Brokers are looking to social media to market their business. For a couple of brokers, the recipe for success lies in striking the right balance.
“Facebook is all about fun, and that should always be the message,” says Deanna Thickson, of Deanna Thickson Insurance Protection Group in Cobourg, Ont. “We try to strike a balance in providing information, raising topics of discussion, and having a chuckle with our cartoons and weekly trivia.”
On the company’s Facebook page, there is a mix of information pieces from various associations – like the message from Insurance Brokers Association of Nova Scotia that although direct purchases of insurance may save money initially, it does come with less coverage. And a news article from the CBC on how severe weather may mean an increase in home insurance goes a long way to explaining to clients why their premiums may be increasing, while providing a neutral, third source for the explanation as to why.
Also, there are interactive questions on news of the day, such as asking Facebook users if it is fair for U.S. companies to exclude Ebola coverage.
And by far the most popular item is the Tuesday Trivia, says Thickson.
“People love to take a guess, and it is usually on a humorous topic,” she told Insurance Business. “We can always count on a number of comments.”
Last week’s question was: one in three men have admitted to never doing this basic household chore. What is it? (See bottom for the answer).
Another broker at Miller Insurance in Kincardine, Ont., Amanda Farrell, has been handling the Twitter and Facebook accounts for two years.
“Just in the last year we’ve been very active, using Hootsuite to handle both accounts,” Farrell told Insurance Business. “The whole idea is to be current and to be interactive and to create a conversation.”
Through the Miller Twitter account, Farrell wrote: “Congrats Ashley McConnell! Way to represent Bruce County 4-H and the South Bruce 4-H Beef Club,” referring to the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto, Ont.
But back to the trivia question. What is that household chore that many men simply don’t do?
If you guessed ‘Clean the toilet,’ you were right.
