunities. Sometimes his connections will share their dissatisfaction with their insurance policies. When this happens, Jim politely offers to provide quotes for them to see if he can help. This has also led to new business.

Jim also let me know that not only do his clients frequently come from Facebook, but those same clients also often refer him to other friends and family – sometimes via Facebook.

So far, Jim’s activity on Facebook has led to approximately 20 new business opportunities (some still in progress) and 10 new clients. Not only is he able to find new clients, but Facebook also helps him provide better service to his existing clients. When he notices that his connections announce life changes on Facebook, it gives him the opportunity to proactively offer to update their insurance policies and offer advice on proper coverage. This strengthens the relationship and improves his client retention.

While other insurance agents are struggling to squeeze more business out of offline marketing and cold calling, Jim DeWitt is integrating social media into his business strategy and is achieving great success. By being authentic, helpful, and active on Facebook, Jim is growing his agency and expanding his network.

To learn more about Jim, contact him via his Facebook profile or call him at 317.695.2317… he would love to hear from you!

Filed Under: Marketing, Technology Tagged With: , , , ,
October 19, 2009 By 4 Comments

Your customers want simplicity, not features

I was extremely amused by a story I saw today about the new Droid smart phone offered by Verizon. I always get mildly amused when I see the next “iPhone killer” but this one in particular got my attention because of the direct head-to-head challenge to the iPhone as seen in this teaser commercial.

Is the commercial cute and a little bit clever? Sure. Is it going to make people buy the Droid instead of the iPhone? I doubt it.

I don’t understand why the Verizon, Motorola, and all the other players in the industry simply continue to remain oblivious. What they (and most companies, for that matter) don’t get is that features do not sell products.

Now I realize that this is a generalization and that there are some cases where features do indeed make a difference but on the whole, it’s not about features. It’s about how your product enhances the life of your customer.

The problem is that most engineers design products for other engineers. Technology-driven people like features. They read manuals and compare features and get excited over technical specs. The rest of us don’t care. The rest of us want something that’s easy to use.

The Droid boasts lots of features that the iPhone doesn’t have. Guess what? Nobody cares. Does my mother care that the Droid has a “real” keyboard? Nope… the iPhone’s software keyboard seems to work just fine. Does my neighbor care that the Droid takes 5-megapixel photos? Nope… what’s wrong with the iPhone’s photos? They look just fine on Facebook. Does my co-worker care that the Droid runs widgets? Huh? What’s a widget?

Guess what the iPhone does that the Droid doesn’t? It enhances your life by being simple. The iPhone is pretty, shiny, colorful, and easy to use. Want to make a call? Press the big green button and you’re only a few clicks away from any phone-related function. Want to check email? Press the big jelly-filled envelope. Want to get on Facebook? Look! There’s a big bubbly icon for that!

Additionally, how many moving parts does the iPhone have that could potentially break? One: the big round “home” button. The rest of the phone is basically one smooth unit with no other moving parts. It’s hard to break something that self-contained.

What most engineers and the companies that employ them fail to realize is that the vast majority of people do not care about a long list of fancy features. They want technology to make their lives simpler, easier, and more productive. They want to accomplish simple things and then they want the technology to get out of the way so they can get on with their lives.

In fact, people will often avoid buying a product if it appears too complicated. What’s the best way to make a product look complicated? Show off a long list of features.

Whether it’s a consumer product, a piece of software, or a website, people want simplicity. They want your product or service to make their lives easier and simpler. This is why “iPhone killers” continue to miss the mark.

Filed Under: Design, Lifestyle, Marketing, Productivity, Technology Tagged With: , , , ,
October 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Personal Branding with Social Media

You may be familiar with branding as it relates to companies and organizations. A company’s brand is the essence that should affect everything it does. How often, however, do we pay attention to our personal brands?

Yes, a person has a brand. Anyone who works, communicates, or participates in society at any level has a personal brand. Your personal brand is made up of a number of different factors and it influences how you are perceived by others.

Job-seekers should pay especially close attention to their personal branding as it can have significant impact on how successful they are.

Traditionally, personal branding was affected by communication style and appearance. Today, however, social media and online communication has made it possible to strengthen personal branding to a greater extent. The way someone presents himself or herself online can make a big difference in how that person is perceived before any personal contact is made. For this reason, it’s important to manage your personal brand online. What are some ways to do this?

Acquire a clear, professional head shot photo. Use the same photo on all of your profiles. This gives a strong first impression and strengthens your personal brand in multiple places.

Complete your profiles on social networks. If your LinkedIn profile stays stuck at 80% complete, it looks like you don’t care. Many companies don’t want a resume anymore – they want to see your LinkedIn profile. Don’t shortchange yourself.

Collect LinkedIn recommendations. A profile with no recommendations is a red flag which means that person does not do much networking. Reach out to people and recommend others so they will return the favor. A good list of quality recommendations strengthens your personal brand by showing that others value your work.

Polish your writing style. Few things damage a personal brand more than poor writing. If you don’t write well, do some research or take a class and learn to write in a clear, articulate fashion. This will help as you blog, write your own bios, and communicate in general with others.

Create and post presentations on SlideShare. Even if you don’t do any speaking right away, go ahead and put some slide decks together to have them ready. This positions you as an authority in your field which may lead to speaking engagements. Be sure to link to your presentations from LinkedIn using the built-in SlideShare application.

Link your profiles together. Be sure that it’s easy to find you on various networks. Your LinkedIn and Twitter profiles should link to your blog. Your blog should link to all your profiles. Link together as much as you can.

Articulate your goals. When someone asks you how they can help you (whether online or offline), be sure to have a clear, consistent answer. Understand who your target customer is, the type of job you want, or just who you want to meet. Be able to deliver your message in 30 seconds or less. Post your goals in your bio on social networks.

Blog. This can be a difficult thing for some because writing does not come naturally for everyone. However, even a blog that is updated once a month can make a difference. Blog about your perspectives on your profession, your area of expertise, or offer educational content. This helps others get to know you better.

Communicate and distribute content via Twitter. Twitter is a great tool for sharing your content with others and having concise conversations. Balance your Twitter activity between posting your own content and engaging in conversations with others. Don’t forget to re-tweet information from others that you find interesting. What you re-tweet says a lot about you.

This may seem like a lot of work at first, but your personal brand is important. It can affect your communication, your work, and your success. Take care of it and utilize social media to strengthen it.

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Marketing, Technology Tagged With: , , , ,
October 6, 2009 By 1 Comment

The importance of high-quality photography on the web

The quality of your photos can make or break a website design.

The right photos make a huge difference in the overall impression and effectiveness of your website. I’ve seen many otherwise decent websites that are ruined by poor photo choices or low-quality photos.

Do not skimp on photography. The best case scenario is to have custom professional photos taken for your website. If this is not possible, at the very least choose good stock photos that properly represent your brand.

When visitors view your website, they are making a snap decision on the credibility of your company. Your website is setting a tone. This is your chance to create a specific reality that will influence your prospective customer through imagery. Great photos will have a positive impact.

Here are some guidelines in using photography on your website:

  • Always use professional photos – hire someone or ask your design agency if they offer this service. Photos taken by someone in your company as a hobby don’t count.
  • As an alternative, utilize high-quality stock photos from a leading photo site.
  • Photos of people are good – people relate to seeing other people.
  • Even though photos of people are good, avoid the meaningless “business people shaking hands” photos.
  • Always show positive imagery – smiling, happy people invoke the proper positive emotions in website visitors.
  • Resist before and after photos – only show the after. Nobody wants to go to a dentist’s website and see photos of ugly teeth. Just show the final result: beautiful teeth.
  • Fewer, bolder photos are better than lots of little photos. Less is more. Make each photo significant.

When planning your website, be sure to budget for tasteful, high-quality photos. It will make a significant difference in how your company is perceived.

Filed Under: Design, Marketing, Technology Tagged With: , ,