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Author: CheriMartinen

How to Blog Your Way to New Insurance Leads


Some insurance agencies are already blogging and I give them a round of applause. If you are an independent insurance agent and you are not blogging, you better start. There are a few reasons why insurance agents and especially independent insurance agents should blog.
1.     Creating original content boost your SEO on search engines like Google
2.     Blogging gives you an outlet to share your insurance knowledge with your customer
3.     Blogging lets you share the success stories and tragedies of your customers in a real and intriguing way
So let’s go into these a little deeper. 

Fresh Original Content

 

Blogging is a way for you to create fresh original content. Like I said before blogging can help generate more leads by increasing your SEO. Although your website is amazing, you probably have not updated any of the content on it for a few years. Blogging is a way of letting Google know you are still relevant and your content is still up to date. Blogging also allows you to create original content that is all yours. 
Now if you are using another article and tweaking it to make it original, be sure to change 70% of the content. If you do this I would also suggest linking back to the original article, to give credit where it is due. If this is not reason enough to start blogging then I don’t know what else is, but I will continue to convince you further. 

Sharing Information 

 

If you are a good insurance agent, which if you are reading this you are, then you know more about insurance than any of your friends and family. You are an insurance guru, you understand the complex world of quotes, premiums, bundling, workers comp and certificates of insurance. If your customer leaves you for an online quote, you know they will be back because let’s face it they have no idea what the just bought. Most Americans don’t even know that the first page of their insurance policy is called a Declaration Page; let alone how to file a claim correctly.  
So Blog and start sharing the insurance knowledge you have. “Oh I don’t know anything to write about,” you say. I am calling BS. Every time a customer asks a question about their complex commercial policy, you could write about that. Every time you help a customer save money by having their teenager take driving school, you could write about that. What happens to insurance when a client gets married, buys a new car, buy a house, has a baby, builds a ad-on, cares for a ailing parent, gets in a car crash, has a tree fall on their house, has their dog bit a kid, I don’t know? But I bet you do so write about it! You can also go with the “be prepared” model and write about fire safety, boat safety, disaster planning, and anything else we can prevent.

Tell Your Successes 

 

Blogging is a great place to tell stories. If there is one thing I know all insurance agents have are stories. Stories of freak accidents, monumental storms, and my favorite are when people just mess up. The best part of telling a story in a blog is that it makes it less boring, which insurance can be sometimes. Tell about how you saved a local restaurant from going under after a kitchen fire because they had the right insurance. Write about the guy who thought he put on the parking break, or the mom who was rear ended while carpooling 4 kids. Tell a story and show your customers why you are an insurance agent. 

To Sum it up

 

Write an insurance blog. Make sure it is connected to your website. Don’t write it all by yourself, have each person in your office write a blog round robin style. Oh yeah and after you post it share it everywhere you can. Share your blog online, in your newsletter, and in an email to all of your customers.
So how does blogging get me new insurance leads? The answer is simple. Blogging and sharing information is one way to show the world that you are an expert in your field. I don’t know about you but I would rather pay an expert than just some big company and like I said before blogging can help your online presence. So start sharing the knowledge and show your true insurance loving self.

Don’t Be a Scammer


No one likes a scammer. Be the one to rescue your prospects from them.  
Hey Hey Hey come over here we will give you a good price. 
Having scammers in your industry can be a benefit for your business. We would all like to think that people are honest and genuine, but when you have been burned in the past, who will you turn to?
Story Time
As some of you know I am currently moving. This means I am looking for a house to rent in a new town. I went to Craigslist and a few real estate websites to get a list of homes to visit. Well after looking at some homes from Craigslist my boyfriend and I really thought we found our perfect new home. We were so excited we told family and friends all about the rental. After a few sketchy conversations with the “home owner” through text and Skype we were bummed to find out this guy was a scammer. He was trying to get us to send money to him for keys. The guy didn’t even know are full names. We ended up reporting him to the local authorities as well as flagging him on Craigslist. 
What does this story have to do with your business? Well I will tell you. While we were in our new town to look for homes we met with one local real estate agent, Joe. Joeshowed us a house and was kind and honest. After we came home and dealt with the loss of the rental we wanted due to the scammer. The first person I called was Joe. Not only do I feel like I cannot trust homes I see on Craigslist, but I want someone in my corner that has my true interest at heart. Even if there is a better deal out there at this point in time Joe has earned my business.  I sure hope he asks for a testimonial from us after we find a place to live, because I will willingly give one. 
So now you can look at it from your customer’s perspective. What if they got a bad insurance quote online and were not covered in a fender bender? What if they were ignored or even forgot about by their last insurance agent. What if the last time they bought an expensive product they found out later it did not work?
Be the hero in you industry. Even though there are other ways for people to go about getting the same product sometimes it means more to have a professional help them to make the right decisions in the process.

Who I Want To Work With and Why


I know exactly who I want to work with…and it may not be you. Why is this so important to know? Because it lets me find the right customers. You know the customers who love working with me as much as I love working with them. The customers who leave me glowing testimonials and who send me referrals. Those are the people I want to work with!
 
Taking the time to really find your idea customer is hard. You need to get paid so every customer is looking good when they are handing you a check. For me I have found it makes more sense to find the right people to work with instead of just anyone who will pay me. If you have been thinking about contacting me about my services maybe it would be a good idea to see if you meet my ideal customer criteria. 
  1. You want to implement marketing tactics, but you just have no time to do it.  – I love these customers. They know what they want and how they want to get it. They just need someone who understands their vision to make their marketing goals reality. 
  2.  You must be passionate about your business. – I want to work with people who love what they do. Chances are if they love what they do I can help them share their skill and knowledge with their customers. 
  3. You have to be a Risk Taker.  – Being innovative and trying new things with marketing is always a risk. I enjoy working with people who know every new marketing campaign is a risk and does not always work out the way we plan. 
  4.  You have to be a team player.  – I can create marketing campaigns and landing pages up the wazoo, but if you do not work with me to create something that is truly useful for your business then we are both wasting our time. 
If you meet all of these criteria, then call me all ready and let’s talk. If you did not meet all of my ideal customer criteria then we still might be able to work things out. 
Again if you need help with Agency Revolution, Firefly, Office Autopilot, Ontraport or Social Media Marketing and you meet my Ideal Customer Criteria, CALL ME at 401-400-2467 or contact me online. ! 
I cannot be the only one who has set up criteria for their ideal clientele. Share the wealth; let me hear some of your criteria.  


The Office Autopilot Conference Lowdown 2012


So it took me a whole day to get my butt from Eastern Idaho to Santa Barbara and boy was it worth it! The Office Autopilot conference was full of inspirational speakers, success stories and interviews with the staff, who are the people who are behind the computers making Office Autopilot truly work for your business. Well just in case you could not make it to the conference I want to share with you some of the BIG CHANGES coming to Office Autopilot. 
Did I say BIG CHANGES; well I did so let’s talk about the first BIG CHANGE. Office Autopilot has changed its company name…..are you excited yet…its new name is…Ontraport! They said the reason behind the name change was based on the fact they did not feel like getting sued by Microsoft Office. Makes sense to me. 
Now I want to tell you about the most exciting updates to the back end of Ontraport (formally known as Office Autopilot). They have updated the interface. I know you are like whoop-De-do, new interface. This you should be really excited about. Ontraport has been listening to your suggestions and now has made creating campaigns, forms, rules easier than ever. Think of making rules and their outcomes in the same place or being able to change the customers information page as easy as clicking a dragging the content box. They said we should be seeing glimpse of the new interface within the next couple of months. I hope to be one of the first to start working on it. 
Other fun stuff I learned while I was at the conference. Ontraport is growing, and I mean growing fast! They have hired 12 new employees in the last 3 months. They were #102 in Inc. 5000 and where ranked 9th in best software, they were awarded Red Herring Top 100 award in recognition of the leading private companies in North America, and was named one of Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces. So yeah if you were not fully behind these guys then it is time to jump on board. 
Everything else I learned at the conference I will keep to myself or use with my clients. 

The Art of War


 
Sun Tzu Ancient Strategies and Wisdom for Winning at Work
Chin-nigh chu

Turning “Liabilities” into Assets

“The first and most important bit of terrain to take into account exists inside your head. If you do not take time to truly think about your strengths and weaknesses, you cannot begin to deal effectively with the external terrain you face. 
How well you deal with your colleagues, bosses, employees, and clients- and your career in general- depends on how well you utilize your resources: both your positive and negative attributes….
It is the same with your personal characteristics. No attribute is purely positive or negative. It all depends on what you do with the hand you have been dealt.

Everyone’s life is filled with a certain number of liabilities. Yet these so-called disadvantages can be turned into secret weapons for winning. 
1.     Know who you are. It is possible to compete in a man’s world and still enjoy being a woman. You can enjoy having a male coworker open your doors without feeling that your power has been diminished. Or perhaps you feel more comfortable opening it for him. It’s our choice, and you should not feel you need to act one way or another because of what you believe is expected- or not expected- of you. By being competitive yet elegant, effective yet gentle, you will confuse, fascinate, and surprise your male coworkers and bosses. 
Whatever your personal qualities are- aggressive or genteel; elegant or sporty; collaborative or competitive – don’t be afraid to use them.”
I read this book two years ago and it empowered me in work and my daily life. I chose this passage to share because as I was looking through the book it caught my eye. Highlighting the good and bad attributes about your personality can make you a stronger player in everything you do. This was a good reminder for me as I head into this week, full steam ahead, to make new exciting things happen for my business. For myself my age is a bad thing because many older clients think that I am not knowledgeable enough in my field, but on the other had I get more work for social media because I am younger and have grown up communicating online and through new social mediums.  
How does this passage of the book inspire you? What liability’s do you have that you would like to turn into assets.

Setting Up Your Gravatar in 6 Easy Steps


What the heck is a gravatar you might be asking yourself? Well I just learned about this little jewel myself, while I was helping a client with a blog. I could not figure out how to make the image of a blank head change to his picture on the blog. Well after putting in a note to the Office Auto Pilot Team they steered me in the right direction. Now I want to share the knowledge with you and save you the hair pulling and teeth grinding, of what is supposed to be a simple task. 
The definition of what a gravatar is on the gravatar website goes like this; “your gravatar is an image that follows you from site to site appearing beside your name when you do things like comment or post on a blog. Avatars help identify your post on blogs and web forums, so why not on any site?” So now that we all know what a gravatar is we can talk about how to make them work for you. 

Do you recognize this image?  —>
If this image is familiar to you then you have not yet set up your Gravatar. Yeah I know, Mind Blowing! You can finally have your picture there when you log in. This also gives you an image if you are using the Agency Revolution or Fire Fly blog attached to your website. 
Step Two: Click on the Email Link and Set up Your Account
Step Three: click on “My Account” in the top right hand corer
Step Four: Select Manage My Gavatar
Step Five: Add an image, crop and finish  
Step Six: Select the image you want to use and Confirm it
Now it looks like this—>
Like I said before it also creates a picture for the blog. Easy to do and makes it look much nicer.

5 Ways To Engage Your Cusomers On Facebook


Images

Images are important to use on Facebook. A image can say a thousand words and if put with a strong message can create positive Facebook engagement. In studies on what people look at the most on a Facebook page the Page Wall always wins. This is where you post content and updates to your customers. Using images can help make your business posts more visible on your customer News Feed as well. This does not mean every post has to have an image, but it is a good idea. You can always test this theory yourself by posting a message with an image and see how many people see it verse a similar message without an image. If you are looking for some more information on what people spend the most time looking at on a Facebook Business Page then check out this blog on EyeTracking or use EyeTrackShopfor yourself and see where your Page gets the most looks.  
  

 To show my point I added this image. What does it communicate to you? To me it says be cautious children are present. What if I added text which read, “About 100 children are killed each year while walking to or from school?” The texts makes this image much more powerful.

 

 Ask questions

Facebook is social so making it easy for your customers to be social is a must. One way to get some good social engagement is to ask questions to your customers. There are a few different survey tools out there for Facebook, but the easiest to use is right in your Status Bar. On your status bar click Event,Milestone + and select Question. Here you can create a simple question for your audience to respond too. Keep the questions simple and short. Also try having the question associated with an earlier Facebook Post to draw more attention and to see better replies.

 

 Good Content

Having good content is important with everything you put on the web, and it is just as important when posting to Facebook. You want to post material that is for your audience. Make your content to the point with a timely message. For more information on how to connect with your Customers on Facebook see my last blog here.

Integrate Facebook into your Blog/Website

This is an important one. Make sure to have a Facebook gadget to “like” or “share” your content from your blog or website. If you do not make it easy to share your businesses content then people will not share it. You want to make it as easy as possible to share what you are saying on social media.
I have started using the side bar gadget and have seen great results. Here is a gadget for WordPress that works just as well. If you are not a WordPress user then I would suggest Googling social media vertical gadget for (your website provider). This will take some time to make it just right, but hang in there because the results will be worth all the trouble. 

Stay In the Conversation

Now that you are an active business on Facebook and your customers are starting to communicate with you on Facebook, remember to stay social. If someone asks a question about a post remember to answer them. If you get a lot of comments or views on a post follow it up with a similar and relevant post. Show how your company is part of your community, and why it is important to buy from you. 

Keep Marketing

Remember just because you are an active business on Facebook does not mean everyone sees everything your business does. Make sure to spread the word not just on social media but using traditional media as well. Send out monthly newsletter, event postcards, post ads in the paper and other media locations. Social media is just a part of the whole picture when it comes to letting your customer connect with your business.  
How do you connect with your customers on Facebook?
The idea for this blog was from another great marketer and writer; Jeff Bullas see his blog here. 

How to Talk to Your Customers On Facebook

During the Facebook conference last week in La Pine OR, I heard one question a lot. 
What do we post on our Facebook Page?
The question is a good one and it might be easier to answer then you think. 

Facebook

It can be easier to talk to your customers on Facebook if you think about whom you are talking to, what you are trying to get crossed to them and why you are posting on Facebook to begin with. 
Who are you talking to?
Customers, fans, people who like your company, and other business that do business with you.
What are you communicating with your customers?
You want to give the people who “Like” your business great information about your business, your industry, and how it pertains to them.
Why are you communicating with them on Facebook?
You want to make a connection with your customers. This can be anything from sharing a birthday party at the office to sharing customers’ testimonials. The more your customers see what a great business you are the more they will want to do business with you.
Still not sure what to post? Ask yourself this question, what knowledge do I have that my customers do not? This can be something as simple as why your product might cost more due to the quality goods you use, to the correct way to plant a tulip blub. In the end the more you share with your audience the more they will listen.
Other ideas to post on Facebook
·       Post pictures of your merchandise or service
·       Offer discounts for services or products
·       Create contest to benefit the community
·       Support a community event
·       Post all donations to the community
·       Post employees and yourself  doing things in the office or in the community
Try to make all of your social media post simple and public, Intel showcases this by making all of their social media post with this idea in mind, which reads, in part: “Talk to your readers like you would talk to real people in professional situations.” It just makes good sense. 
Good luck posting.
I would also like to say thank you to everyone who came to the Facebook Conference in La Pine last week. I had a great time and next time we will try to have a better internet connection.

Building Your Business using Facebook Conference

Why should you use Facebook and other social media as part of your business marketing? 
Well check out these stats;
·       3.8 million people live in Oregon
·       2.1  million of those people, are over 13 years old, and have a Facebook.
·       So 55% of the consumer population of Oregon is on Facebook 
There is no other piece of multimedia that you can reach that many people free of charge or  where you control your cost. 
Now you know why using social media for your business is important, but you are probably like the thousands of small business owners who don’t know where to start. 
Well lucky for you Actively Implementing Marketing Solutions, Vice President, Cheri Lesueur and Bancorp Insurance Owner, and Insurance Marketing Guru, Tammy Lesueur will be co-hosting a Social Media Conference in La Pine Oregon at the La Pine City Hall’s Meeting Room, Tuesday September 18th. Now if you don’t already know this pair works especially well together because they are a mother and daughter team. Shocking how the apple does not fall far from the tree.
Come and be one of the hippest local business owners of La Pine, Oregon. Participants will get the chance to learn the importance of Facebook and other social media. With step-by-step help our speakers will assist the participants to set up and start using Facebook Business Pages. Our Social Media family team will try to answer all of your questions and ease your concerns about going into the great unknown of the social media world. The goal of this small conference is to help small businesses in La Pine to start using Facebook confidently and correctly. This is a one night convention, in your home town, which means you have nothing to lose. Please come join the fun and start expanding your business today.  
Now who are these amazing women again? This colossal duo has been around the digital social media world since MySpace and AOL were cool. They have used Facebook for personal enjoyment as well as converted Facebook “Likes” into business sales. 
Tammy Lesueur is a leader in the insurance marketing industry. She has spoken throughout the U.S. on insurance marketing and digital media advertising. She has helped to grow Bancorp Insurance into one of Oregon’s top insurance agencies and is one of the nicest people you will meet.
Her Daughter Cheri Lesueur inspired by her mother, is now running her own marketing business, Actively Implementing Marketing Solutions. Cheri specializes in social media, marketing campaign creation, and content marketing. She works with people just like you every day to help grow small businesses online.
  
Don’t miss this amazing one evening conference in which you can learn from the mistakes and victories of successful Facebook business pro’s. You do not want to miss this one night of first-hand knowledge being passed down from the masters. Let this family’s passion for marketing help your business blossom in the social media realm.
Convention Information
La Pine City Hall Meeting Room
Tuesday, September 18th
Food will be served so dig in.
To sign up for the convention Now go here.

Firefly and Agency Revolution Training on Your Time

Well its fall and things are finally starting to settle down. Kids go back to school; family vacations and weekend getaways are being reserved for the upcoming Holidays. I can smell the weather changing with a cool breeze and see the colors of fall with the changing leaves. 
In fall you also go back to school for your Firefly (FF) and Agency Revolutions (AR) Trainings. Now I will be the first one to tell you the conferences and trainings are fun to go to. You get to see friends and make some new ones. You pick up new ideas and just get excited by the opportunity’s this amazing marketing tool presents to you. One of the main reasons agency owners flock to these meetings is to finish campaigns they have started but not had time to complete. I think the in class training is great if you want to do the campaign they are currently going over, but the real action happeneds during the one on one time. You know what I am talking about when everyone really barriers their noses deep into their computers and raises their hand for assistance. That is when real problem solving and progress get made on your FF and AR training days. 
Now wouldn’t it be nice to have that amazing one on one time any time of the year? To be able to have someone sit down and walk you through step by step how a campaign works. To help you customize it to your agency’s needs?
Well it’s a good thing you’re reading this blog! Actively Implementing Marketing Solutions can be your personal FF or AR coach. We work with you and your staff to facilitate true learning on your FF or AR marketing system. We understand that you want to be able to do the work yourself or have your marketing done in house. That is why we support your learning on your own time. You don’t have to worry about booking plan tickets or making hotel reservations we come to you. 
Now you don’t have to feel like you missed out because you could not make it to the FF or AR trainings in Chicago. You can have your own personal training in your office, with your staff, making real progress on your marketing. 
If you mean business and feel like you do not get everything you could from the larger trainings then have Actively Implementing Marketing Solutions come to your workplace and spend one on one quality training time with you and your staff to start seeing true marketing results now. 
Call Cheri at 401-400-2467 to start today or email her at cheri@implementnow.org for more information.