This document discusses the growing use of social media in the insurance industry. It notes that while social media was once dismissed as a fad, trend, or not suitable for businesses, it is now widely accepted and used. The document provides statistics on the popularity and usage of social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. It then offers advice on developing a social media strategy, including setting clear objectives, monitoring conversations, engaging with influencers, and sharing useful content. Finally, it highlights examples of how some insurance companies and agencies are successfully using social media.

1. Social Media in the Insurance Industry
Tim Hurley

2. “Do They Have a Twitter for That?”

3. SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY

4. Famous Last Words?
• It’s a fad
• I don’t have time
• It’s not for business
• It’s not for our industry
• It’s not for our company
• What is the ROI?
• Not on Company time!!!!!
• What about E&O?
Think this was about social media?
These are real quotes about agency
automation (circa 1982) and email
(circa 1997)!

5. Why Should You Care?
• Social media gains traction ..even in insurance!
• Customers migrating here in droves
• Agencies, brokers, and carriers believe these platforms open up new
opportunities.
• We’ve witnessed “Main Street” acceptance of social networking as a
powerful and persuasive communications tool.
• It’s not that complicated

6. The Social Media Ocean
6 November 11, 2011

7. Social Networking By The Numbers
•135 million users •More than 800 million
•225 million users
active users
•35% of users access •50 million active
LinkedIn daily •More than 50% of users
users log in every day
log on to Facebook on
•81% of users belong any given day
•100 million active
to at least one group users log in once a
•More than 350 million
month
•More than 2 million users currently access
companies have Facebook through their
LinkedIn Company mobile devices
Pages

8. Social Media Stagnation? Fortune 500 Snapshot
• 31 percent of the 2011 F500 still have neither a Twitter account nor a
Facebook presence, at all.
Blogs
– Only 23 percent of the 2011 F500 have corporate public-facing
blogs with a post in the past 12 months
Twitter
– 62 percent of the 2011 F500 have corporate Twitter accounts
with a tweet in the past thirty days  an increase of 2 percent
from last year
– All the top ten companies in the 2011 F500 are tweeting
Facebook
– 58 percent of the 2011 F500 have Facebook pages

9. Pillars of A Social Media Strategy
Technology Relationships
Content

10. Getting Started
• Have a clear objective
– What do we want to accomplish?
– Is it measurable?
• Google is your friend (for targeting)
– What shows up in top ten results?
– Does it provide a door opener?
• Start monitoring, listening
– Set up Twitter account, listen to industry
– Use RSS, Google blog search, alerts
• Find influencers
– Who is most visible? Are they widely followed, read?
– Are they conversation starters or industry experts?

11. Getting Started: LinkedIn
• Complete profile
• Be active!
– Join relevant industry groups
– Post updates (link to Twitter)
– Conduct a survey; share results
– Link to company blog(s)

12. Getting Smarter: Lead Gen with LinkedIn
• Develop an Inbound Marketing campaign
– Provide information, content, expertise
– Start conversations, drive traffic to landing pages
• Find people
• Go mobile
• Download apps
• Create, participate in dialogue

13. Create Strategic Links

14. Getting Started: Twitter
• Start following industry publications, influencers, customers, partners
• Use a validation service: TrueTwit
• Have two-way conversations
• Share articles, reports, PoV
• Twitter etiquette: “re-tweets”
• Use “hash tags” or “#” with tweets
• Forge relationships, then use to tools to be a catalyst for real, in-
person interaction

15. Getting Smarter: Twitter TV
15 November 11, 2011

16. CASE STUDIES

17. Best Practices: YouTube/Allstate
Allstate YouTube
youtube.com

18. Best Practices:
Facebook/Atlantic Insurance Agency

19. Best Practices: Yammer/Sword Insurance

20. Best Practices: LinkedIn/State Farm
State Farm Agents
linkedin.com

21. What are “Early Adopters” Doing?
• Toe dipping
• Educational content
– Video, links
• Staying top of mind
• Branding as the experts
• Retweeting, replying, interacting
• Building/strengthening relationships and
pipeline!

22. On The Horizon
• Real-time goes big time
• Greater accountability by CXOs
• Google+ for businesses
• Social media
• All businesses are
social businesses

23. Final Thoughts
Social Media …
• Is a proven business tool
• Is not a full time job
• Is not that complicated
• Is not going the way of the fax machine
• Can strengthen your lead generation and awareness
building efforts

24. Thanks, Any Questions?