If your business does not have a presence on social media, it may not be as easily discoverable online. A website alone is not enough for establishing a digital presence because it doesn’t give you much chance to interact with customers and develop relationships. Insurance agents and agencies alike need to be using social media to stay competitive, develop trust, and build their businesses.
Why Agencies Should Have a LinkedIn Company Page
If you’re an insurance agency, LinkedIn is one of the most important social media platforms. This platform boasts more than one billion members, making it the world’s largest professional network. The platform is for much more than connecting with people you already know; you can also use it to recruit new agents.
Agents who are deciding which agency to join will be looking on LinkedIn to see who’s hiring, compare their options, and gain a better idea of company culture and values. If you’re not on the platform, you may not even make it to these agents’ shortlists.
Why Agents Should Have a Facebook Page
For insurance agents, Facebook is also considered to be one of the most significant social platforms. Data from Pew Research Center shows that Facebook is one of the most popular social media sites, second only to YouTube. Facebook is also popular with the 65+ segment, something that many of the newer and trendier social media sites – such as Snapchat and TikTok – can’t claim.
Facebook is where you can engage potential customers looking for Medicare and life insurance products. Not only does Facebook enable you to reach a broad audience, but you can also use it to develop relationships with users by posting content they’ll find useful and by responding to their comments. In addition to organic posts, you can run targeted ads to ensure your posts reach your target audience, building brand recognition.
The Importance of a Business Presence
It’s crucial that your social media accounts are business pages rather than personal accounts for a couple of reasons.
For one, business pages provide you with a number of additional features, such as the chance to allow other users to manage the page and insights into engagement with posts. Plus, having a business page is the only way to run ads.
Another reason is that using a personal profile for your business looks unprofessional. The last thing you want is prospects seeing throwback pictures or gaining access to your friend list. On the flip side, a business page will give your business credibility, even if you’re a relatively small operation.
If you use a personal Facebook profile to connect with customers and post insurance-related content, set up a business page and direct customers there instead. Likewise, you can set up a LinkedIn Company Page instead of just using a Personal Profile. For other platforms that don’t have separate types of accounts – such as Twitter/X – you can simply create a dedicated business account.
How Social Platforms Can Help You Appear in Search Results
If you don’t have a website, a social media presence is crucial for search engine optimization (SEO). Having good SEO means that someone who searches for the products or services you offer (such as life insurance if you’re an agent or the opportunity to sell insurance if you’re an agency), your business will appear in the search results. Various social media strategies can help you improve your SEO, including using appropriate keywords in your posts, optimizing pages with relevant information, and establishing credibility.
Even if you have a website, using social media for SEO is a good idea. In fact, a website and your social media profiles can work in tandem, such as when you include links to your website in your social media posts and add social sharing buttons to your blog. According to Search Engine Journal, there’s evidence that social signals influence organic ranking on Google, even if it’s not a direct ranking factor. For example, posting your website content on social media can boost your content performance.
There’s also the fact that many people aren’t even using Google to search anymore. According to HubSpot, 31% of consumers now use social media to find answers to questions. If you’re not on social media, those users won’t find you – no matter how strong your website is.
How to Remain Compliant
Agents must comply with CMS Medicare Marketing guidelines regarding social media. These guidelines and regulations are in place to protect you and your clients. As they are subject to change, it is highly recommended that you consult with your FMO’s Compliance Officer for guidance on marketing materials, including social media content and ad campaigns.
Work smarter, not harder, by using pre-approved insurance carrier marketing materials such as brochures, flyers, social media posts, and more. Log into your agent portal on the carrier websites that provide these materials and download pre-approved, carrier-branded marketing materials.
How to Set Up Your Pages
Now that you understand why social media is important to you as an insurance agent or agency, you need to make sure you set up your pages correctly. Below are some quick tips to help you get started.
Setting Up a LinkedIn Page
- Before you can set up a LinkedIn page for your business, you need to have a personal account.
- Once you’ve set this account up, create a business page by clicking the “For Business” icon in the top right corner of the screen and scroll down to “Create a Company Page +.” Choose the page type “Company” and fill out all the required fields.
- LinkedIn has more information about setting up your page, including troubleshooting and how to complete the page.
Setting Up a Facebook Page
- As with LinkedIn, you’ll need a personal profile on Facebook before you can create a business page.
- In the app, you’ll find the option to set up a page by tapping on your profile picture to open the menu and choosing “Pages” followed by “Create.”
- On the website, the “Pages” option is on the left side of the screen.
- Facebook provides instructions for setting up, troubleshooting, and managing pages, as well as information about features that are unavailable for new pages.
If you need support incorporating social media into your strategy, reach out to Western Asset Protection. Contact us.