The document discusses how the Insurance Information Institute uses its website and social media presence to educate the public about insurance and analyze industry trends. It provides an overview of the Institute's resources, website traffic analysis, social media accounts, and argues that social media is an important tool for insurers to engage with customers, monitor discussions, and conduct market research. The Institute cites examples of how other industries have successfully used social media to increase sales and customer satisfaction.

1. THE I.I.I., THE WEB, AND
SOCIAL MEDIA
The Hartford: Marketing + Communications
Hartford, Connecticut
July 22, 2010
Andréa C. Basora, Vice President – Web + Editorial Services
Insurance Information Institute  110 William Street  New York, NY 10038
Tel: 212.346.5558  andreab@iii.org  www.iii.org

2. Presentation Outline
 Who We Are and What We Do
 Resources and Website Overview
 Website Traffic Analysis
 Social Media Presence
 Social Media and Insurance
2

3. Who We Are and What We Do
3

4. Who We Are and What We Do
Mission
To improve the public’s understanding of insurance—what it does and
how it works.
 Inclusive – represent diversity of the industry
 Proactive – plan ahead and execute strategic communications
 Aggressive – challenge industry critics, refute misrepresentations,
close knowledge gaps
 Essential – Primary source of information, analysis and referral
Source: Insurance Information Institute 4

5. Resources and Website Overview
5

6. Resources and Website Overview
 I.I.I. Daily, Members Bulletin
 I.I.I. Database
 Information Center Access and Research Support
 Members Area
 I.I.I. Public Website
 Dynamically Shared Content
 Videos
 Publications
 Specialized Websites
 Home and Business Inventory Applications
 Social Media Outreach
6

7. 7

8. 8

9. 9

10. 10

11. 11

12. 12

13. Resources and Website Overview
Print Publications

14. Resources and Website Overview
Insurance Handbook
The new I.I.I. Insurance
Handbook launched in
2010 provides vital
information for a wide
variety of audiences:
•Public
Policymakers
•Reporters
•Regulators
•Students
•Insurance Company
Employees
•Academics
14

15. Resources and Website Overview
A Firm Foundation
Insurers Don’t Just Pay
Claims They Are
 Employers
 Income Providers
 Taxpayers
 Investors
 Engines of Growth & Recovery
 Philanthropists
A Firm Foundation provides details on the
impact and importance of the insurance
industry on national and state economies
15

16. 16

17. Resources and Website Overview
Insuring Your Business
Site for small and middle market
commercial risks; has been highlighted
by major media, including the WSJ
17

18. Soft launch in January 2010;
First email announcement
sent out 6/16/10 Content is arranged so that
material most important to
2,023 visitors this year policymakers is just one or
9,583 page views two clicks away 18

19. 19

20. Know Your Stuff® Home Inventory
Know Your Stuff is highly
regarded by the public
and media, representing
the type of outreach by
the industry that
generates great PR
20

21. 21

22. Resources and Website Overview
Presentations + Webinars
The I.I.I. staff is available to produce and participate in joint Webinars on
subjects of interest with member companies.
22

23. Website Traffic Analysis
23

24. Website Traffic Analysis: Overview
2.5 million unique visitors in 2010
12.2 million page views in 2010
60.8 million hits in 2010
24

25. Website Traffic Analysis
Top Keyword Search Terms
Rank Keyword(s) Visits*
1
INSURANCE INFORMATION INSTITUTE / iii / iii.org / insurance institute / www.iii.org / iii insurance 25,815
2 INSURANCE TERMS / insurance glossary / insurance terminology / glossary of insurance terms /
insurance terms dictionary / insurance glossary of terms 6,817
3 CELL PHONES AND DRIVING / cell phone use while driving / cell phones while driving / cell phone
usage while driving / cell phone use while driving statistics / dangers of cell phone use while driving 4,845
4
INSURANCE / insurance statistics / insurance 101 / insurance information / insurance facts 4,316
5
HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE / home owners insurance / how much homeowners insurance do i need 3,493
6
ANNUITIES 2,455
7
INSURANCE INDUSTRY STATISTICS / insurance industry / insurance industry overview 1,425
8 WHAT IS AUTO INSURANCE / auto insurance information / car insurance information / auto insurance
statistics 1,404
9
LIFE INSURANCE / life insurance statistics / life insurance information 1,376
10
DISABILITY INSURANCE 942
11
AVERAGE CAR INSURANCE RATES BY STATE / average auto insurance rates by state 912
12
CAR RENTAL INSURANCE / rental car insurance 745
13
REINSURANCE 587
14
ROBERT HARTWIG 522
15
MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT STATISTICS 517
*January 1, 2010 to June 30, 2010
Source: Google Analytics. 25

26. Website Traffic Analysis
Users by Source
Direct
Traffic
33.63%
35.77%
Search
Engines
Referring
Sites
30.60%
The majority of I.I.I. website users come from search
engines, but about 30% come from other sites and
another 34% directly.
Source: Google Analytics. 26

27. Website Traffic Analysis
Visitors by Source
160,000
143,350
140,000 128,373
120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000 9,954 8,639
1,952 1,497
0
Direct Google Yahoo Bing Ask Search
Source: Google Analytics. 27

28. Social Media Outreach
28

29. 29

30. Social Media Outreach: YouTube
I.I.I. Video Channel
Over 100 I.I.I. videos
posted on YouTube
Most viewed: “Road
Rage” (172,359 views)
30

31. 31

32. Social Media Outreach: Facebook
I.I.I. Facebook Page
Over 270 people Like
this page
Over 150 links to I.I.I.
content posted
32

33. Social Media Outreach: Twitter
I.I.I. Website Twitter Page
Over 300 followers
All other feeds combined:
1,256 followers
33

34. Social Media and Insurance
Is it Worth the Effort?
Spoiler Alert! The Answer Is Yes
36

35. Social Media and Insurance
A Few General Facts + Statistics
 In March 2010 it was reported that Facebook was the most visited
website in the U.S., having more visits than Google for the first time.
 YouTube gets a greater level of search traffic than Yahoo, and is the go-
to site for research among young people.
-The NYT and my 12-year-old son
 1 in every 3 online Americans is a conversationalist, someone who
updates their status on a social networking site such as Facebook or
posts updates on Twitter at least once weekly.
- Forrester Research
 31 million U.S. Internet users will write blogs in 2010, more than 104
million will read them.
- eMarketer, April 2010
37

36. Social Media and Insurance
Diving Slowly
 ―Insurance providers are reluctant to dive headfirst into the
vast marketplace of social media, choosing instead to ease
in, bit by bit.‖
 ―Insurance issuers tend to rely on email and face-to-face
interaction because they feel personal contact with clients is
a necessity. As a result, social media doesn’t rank as high
on their list of priorities.‖
Source: Mintel Comperemedia, June 2010.
38

37. Social Media and Insurance
Insurer Engagement
How are insurers doing in the social media space?
Source: ―Leveraging Social Networks: An In-Depth View for Insurers,‖ Celent, April 14, 2010.
39

38. Social Media and Insurance
Producers
Based on a poll of 214 independent life insurance producers:
 70% percent use at least one social media site, but only half
report using their accounts for business purposes.
 14% believe social networks have generated word of mouth
type leads, and the same amount say social networks allow
them to stay in contact with clients.
 A narrow 11% believe social networks give them more client
opportunities.
Source: Mintel Comperemedia, June 2010.
40

39. Social Media and Insurance
Who Is Using it?
In contrast, another survey of 964 insured adults suggests there is a key
market for insurers:
 Young adults, men, and high-income earners are the groups the most
likely to already use social media for insurance research and
communication.
 In the survey, respondents were asked where they last researched
insurance policies and only 4% said on a blog, online discussion group
or social networking site.
 However, 10% of individuals making between $75k and $100k a year,
9% of those aged 25-34 and 6% of men researched policies on social
media websites.
 Moreover, these adults were more likely to say they posted a question
on a social networking site as part of their insurance research.
Source: Mintel Comperemedia, March 2010.
41

40. Social Media and Insurance
Measuring Success
Is a social media presence worth the investment?
 Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine TV fame claims to have grown his family
business from $4 million to $50 million using social media. He found that
$15,000 in Direct Mail = 200 new customers, $7,500 Billboard = 300
new customers, $0 Twitter = 1,800 new customers.
 Lenovo was able to achieve cost savings by a 20% reduction in call
center activity as customers go to the community website for answers.
(Note: Something that many insurers could do or are doing.)
- Socialnomics, Social Media ROI Examples & Video
42

41. Social Media and Insurance
Measuring Success
 Online retailer Petco.com has found that, ―Products with reviews have
return rates that are 20% lower than those without reviews - and the
return rate is 45% lower for products with more than 25 reviews - saving
on shipping, restocking, and customer service costs.‖"
- ReadWriteWeb, Forrester: If You Think Social Media Marketing is Worthless,
You're Doing it Wrong
43

42. Social Media and Insurance
Measuring Success
 However, traditional measurements of success for return on investment
in social media marketing lead to an incomplete picture:
―Many marketers can draw a straight line between investments in social
media marketing and financial results, but many more cannot. This
doesn't mean social media marketing is ineffective; it just means that
marketers have to recognize benefits beyond dollars and cents.
Facebook fans, retweets, site visits, video views, positive ratings and
vibrant communities are not financial assets--they aren't reflected on the
balance sheet and can't be counted on an income statement--but that
doesn't mean they are valueless. Instead, these are leading indicators
that the brand is doing something to create value that can lead to
financial results in the future.‖
- ReadWriteWeb, Forrester: If You Think Social Media Marketing is Worthless,
You're Doing it Wrong
44

43. Social Media and Insurance
The Old Spice Guy
Rose – How many teeth do sharks have?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MeP-rVbDXc
(1,106,774 views)
@Jsbeals – A proposal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-fLV28SkZ8
(824,987 views)
Everyone – A farewell:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFDqvKtPgZo&feature=
channel (2,921,983 views)
45

44. Social Media and Insurance
The Old Spice Guy
Interview with Wieden+Kennedy’s global interactive creative director
Iain Tait:
Q: How did you gain enough trust from P&G to just be able to run with their brand
in real time?
 That trust base is so important. We are operating under a set of principles that
we've agreed on in terms of these responses, which means that not everything
needs to go through stringent sign off and legal approval. At the same time they
know that because we love this thing, we're not going to be irresponsible with it
and throw it away and lose the chance to do it again.
 One thing you can sense if you're lucky enough to be there in the studio is that
they're all having such fun doing this thing. Isaiah is loving it. Everyone who is
writing it is loving it. The social media guys are loving it. And that really shines
through.
 It’s a really strange thing, but that sense that people are having fun actually
manages to transmit itself through the Internet. People gravitate toward things
that feel like they're being done by people who love it. That sense that everyone
involved with this is loving it is a huge factor in why this is so successful.
Source: The Team Who Made Old Spice Smell Good Again Reveals What's Behind Mustafa's
Towel, Fast Company, July 14, 2010.
46

45. Social Media and Insurance
A Research Tool
Social Media is not just about having a corporate
presence online; also a useful research tool:
 ―Social media can help engage customers, but can also help
learn more about them, which helps salespeople sell. Social
media can be used, for example, to identify the drivers that
led to the purchase of a particular life insurance policy.
Insurance could also follow other industries' lead, tapping
into social communities to glean ideas for products and
services.‖
Source: ―Pursuing a new policy: the insurance industry is slowly shifting from
traditional to trendy,‖ CRM Magazine, January 1, 2010.
47

46. Social Media and Insurance
Internal Uses
Worth considering the benefits for internal communications and
employee satisfaction:
 ―Employees--especially members of Generations X and Y joining the
workforce--are expecting work tools to resemble the technologies they
use in their personal lives.‖
-“Pursuing a new policy: the insurance industry is slowly shifting from traditional
to trendy,” CRM Magazine, January 1, 2010
 ―The younger generation of financial professional will almost demand
online self-service,‖ he says. ―I believe that soon they will want to text
any questions they have in to the service center or self-service from their
mobile device. We're going to have to be able to provide that capability.
It's how they will operate …. They will also want an online collaboration
tool to … find answers concerning product or questions from their
customers. The X and Y generations are going to demand a different
way of selling and servicing their customers. An enabling technology
platform must strategically be in place for that.‖
- “Watching Web 2.0,” Insurance + Technology, November 1, 2009
48

47. Social Media and Insurance
Monitoring + Research: I.I.I. Is Cited in Blogs Worldwide
On any given
day, I.I.I. is
cited in blogs
worldwide
Source: MeltWater Buzz.

48. Social Media and Insurance
Monitoring + Research: Daily Searches on Toyota
10 Day Moving Average I.I.I. can analyze the
pattern of social
discussion on issues
important to insurance,
provide information to
affected members and
participate in the
discussion
Source: MeltWater Buzz.

49. Social Media and Insurance
Monitoring + Research: Blog Entries on Toyota
EXAMPLE: Blog Entries on Toyota
Source: MeltWater Buzz. 51

50. Social Media and Insurance
Monitoring + Research: Twitter
52

51. Social Media and Insurance
Monitoring + Research: Other Tools
 For more on social media tools, Sandra Fathi, of Affect
Strategies, is a great resource in this space, and her
presentation is one of the most comprehensive reviews of
what is available out there for a wide range of
communications purposes:
 Utilizing Technology and Online Tools to Efficiently Manage
and Maximize PR
53

52. Social Media and Insurance
Tools + Resources (Hat Tip: Sarah Evans)
• Oneforty – A list of all third-party applications • Alexa – Find details about your Web site and audience
(http://oneforty.com) (http://alexa.com)
• Tweetdeck – Third-party application to manage Twitter • Bit.ly – URL shortener (http://bit.ly)
accounts • J.mp – A shorter version of bit.ly (they are one and the
(http://tweetdeck.com) same…simply a shorter version of its predecessor)
• Search.Twitter.com – Twitter search (http://j.mp)
(http://search.twitter.com) • Google Reader – RSS aggregator (http://google.com/reader)
• Twellow – Identify people to follow based off of details in • Google Alerts – Aggregates online mentions
their Twitter (http://google.com/alerts)
bio (http://twellow.com) • Addict-o-matic – Digital dashboard
• WeFollow – Identify people to follow based off of how they (http://addictomatic.com)
classify • Blog Pulse – Supplement to Google Alerts to find mentions in
themselves (http://wefollow.com) blog
• Tweetphoto – Photo sharing service posts (http://blogpulse.com)
(http://tweetphoto.com) • Quarkbase – Overview of monthly web visits and other
• WTHashtag – Top resource for tracking hashtag mentions analytics
(http://wthashtag.com) (http://quarkbase.com)
• Twitalyzer – Most sophisticated Twitter analytics tool • Board Tracker – Find brand mentions on online forums and
(http://twitalyzer.com) discussion boards (http://boardtracker.com)
• Listorious – Aggregator of Twitter lists • Pitchengine – Social media release platform
(http://listorious.com) (http://pitchengine.com)
• Flowtown – Import current email addresses, locate social • HelpAReporter – Free media opportunity network
networks (http://helpareporter.com)
(http://flowtown.com) • SocialMention – Analytics and sentiment
• Flavors.me – Aggregate online profiles in one place (http://socialmention.com)
(http://flavors.me) • Twellohood – Find people tweeting by location
• Help a Reporter Out – Media opportunities (http://twellowhood.com)
(http://helpareporter.com) • Mail Chimp – Email campaign platform
• Pitchengine – Social media release and newsroom (http://mailchimp.com)
(http://pitchengine.com)
• Knowem – Find where your name is available and secure it
(http://knowem.com)
Source: Sarah Evans, Sevans Strategy
54

53. Insurance Information Institute Online:
www.iii.org
Presentation will be available at SlideShare:
http://www.slideshare.net/iiiorg
Thank you for your time and your attention!