Then again, why would use of Webinars be different than other applications that are abused. Email has spawned spam and Power Point has lead to “death by Power Point”.

A well done Webinar can provide great value – please don’t abuse it.

Photo flickr tolomea

I first connected with Liz on Twitter and then had the pleasure of meeting her in person at the Aartrijk Brand Camp.

Liz is extremely knowledgeable and interesting and shares some key concepts for successful blogging. Listen to  “Google Loves Blogs in 2010” and gets some insight on how to start a conversation  and  “blog from your experience”.

I also encourage you to  read Liz’s “Sucessful Blog“. You can also go to iTunes and search for Insurance Journal and subscribe to the podcasts there.

On a personal note: I want to offer Liz a “thanks” for so unselfishly sharing her knowledge.

Is there a blog in your future?

A couple of weeks ago on my Facebook page, I questioned how we should refer to the past decade. Chris Amrhein’s response lead to this guest post. Chris is an educator extraordinaire, president of Amrhein and Associates Inc. , Associate with Aatrijk, and head fun guy at Insurance is fun!

An observation on Facebook about Paul Krugman’s 12/27/09 NYT article, referring to the past decade as “The Big Zero”:

“His observations had more to do with the economy than his personal situation, to wit: Private-sector employment has actually declined — the first decade on record in which that happened. It was a decade of zero gains for homeowners, even if they bought early: right now housing prices, adjusted for inflation, are roughly back to where they were at the beginning of the decade. etc.”

There have been a plethora of such articles lately, all bemoaning the “Naughts” as being the worst decade in American history. Setting aside for the moment such evidently minor disturbances as the Civil War and Great Depression, I’m not buying it. It was also the decade of Google, Apple, social networking, the GenXers and Millennials (and Harry Potter) coming of age, folks rediscovering the value of local farms and less rampant consumption, and a little director from New Zealand magnificently showing us what Tolkien really envisioned. And as a nod to the “new normal”, my Dad the retired realtor repeatedly observed over his career that folks still needed to realize you buy a house for a home, not an investment.

The real problem here is those dreaded “averages” that seemingly confirm all worst suspicions. Anyone running a business – or a life – needs be beware the curse of average. There is no such thing. At worst, it makes it too easy to ignore that for many folks, the Naughts were far more devastating than mere “breakeven”. Just as dangerously, it also may cause us to overlook lessons to be learned from others whose enrichment was glorious. No, I don’t mean the investment bankers and their bonuses. I’m talking about real people who saw businesses continue, layoffs lead to entrepreneurial risk and success, children grow up impressively, and a growth in healthier appreciation of financial basics about consumption, debt and savings. Instead of cursing the wind, they learned how to adjust the sails.

In our Sunday School class, we are studying Ecclesiastes. For non-Biblical folks, think of Pete Seeger’s (and later, the Byrds) famous song “Turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” Bottom line: life is never a wash, but a series of defeats and victories. Those who strive for the victories and learn from the defeats have historically grown and gained regardless of the times.

Average? “Big Zero?” Bah, a Jedi believes not in such things!

How about you?

photo: flickr thunderchild

Report assists agents in creating social media policies

Not having a social media policy holds many agencies back from engaging in social media. So, in case you missed this I am including the full press release below.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 4, 2010 — The Independent Agents & Brokers of America’s Agents Council for Technology (ACT) has released a report titled “Creating a Social Web Policy for Your Independent Agency.”

“Agents are understandably excited about the potential of the social web to expand their marketing reach, shape their brand and enhance their client communications,” says Jeff Yates, ACT executive director. “But agents also want to know what their risks are in using social media, how they can make sure these tools do not detract from their employees’ productivity and how they should structure their agency’s social media policy. ACT’s new report seeks to help with each of these three issues.”

“It is good management to deploy a social web policy that clearly lays out what is and isn’t permissible when employees are presenting themselves as representatives of your organization,” says Rick Morgan, ACT Web 2.0 Work Group chairman and principal of Rick Morgan Consulting. “Agency employees participating on the social web can contribute greatly to enhance their firm’s brand online by giving the firm a ‘personality’ and revealing the quality and expertise of its staff. This guide will be an invaluable tool for agencies, brokers and carriers as they embark on their social media journey.”

ACT’s new 12 page report contains a checklist of key steps to take in developing and implementing an agency social web policy, sample policies from some prominent companies, examples of possible provisions to include, and suggestions for a social web code of conduct for agency employees. Agents can also visit the ACT Web site to view actual policies that two independent agencies are using today. To download the report and access these additional resources, click HERE or go to www.iiaba.net/act and click on the “Websites & Social Media” link.

Established in 1999 by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (the Big “I”), ACT provides a candid, action-oriented forum for agent and industry associations, user groups, companies and vendors to address critical technology and workflow issues facing the independent agency system and provides agencies with reports and tools to assist them in making improvements in their businesses.

Founded in 1896, the Big “I” is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of more than 300,000 agents, brokers and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance—property, casualty, life and health—as well as employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: www.independentagent.com. ]]> http://rickmorganconsulting.com/blog/2010/01/09/act-releases-social-media-policy-guide-for-agencies/feed/ 0 http://rickmorganconsulting.com/blog/2009/12/20/merry-christmas/ http://rickmorganconsulting.com/blog/2009/12/20/merry-christmas/#comments Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:36:30 +0000 Rick Morgan http://rickmorganconsulting.com/blog/?p=579

Good News

The Agents Council for Technology (ACT) has just released “Creating a Social Web Policy for Your Independent Agency & Sample Agency Policies.” As the intro states, “This new ACT resource will assist you in developing the social web policy for your employees’ permissible use of social media for business purposes, so that you protect your agency and maintain the productivity of your employees.”

In addition to the policy guide they have also included two samples of guides being used by agencies.

Really, this will be a valuable resource for any agency wanting to create a social web policy.

Frequently I hear from agents who tell me that they tried setting up a Facebook Fan page, using Twitter or perhaps even writing a blog – but it just didn’t work. I find, that many times these agencies dove into social networking without any clue as to why or what they expected to accomplish. They did not have plan – no strategy, no goals, and management was not involved. They engaged because they  they saw that Oprah was on Twitter or their competition was on Facebook and they felt compelled to jump in.

Like any business initiative, good management of the process is key to long-term success. Social networking is no different. When you purchased your first agency automation system, success depended on re-thinking how your business would be run and putting a team in place that possessed the skills necessary to leverage the new technology.

Before you blindly start down the social networking path, sit down and put together a list of goals then work to find a strategy that will work to accomplish them. Tactics and strategies are crucial in social media success. Besides having clear objectives your plan is going to need to address resource and participation issues, as well as, creating benchmarks for success and metrics for measurement. You will want to have a written policy guide.

Social networking is more than just a marketing tool. Sales, customer service, support, claims, and risk management can all benefit from a comprehensive social networking strategy. To that end it is prudent to engage people from all agency disciplines in the process of planning, creating strategy, implementing, and participating in your company’s social networking initiative.

The value you gain from social networking will not only effect the way you communicate, with your customers but it can also change the way you advertise, provide service, manage relationships, and perhaps even how you sell insurance.

Do you have a plan?

“Soon, being the loudest and broadest messenger in a medium consumers don’t trust simply won’t count as much as being the most authentic, available, and accessible brand in the media consumers do.” – Experince: The Blog by Augie Ray

The business of being insurance agent or broker 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 and broker. They got lost in the “clutter”.

There has been a transformation and societal shift. Consumers have had it with the impersonal “push” marketing of yesterday.  Spam filters, do-not-call lists, DVRs, and the like give the public the power to say, “I have had enough”.

Social networking is fostering fundamental changes to the way people communicate, gather information, form opinions, and build relationships. Social networking is all about listening, building community, engaging in a conversation, sharing an experience, being transparent, engaging, being interesting, and adding value. In short, Social networking is about building and strengthening relationships. This is encouraging news for independent agents and brokers. 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 and trust. Independent agents can use these tools to their advantage over the impersonal national “logos” by creating a human “face” with a local presence.  This should be reason enough for agents and brokers to get in the game and implement a social networking strategy.

Yet, other agencies resist and reject the whole of the social web for a number of reasons (read excuses) including:

• It’s a Fad
• It’s a time vampire – I don’t want my staff wasting company time on this
• It’s fine for kids and personal use but it is not for business
• What is the ROI?
• I am concerned about E&O, privacy and security issues

Are you still saying this?

I remember back in the early 198o’s  when the industry was first starting to purchase and use agency management systems hearing many of the same concerns. For many, computers were considered a fad and a waste of time. They also felt that automation would undermine true “real life” relationships. It was not clear how computers would help an agency grow or become more efficient.

Fast forward to 1997 -1998 when the internet began to take hold and email gained critical mass. Once again, it was not uncommon to hear agency management complain that all this new technology was just a fad. They  banned access to the Internet and frowned on the use of email to communicate with customers.

So, here we are in 2009 and the resistance to the world of the social web sounds all too familiar. I have heard it all before. Yes, there are legitimate issues that need to be worked out and properly managed. Yet,  those who cling to excuses and avoid the opportunity being enabled by the social web do so at their own peril.