April 6, 2017
Producers Join Agencies With Unique Branding & Advertising Resources
by Mary Newgard
Any insurance agent can hang their own shingle, but the idea that we’re better together drives salespeople to work for larger insurance agencies. Historically, companies have recruited producers by touting resources like:
- Market access
- Creation of wealth
- Service
- Internal resources
When you stop to think about it, aren’t your agency’s advertising capabilities the single greatest resource you can provide to your producers?
Insurance Producers need your help with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is basically what comes up in a Google search of their name. After being solicited, prospective clients do this all the time. Give producers an edge in business development by creating an advertising plan. This starts from Day 1 of their hire. The top three Google results should advertise who they are, what they do, where they work, and how to contact them.
How can you help your Producers bump their SEO???
Have an Active, Professional Social Media Presence:
Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Even if the employee has personal accounts, separate work ones can be created. Cater content to their business audience. Content should never be the same across all every platform. It looks spammy and doesn’t maximize the intention of the platform. Know what type of posts (words, videos, polls), time of day, and frequency helps your producers.
LinkedIn (this is a big one and deserves to be separated from the above):
Immediately upon hire, the profile page should be updated. Producers should join groups, regularly share content, and publish articles to create a following and establish expertise.
Blog:
Plain and simple: your producers need to blog. They can share industry knowledge, advice, and statistics.
Company Website Bio:
It’s ridiculous to hide employees from your website. Use the directory to publish each producer’s photo, bio, contact information, and social media links.
Reputation Management:
Reputation repair and management companies exist to help people who have less than desirable Google search results. Some services are free. Others are fee-based (let me know if you need help finding these services). Either way, they chart out a specific plan for repair and ongoing management.
Press Releases:
You should issue one every time you hire a new producer and when they have notable achievements (earn a designation, speak at a conference, join a professional association, and so on).
Producers will never do this stuff on their own. All they care about is writing business, but that process can be so much easier if clients interact with their brand and can easily find them before a cold call. It’s up to your insurance agency to pump up their brand and pump out content so they are everywhere, all the time.