If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it still make a sound?
Don’t answer that. It’s a trick question.
If your agency has great stories to tell but no one hears them, are they still great stories?
Untold stories are worth exactly as much as uncashed checks and unwritten policies. Zero, zip, nada.
Do you have great stories? Are you at a loss for how to tell them, or who to tell them to? How do you get your stories in front of the people who need them?
First, you need a good story.
What are your stories? The things that make your agency successful are probably the same things that make for good stories. Good stories typically have a surprise or an “ah ha” moment in them. In the news business, we call it a hook.
A hook is something that catches readers and viewers so that the reporter can then reel them in and keep them reading or watching with a good story.
Here’s a story that has nothing to with insurance but illustrates what “an ah” ha moment in a story looks like: Local man starts chess clubs in low-income schools. It’s a nice feel-good story, but we don’t have a hook yet, so most editors will yawn. Here’s the hook: Students who had struggled with classwork and had never considered themselves smart start doing better in school after taking up chess because everyone knows chess is a game for smart people, so they must be smarter than they had thought.
You already know your story. It’s time to start looking for your hook--that little twist that makes your story compelling. What is it about your agency that keeps clients coming back?
You provide insurance to people or organizations that need it. Who are your most interesting clients, the ones with unusual needs? Which families have you been able to help get back on their feet after a major loss? What businesses were you able to help keep the doors open against all odds?
“Every agency needs to find a way to go beyond just differentiating themselves. They need to show they aren’t just different but better,” said Don Hobdy Jr., vice president of sales for Insurance Technologies Corporation (ITC).
“We’ve seen our clients successfully accomplish this through blogging. By telling a story about unique risk, they take the position as an expert. When a potential client searches for information on that risk or even for coverage, the blog will sometimes rank higher than the agency’s website,” Hobdy said.
Do you have staff members who go above and beyond to give their clients exceptional service? Interview the clients. Does your office participate in charitable work? Don’t just write about the work you do and the time you donate. Instead, interview people who have been touched by your work—tell their stories.
How can you tell these stories? You can tell them on your website, in your blog, on your Facebook page, in your newsletter. If there are local reporters who cover business or charities, make sure they are on your email list.
You may not see an increase in business right away from storytelling, but over time good stories will almost certainly generate traffic to your website, Facebook page, etc.
