It’s Hot – But It’s Not New
flickr: cynthiacloskey's
You probably have been networking your entire life and so have your parents and grandparents. If you have ever asked for advice, given or received a recommendation, shared an experience, collaborated on a project, or interacted with a group you have engaged in social networking.
The business of being insurance agent (or any small business) relies on building trusted relationships. The era of mass marketing was a threatening and scary time for insurance agents. The impersonal era of “big” everything, mass mailings, cold calling and blast email all had the effect of disenfranchising the independent agent. They had a hard time standing out, differentiating themselves and competing in a marketing world filled with clutter. In fact, many predicted the demise of the independent agent.
There has been a seismic shift. Consumers have had it with the impersonal “push” marketing of yesterday. Spam filters, do-not-call lists, DVRs, and the like have given public the power to say, “I have had enough”.
Social Networking is all about listening, building community, engaging in a conversation, sharing an experience, being transparent, engaging, being interesting, and offering value. In short, Social Networking is all about building and strengthening relationships. This is wonderful news for all small businesses. The meteoric rise of tools like Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter are all telling us that customers want to do business with people who they feel like they know. This should be reason enough for you to get in the game and implement a Social Networking strategy in your agency. Social Networking isn’t new only the tools are.
