Todd McIndoo is a Vice President at Speedy - National Association ...

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technology tipsTools to Help Grow Your AgencyBY JACKIE FUNKIn today’s competitive world, Allstateagents must make it a priority to stay intouch with their customers and engagepotential customers using the method ofcommunication that they prefer. Whilenothing can replace face-to-face conversations,it’s important to incorporatenew, cost-effective and impactful tools toengage your audience.Develop a Blog to Create aConversation with Current andFuture CustomersMany small business owners, includinginsurance agencies just like yours,are hesitant to start a blog. But blogscan offer you a great way to educate yourcustomers, as well as the general public.Here are some steps that will assistyou in developing and publicizing youragency blog:• Select a blogging applicationThere are lots of free tools available toget your blog up and running. A hostedblog service—such as Word Press, Type-Pad or Blogger—can help you get startedcheaply and easily.• Launch your blog with at least fivequality posts – To give your blog someimmediate presence, it’s important totake the time to develop at least fiveposts before you take your blog live. Everyblog has to start somewhere, but itpays to plan ahead.• Submit to directories - Onceyou’ve got your initial content up, submityour blog to a few directories. A fewgood places to start include: Technorati,BOTW, Blogged and Bloggapedia .• Get the word out to everyone youknow – Don’t be shy about letting theworld know about your blog. Developa list of clients, friends, family, businesspartners and followers. Ask them to introduceand promote your blog to theirnetworks.• Include a link to your blog in youremail signature – By including a link toyour blog in your email signature, you’re creatingan opportunity to drive people back toyour site with every email you send.• Get some comments going ASAPIt’s important to create a conversationon your blog. To get the ball rolling, askfriends and family to read what you’veposted and provide some commentary.• Consider buying some advertisingBid on a few key phrases or even buysome traffic from Stumble Upon, a content-discoveryservice. It can be hard toget your content in front of the right audienceand advertising can really jumpstartyour efforts.There are myriad of other approachesyou can utilize when it comes to blogging.Monitor other blogs that are meaningfulto your agency, your clientele andyour community. Commenting on others’blogs, offering to post content as a guestblogger on another site and/or allowingothers to be guest bloggers on your sitecan also help your marketing efforts.Not using Twitter yet? Why not?Twitter has been the buzz for the lastseveral months due to media hype and itsusage by celebrities. But many “averageJoes” still haven’t taken the plunge. I oftenget questions from friends and colleaguesabout whether it’s really worth the effort.I say, unequivocally, “YES,” because inbusiness, Twitter allows me to:1. Listen and learn – By “following”people who talk about subject matterthat is important to me, I can read anddigest new information quickly.2. Build relationships with customers– I monitor Twitter all day long. Thereality of Twitter is that friends and foescan post whatever they like…wheneverthey like. As a marketer, it’s very importantfor me to monitor comments aboutour company, brand and service. ThroughTwitter, I can see what’s being said andoffer customer service, thank people for46 — Exclusivefocus Winter 2009/2010
positive mentions or quickly respond toconcerns as they arise.3. Track competitors – All of my competitorstweet as well. And so do their customers.I can stay on top of product/servicelaunches, announcements and promotionsright from Twitter. Furthermore, I can seeif anyone is having customer service issuesor doing a great job of satisfying their customers…rightfrom Twitter.4. Identify prospects – Twitter is agreat way for people to ask for a productor service. And many do. While prospectingis way down the list of reasonswhy I use Twitter, I find a gem every nowand then, and can connect directly to seeif the prospect would like to engage withme or another member of our team.Setting up a Twitter account takes lessthan 5 minutes. Even if you’re not sureTwitter is for you, there’s no harm inchecking it out.Utilize Local Search Listings toEstablish an Improved OnlinePresenceYou can quickly and inexpensively increaseyour agency’s online presence byadding your business to search enginesand directories so it’s easy for both currentand prospective customers to find you.• Local Listings - As you probablyknow, Google leads the market in searchengine traffic these days. By simply addingyour agency to Google Maps andGoogle Local, you can ensure your agencypops up when individuals performGoogle searches for insurance in yourWinter 2009/2010 Exclusivefocus — 47
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