I really like what Chris Paradiso and his team over at Paradiso Insurance are doing with social media and video marketing. Check out this brief clip about why they believe social media is an important component of an insurance agency’s marketing plan:

As technology evolves and the world continues to get smaller and smaller, more people are relying on the speed and instant gratification of the Internet. Although we may feel more connected with each other, are we really?

I bookmarked an article in Agent’ Sales Journal a few months back that confronts this question. In the “Prospecting Corner” column of ASJ, writer and business consultant Joanne Black discusses how insurance professionals are relying on online mediums such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc. to build rapport with prospects and customers and some are focusing on social media alone to generate quality leads. She explains that many insurance agents are decreasing face time with prospects and solely focusing  on online social mediums.

Although I don’t know I agree that insurance professionals are reducing personal interactions, I do agree that more and more agents are leveraging social media for their insurance businesses. Black points out three key points that emphasize how social media can boost business and increase your brand recognition:

Improved SEO – Social media helps you to hone in on specific search terms which, in turn, bring more traffic to your website.
Researching prospects and customers - Social media allows you to see what activities prospects/customers enjoy. You learn details you otherwise may never learn about.
Expand your network – Social media gives you the opportunity to see who your networks are connected with and deepen your networks as well.

Many insurance agents are using social media to their advantage. While it’s not wise to solely focus on social media for your insurance business, it’s certainly not wise to ignore it all together. Maintain a healthy balance between online and offline communication.

To get ahead in today’s marketplace as an insurance professional, you can’t ignore technology, but you CAN take a step toward success by focusing on connecting with people and finding ways to serve them.

How are you serving your customers? What is the most effective way you’ve found to connect with more prospects? Please share here. We’d love to hear about it!

For those unfamiliar with the term “cluetrain”, I’m referring to The Cluetrain Manifesto. This book was originally published a decade ago and is still very relevant to today’s marketplace. The authors examine the impact of the Internet on customer/company interactions and relationships. Their basic premise is that organizations that are not genuinely trying to relate with consumers on a one-on-one, human level will not succeed in the new Web 2.0 marketplace, which involves:

Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
YouTube
Blogs
and more.

Over the past year, we’ve talked quite a bit about social media, online marketing and about building more authentic relationships and communities around your insurance business. How are these efforts coming along for you?

If you’re not yielding any results, perhaps it’s time to read The Cluetrain Manifesto and also re-examine your purpose for starting your Twitter feed, Facebook page, insurance blog, etc.

If you’re not on board the cluetrain…time is ticking. Now is the perfect time to craft a plan and start off 2010 with a bang!