Insurance Journal recently published an article titled “Young Agents: Why They Stand By Their Career Choice”. They interviewed approximately 630 insurance agents under the age of 40. According to the survey, 71 percent of young agents use Facebook and 53 percent say they use social networking tools for their business.

This article offers some great insight on what the young generation of insurance agents are doing to build their businesses. Click here to read the full article.

We recently received an invitation to preview the brand new Insurance Journal website. Thanks to the IJ team for choosing us to be one of the very first to preview it!

Although their current site is well-organized and professional, the new site is much more intuitive, interactive and sleek.

Improvements include:

- Online database of past articles from the print edition so you can bookmark and/or share with others.

- Topic centers allow you to focus on one specific topic like top news, agent/broker info, pricing, etc.

- Forums where you can discuss industry news, issues and insight with fellow insurance pros.

- Twitter feeds pulled from insurance agencies, insurance companies, insurance associations and more. (This is my favorite feature!)

- Comment areas so you can comment on your favorite (or not-so-favorite) article.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. They have several other improvements, but you’ll just have to wait. They haven’t given the launch date, so bookmark their site (if you haven’t already) and stay tuned here for more insurance news and insurance business-building tips!

If you’re in Michigan and you’re looking for a career in insurance, Allstate wants you.

According to Insurance Journal, Allstate intends to open 40 new Allstate offices in Michigan and expects to hire around 200 insurance sales professionals by the end of 2011.

We’re always looking for insurance pros to connect with our consumer network in all 50 states, so this is great news! Whether you’re a captive insurance agent or independent, we can create a custom Internet lead strategy just for you and your area.

Farmers Insurance has devised a clever online branding & marketing strategy. Starting Monday, players of the online game FarmVille will be able to place a virtual airship (which resembles the actual Farmers Insurance Airship, a 246-foot long Zeppelin) on their farm and get free “wither protection”, which will protect their crops for the 10 days of the promotion.

With more than 60 million players per month, FarmVille certainly offers brands a unique opportunity to reach more prospects & customers in a non-invasive manner.

I hope Farmers releases statistics and/or a case study after this promotion. I’m looking forward to hearing the results from this initiative and I commend them for the creative thinking.

To read the full article about this promotion, click here to head over to Insurance Journal.

Last Thursday, Insurance Journal announced winners from their search for the best insurance agencies to work for.

Congratulations to Barney & Barney as the overall winner! Insurance Journal also selected the top insurance agencies in 5 regions across the U.S. Click here to read the full article.

What makes your insurance business a great place to work?

If your answer is yes, Insurance Journal wants to know about it!

They’re on the lookout for the best independent P/C insurance agencies, so if you fit the bill, click here to nominate your agency today!

To qualify, you must be an employee of the agency you’re nominating. The deadline for submitting nominations is September 3, so don’t delay.

If you’re an insurance agent who is under 40-years-old, the folks over at Insurance Journal need your help!

They’re conducting a survey for property/casualty insurance agents and brokers across America.

How do you feel about you career as an insurance agent? How do you feel about the industry? Are you an agency owner? If not, do you intend to own an insurance agency someday?

These are just a few of the 26 (mostly multiple-choice) questions Insurance Journal wants to ask you. Click here to take the survey and share your view!

All responses are confidential and results will be compiled and shared in the Feb 22 issue of Insurance Journal.

If the answer is yes, then the folks over at the Insurance Journal want to know about it!

They’re on the lookout for America’s best independent insurance agencies and brokerages to work for.

Have a great group health plan? Is your staff not only incredible, but a joy to work with? If you want to further your education, is there a tuition reimbursement? Child care options? Fitness benefits? Work-from-home options? Is your insurance agency involved in the community? Have other perks that make your insurance agency a great place to work?

Yes? Go nominate!

Looks like there are only two requirements:

1) You must be an employee of the agency you are nominating.
2) A minimum of 5 agency employees must nominate an agency for it to be eligible. (This is something most “best places to work” awards require. It gives the award selection committee a more objective picture of the nominated organization.)

The deadline is September 2.

Click here to nominate your insurance agency!
Click here to learn more.