Can You Give Me Your Opinion Around Social Networks

bockius · 10-16-2009, 12:06 AM

My company is exploring how insurance agents use the popular social networks (Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn). Based on your use which of the following would you find most valuable (you can choose more than one):

1. Ability classify posts as personal vs. business
2. Based on #1 receive a compiled summary of "business" posts you made across these networks to ensure data retention compliance
3. Receive this data in a way that was search engine optimized to drive traffic back to your primary website
4. The ability to add custom tags at submission time to help you search and find this data at a later date

Thanks in advance for your opinion! We will keep you posted on what we come up with.

-Chad

CHUMPS FROM OXFORD · 10-16-2009, 12:24 AM

I don't try to generate business on Facebook. I have a Twitter account and tweet almost every day. I get no responses for the health insurance aspect and two responses per day for the fantasy football.

pdoyle · 10-16-2009, 12:30 AM

I'm kind of turned off by the marketing i see on facebook, Linkedin and twitter. I think it's best business use is to use simply as a tool to stay in touch with cleints, associates and assocciations.... not trolling for prospects. I think they call that spam.

bockius · 10-16-2009, 12:34 AM

Thanks for the quick responses. For those of you using Twitter are you also looking to optimize your site to generate more free search traffic? Also how many of you are worried about meeting the data retention compliance rules when it comes to these communication channels?

Thanks again!
-Chad

CHUMPS FROM OXFORD · 10-16-2009, 12:53 AM

Bingo. Twitter has a ton of spam. I delete most of my "followers" because they are just selling Viagra, cheap websites or the public option..

JustinUpright · 10-16-2009, 02:02 AM

Originally Posted by pdoyle

I'm kind of turned off by the marketing i see on facebook, Linkedin and twitter. I think it's best business use is to use simply as a tool to stay in touch with cleints, associates and assocciations.... not trolling for prospects. I think they call that spam.

I agree here as well. Most people don't mind an occasional post about something new but if you hit them all day everyday you will get deleted.

Chazm · 10-16-2009, 02:44 AM

I use facebook, but I just keep my friends and people that I have met over the years or not seen since grade school in the loop that I offer insurance. It has worked for me so far, every now and then someone will email needing life insurance or health insurance. Not a big money maker, but every bit helps.

OrlandoSEO · 10-16-2009, 02:50 AM

That is because you have not yet learned how to use these media effectively. To make more sense of it, think of it this way. How many people have you met at a party talked to for 30 minutes and then they found out you do insurance and you ended up writing them. Most likely a lot of you. That is how you are supposed to use twitter and facebook. Don't go around pushing your business. No one cares. Instead, if you are packers fan, spend time talking to tons of packers fans and casually mention once in a while that you are an insurance agent. If they like you they will request a quote.

CHUMPS FROM OXFORD · 10-16-2009, 02:57 AM

"casually mention once in a while that you are an insurance agent."

I have never done that (not even once) in 29 years at any party or social gathering. I don't even carry a business card.

Just me and I wouldn't recommend it.

Bob_The_Insurance_Guy · 10-16-2009, 03:01 AM

Originally Posted by pdoyle

I'm kind of turned off by the marketing i see on facebook, Linkedin and twitter. I think it's best business use is to use simply as a tool to stay in touch with cleints, associates and assocciations.... not trolling for prospects. I think they call that spam.

Ditto. I agree.

What is the name of your company, and what do you do, and now that you are on this site, and have access to our emails, what should we expect from your company.

pdoyle · 10-16-2009, 08:37 AM

Bob, I'm an Independant IMO principal. CPS Gulf States Brokerage. New to Twitter
And found this thread. I'm here to learn and share ideas. It's all good.

somarco · 10-16-2009, 04:03 PM

I had to clean up my Twitter account a few weeks ago. Seems I had half a dozen or so followers who were selling things that would get me in trouble with my wife, and possibly the law. I had to log in and figure out how to delete these ladies, some of whom had some interesting (and revealing) avatars.

Now I pay attention whenever I get a notice from Twitter that someone is stalking, uh, following me. I look at their profile and decide immediately if I want them to follow me or not.

I have had the same issue with Skype. Signed up in May to talk with my daughter while she was traveling in Europe. Don't use it much any more but seems every time I log in someone I never heard of wants to be my friend.

Now if I could find a way to screen the 50 or so Viagra promotions that land in my junk email account every day my life would be better.

Back to Twitter, every time I blog I have my site set up to tweet my followers. Can't say this has brought me any business but I guess it doesn't hurt either.

CHUMPS FROM OXFORD · 10-16-2009, 04:41 PM

So true about Twitter. I bock 95% of my followers. But some followers are genuine. probably because I'm the only health insurance/fantasy football expert that tweets...for now anyhow.

somarco · 10-16-2009, 04:52 PM

I tweet about insurance, and I have fantasy's, but not about football . . .

GreenSky · 10-16-2009, 05:14 PM

Originally Posted by somarco

I tweet about insurance, and I have fantasy's, but not about football . . .

Oh Bob, you've made me blush.

Rick

Markingriffin · 10-16-2009, 05:47 PM

I sold a husband and wife from Farmtown on Facebook. She was working on my farm and we got to talking about everything and she asked me what I did and she just out of the blue said she need to buy some life insurance on her husband and her....

Damn, I got some good luck. I also sold 1 old friend from facebook.

CHUMPS FROM OXFORD · 10-16-2009, 06:17 PM

I'll never try to sell anybody anything on my Facebook. Well...OK...here comes my shameless plug.

The second annual "Walk Across America For Groat's Syndrome" will be starting next month. Last year, more than $550,000 was raised. If anybody wants additional information, please feel free to EM me. I originated and continue to be a heavy sponsor of this event.

The Muddy Hill Post: Groat's Syndrome

somarco · 10-16-2009, 11:54 PM

Don't flatter yourself Rick. When I fantasize, it is not about you.

Unless of course you look like Catherine Zeta Jones . . .

OrlandoSEO · 10-17-2009, 02:12 AM

Originally Posted by OrlandoSEO

That is because you have not yet learned how to use these media effectively. To make more sense of it, think of it this way. How many people have you met at a party talked to for 30 minutes and then they found out you do insurance and you ended up writing them. Most likely a lot of you. That is how you are supposed to use twitter and facebook. Don't go around pushing your business. No one cares. Instead, if you are packers fan, spend time talking to tons of packers fans and casually mention once in a while that you are an insurance agent. If they like you they will request a quote.

I noticed by the response that I think you misunderstood what I meant by casually mention you sell insurance. Eventually, sooner or later people will ask what you do for a living if your are genuine. When they find out you do insurance, their is a good chance they will contact you if they need it. A rule of thumb to go by if you are trying to promote your business on social networks is no more than 80/20. That means no more than 20% of your posts should be promotional. It should really be more like 10%. The rest should be about helping others, informing others, or connecting with people. The same rules of society apply to facebook and twitter.

Let me know if this does not make sense to anyone.
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Originally Posted by CHUMPS FROM OXFORD

"casually mention once in a while that you are an insurance agent."

I have never done that (not even once) in 29 years at any party or social gathering. I don't even carry a business card.

Just me and I wouldn't recommend it.

I used to agree with you until I got asked so many times about what I did by someone and then they asked me for a card. I would have to say I don't carry one and they would be disappointed. So now I do, and have built a lot of business from it.

I am probably the least promotional person I have ever met. In fact, when we hired several interns last month to do sales, we trained them to not sell. Instead we train them to answer questions and educate business owners. In my experience, anyone you have to sell is most likely going to have buyers remorse and become a pain anyways.

As a non insurance agent. I joined this forum to get more info for a new insurance client that I started working with last month. I can tell you their is an absolute need to have knowledgeable people educate us on the risks and traps of insurance.

Broker007 · 10-17-2009, 02:18 AM

Originally Posted by OrlandoSEO

I noticed by the response that I think you misunderstood what I meant by casually mention you sell insurance. Eventually, sooner or later people will ask what you do for a living if your are genuine. When they find out you do insurance, their is a good chance they will contact you if they need it. A rule of thumb to go by if you are trying to promote your business on social networks is no more than 80/20. That means no more than 20% of your posts should be promotional. It should really be more like 10%. The rest should be about helping others, informing others, or connecting with people. The same rules of society apply to facebook and twitter.

Let me know if this does not make sense to anyone.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I used to agree with you until I got asked so many times about what I did by someone and then they asked me for a card. I would have to say I don't carry one and they would be disappointed. So now I do, and have built a lot of business from it.

I am probably the least promotional person I have ever met. In fact, when we hired several interns last month to do sales, we trained them to not sell. Instead we train them to answer questions and educate business owners. In my experience, anyone you have to sell is most likely going to have buyers remorse and become a pain anyways.

As a non insurance agent. I joined this forum to get more info for a new insurance client that I started working with last month. I can tell you their is an absolute need to have knowledgeable people educate us on the risks and traps of insurance.

Very well put buddy.