If you’re an insurance professional who uses Facebook, Twitter, a blog or some other form of social media to interact with your customers and prospects, Advisor Today magazine wants to talk with you!

Here’s what the editor is looking for:

Need to interview financial advisors and/or insurance agents for a feature story for Advisor Today magazine that focuses on social media strategies they use to connect with prospects and clients. We will cover best practices, pros/cons, compliance issues, etc. **Note: Advisor Today is B2B. Advisors/agents are “talking” to peers. This is not a consumer magazine.

Leave a comment below with the best way to reach you and we’ll provide more details!

Listening does not mean waiting your turn to talk. Maybe that’s why LISTEN and SILENT have the same exact letters. – Christine Kane

You have the data. You have the insurance expertise and know-how. Now you have an inspiring quote to get you going. We know you can do it! 

Your friends at HometownQuotes

“Stories are just data with a soul.” - Dr. Brene Brown, Researcher Storyteller at University of Houston

As an insurance professional, there’s no doubt you look at A LOT of numbers day-to-day. Keep in mind that those numbers are typically tied to people…and people have stories. When you take the time to know and understand someone’s story, you’re also indicating that you value them.

You have the data. You have the expertise and know-how. Now you have an inspiring quote to get you going. We know you can do it! 

Your friends at HometownQuote

A new study from IBM makes it clear that Internet insurance leads are a great way to grow your insurance business. Their new study titled “Powerful Interaction Points: Saying Goodbye To The Channel” indicates that consumers are spending much more time evaluating their options when it comes to insurance. While many consumers used to passively receive information and then sign the dotted line, today’s consumer wants to be an informed, well-educated consumer.

The study also underlines the importance of leveraging social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter to interact and engage with prospects and consumers.

The Internet is continually changing the way people shop – particularly for insurance. The team at Insurance & Technology magazine offer three suggestions for interacting with customers and growing stronger relationships:

1) Offer a variety of interaction points.
2) Track your customers and invest in analytics tools.
3) Improve the way you interact with customers and prospects.

As technology shifts and the insurance purchasing landscape continues to evolve, insurance professionals who stay abreast of these trends and focus on engaging insurance customers will continue to watch business soar.

As with any business, insurance agents must be stellar relationship-builders. Creating a relationship with someone online versus face-to-face, however, can offer a variety of challenges.

If you have a social media presence or a blog, how are you leveraging those profiles to build relationships? Are you sharing your expertise? Are you highlighting positive events in your community? We’ve mentioned insurance agent and blogger Ryan Hanley a few times here on our blog. We think he has great recommendations for boosting your online visibility and creating more genuine, authentic online connections with prospects. Here are a few of his tips:

1) Use local keyword content. For people in your area to find you, you’ll need to use keywords they would be likely to search for when they visit a search engine.

2) Highlight the thought leaders in your community. What local individuals make an impact? Who are the voices for change? Feature someone who makes a difference as a guest blog post.

3) Ask customers to help you spread the word. Your customers are your customers for a reason. If you’ve taken care of them and they’ve put their trust in you to protect their assets, they probably don’t mind to tell others how you’ve helped them. Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals.

What are your tips for connecting with insurance customers in your community?

We all know the customer is king. Offering top-notch customer service is vital to the growth and well-being of your insurance business. The folks over at AgencyIQ recently shared their “keys to delivering great customer service“.

- Empowering your staff
- Turn problems into opportunities
- Anticipate and plan for change

Head over to the AgencyIQ blog to read further.

And if you’re not familiar with AgencyIQ, they offer a wonderful insurance lead management system. We’re an approved vendor, so our leads feed directly into their system meaning less work and more productivity for you!

Persistence is not about knocking on one door until the dang thing finally opens. It’s about knocking on all of them. Insist on the destination, not on how you’ll get there. – Mike Dooley

You have the insurance leads. You have the insurance expertise and know-how. Now you have an inspiring quote to get you going. We know you can do it!

Your friends at HometownQuotes

We spent quite a bit of time in 2010 talking about the things you should be doing to market your insurance business online. According to the Harvard Business Review, 2011 will be the year that shapes the future of our lives online…so we still have more social media recommendations/insight for you.

Take a moment to consider these viewpoints from the folks at HBR:

1) Determine your purpose for every interaction. What are your goals? It’s so easy to get distracted each time we get online. Having a clear purpose for online interactions will keep you on track with your goals.

2) What is your online persona? How are you perceived by your online prospects/peers? Are you maintaining an identity that is consistent with your offline persona? It’s important that your online persona is parallel with your offline personality. You don’t want your clients to think you have an offline/online identity crisis.

3) Are you leveraging technology to address issues and/or rally around important events? The Internet offers many opportunities to positively impact your community. 2011 can be the year you help a local non-profit organization increase funding, or perhaps you use your insurance blog to answer important financial questions from your clients or prospects.

Head over to the Harvard Business Review blog to read the full article titled – “Social Media in 2011: Six Choices You Need To Make”.

One of the best ways to earn referrals for your insurance business is to focus on building friendships with your current clients. Here are a few tips:

1) Write snail mail. Handwritten notes have become a thing of the past. Think about it. When was the last time you received a handwritten card in the mail?  Take a few minutes at the end of every week to handwrite a brief message to some of the insurance clients you spoke with throughout the week.

2) Plan a customer appreciation event once or twice a year. An open house event is a great way to open the doors to your insurance agency, invite clients, prospects, other businessowners in your community and treat them to a nice evening of networking and fellowship. Encourage clients to bring guests.

3) Be receptive and note special events in the lives of your clients. These events offer additional opportunities for tip #1. Your clients notice when you care about them. Make an effort to play an active role in their lives and show you care about their family milestones.

Okay, so maybe they’re not your customer yet, but you should value them as if they are. One of the biggest mistakes insurance agents make is not staying in front of the consumer. If you’re investing in marketing and you’re not maintaining a routine follow-up pattern with leads, you are likely losing money. (This applies whether you’re purchasing Internet insurance leads or investing in some other form of marketing or advertising.)

Do you remember the post we shared about Leads360′s whitepaper which concluded that 6 is the magic number? Keep that figure in mind. If you’ve reached out to a prospect 3 times, you’re just halfway there.

Whether you use a robust lead management tool like Leads360 or use a handwritten follow-up tracking form, start tracking your activity so you can effectively measure your results.