Social media usage has grown exponentially over the past 15 years. Now, it is an integral part of our daily lives. We use it to connect, reconnect, to research and to learn. We also use it for business, like buying and selling goods and services.

In fact, since the birth of social media, the world of online marketing has skyrocketed. According to a recent Pew Research Center study, in 2005 only 8% of adults who were online said they used social media. As of 2021, 72% of Americans report using social media, with 84% and 81% of adults ages 18–29 and 30–49, respectively, reporting usage. Today, that percentage continues to rise as more people use social media not just for pleasure, but also for business.

Americans spend about 145 minutes on social media every day, up a staggering 61% when compared to data from 2012. While these users search for interesting web content, insurance agents are searching for marketing opportunities. If you want to market yourself to this internet audience, you need to increase your social media presence. Cast your bait where you know there are plenty of hungry fish!

Facebook

Facebook is an ideal place to begin creating a social media presence. Making a Facebook profile is easy; It can be done in just a few minutes! Once you’ve created an account, start adding to your profile.

Set your profile picture as your agency’s logo, your professional headshot, or a professional photo of your team. Even if you already have a business profile established, you may still have some work to do before it’s fully marketable.

In order to achieve this, you must make it visually appealing. Post reminders for your clients about renewing policies; advertise deals that only last for a limited time to give them value. Share links to articles that provide helpful tips and information about insurance (like some of these QuoteWizard articles!) Keeping your current and potential customers informed will show your dedication to providing exemplary service.

Don’t create a profile with only basic contact information. It’ll sit there and gather dust like an unread book on a shelf. A consistently updated social media profile shows great communication and marketing skills.

Twitter

Twitter is a simple platform to use to attract customers. Its 140-character limit makes it short, sweet, and to the point, just how many businesspeople like it. It’s also a useful way to grab attention with the “hashtag” and “follow” features.

After you make an account, follow other insurance agents and look at their tweets. See what they tweet, how often, and the relationship they have with their followers. For tweets containing an article or website link, shorten your URLs by using a site like Bit.ly.

The Hashtag feature is one of the best ways to get noticed on Twitter. Hashtag key words like “insurance,” “marketing,” or your company’s name so other Twitter users can find you when they search those hashtags. Patience is important for Twitter marketing. It can take months to gain a decent amount of followers, but once you do, the returns and benefits are worth it.

LinkedIn

Since its launch in 2003, LinkedIn has been a center for online professional networking. Almost all insurance agents have LinkedIn profiles nowadays, but many don’t realize their full potential.

Having a LinkedIn account can provide you with many marketing benefits. Like Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn can connect you with people and let you share articles and posts. It also has the unique feature of publishing articles. By sharing an article you wrote about life insurance, you can use LinkedIn as both a marketing and content platform.

LinkedIn also allows you to link with people who work in related fields. Your connections have connections too, which means more opportunities for leads and referrals. Make sure to connect with all your current clients who have LinkedIn accounts.

While expanding your social media sphere, keep in mind that the process can be slow. As an insurance agency, your content may not exactly go viral. But don’t let this discourage you, as it still has potential and value. Focus on providing good service and useful information. Mark your agency as a reliable resource for people who may need insurance.

In the insurance industry, when you have a lead, you act on it as soon as possible. Just like lead generation, social media can relay and advertise information quickly.

Humans desire instant gratification. Social media feeds this desire. It’s called social media for a reason: it exists to connect us and get us communicating instantly. When changes occur, you and your prospects can communicate through social media quickly and easily. Direct messaging or tagging options allow for instant communication and quick customer service.

One of the main reasons social media is so beneficial for marketing is its use of visual content. According to an article from Killer Visual Strategies, visual information reaches the brain 60,000 times faster than text! People can gather information from reading, but they can also learn by seeing. Having the facts in the form of charts and graphs is visually appealing, more so than a dense article or lengthy podcast.

Using these online platforms can help enhance your social media presence. Social media is not only valuable because of how many people use it, it’s also more engaging than traditional media. Traditional media tends to be more passive, while social media is more active. Social media lets you create connections with people, regardless of distance.