What I Learned at Brand Camp
October 7, 2009 by admin · 2 Comments
Last week was a great week. I spent three days in Chicago with some of the best people I’ve ever met.
Where was I??? At Brand Camp. What’s that you ask? It was a conference put on by Aartrijk to explore the world of social media and its impact on insurance branding.
Sure, I learned a lot about how social media can be utilized effectively, how to “Tweet” and how important blogging can be. But what really struck me was the energy of the group. The people who attended were really excited about the prospects, willing to learn and energized about their agencies. It’s probably the first time I didn’t get a sense of “quiet desperation” about the future of the independent agent and the power of the direct writers.
- I learned that independent agents have some huge opportunities because their business is based on building and maintaining relationships–a perfect match for social networking.
- I learned that there are some amazing young agents and their staff that have great new ideas to reach “Generation Y,” and that they should be listened to.
- I learned that the agents that adopt this new way of marketing and sales will be the ones to succeed.
- I learned that listening is as important as talking, whether it’s face-to-face or on the Web.
- I learned that being open to new ideas and new ways of doing business is critical to long-term growth.
Yes, we did discuss how to find “fans” on Facebook and “followers” on Twitter. We talked about effective Web site design. We talked about search engine optimization. But they were secondary to the new attitude that was circulating in the room. I wish we could capture that and sell it over the Internet!
– Laurie Donohue, vice president, I-Marketing Management (a partner firm of Aartrijk)
Visit I-Marketing Management: http://www.imarketingmanagement.com.
Follow Aartrijk on Twitter: @Aartrijk. Follow Brand Camp conversation on Twitter using hashtag #ABC09.
You Want Help with Social Media!
October 3, 2009 by Peter van Aartrijk · Leave a Comment
Aartrijk Brand Camp—held in Chicago Sept. 28-30, 2009 and continuing on the virtual calendar of online conversation—was all about the risk and opportunity of social media in our Wonderful World of Insurance.
We had pre-surveyed attendees at Aartrijk Brand Camp. These were agents, brokers, carriers, association executives, media reps, and business partners such as technology firms.
In sum, you have genuine concerns and questions around the impact and application of social media. You are being cautious about stepping into fray.
Here are some top issues you are having with all the excitement behind Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, etc.:
Social media appears to be a time vampire. How do you manage the time you and your people spend with it?
How do you show a return on the effort? One survey respondent said: “While time spent on informing/communicating with fans helps build relationships, does that turn into referrals?” And sales?
We don’t know where or how to start with social media. We need a plan and a budget and somebody in charge—who is that going to be?
The internal battles are brutal. How do we get our management on board? And our legal beagles are putting the kybosh on us branding folks—the IT department isn’t helpful either. One of you said, “The current rule is to run all printed copy past the marketing and legal departments. Social [media] requires a more relaxed, conversational tone to be authentic and trustworthy…[But] it is viewed as more of a risk than an opportunity.”
We’re not sure when we should start! One of you said: “Maybe it’s better not to put a toe in the water until this new frontier matures.”
Who in insurance has gone before us? What are the best practices around building brand awareness with social media? “We need success stories.”
Who is this for? Is social media best for business-to-business? Business-to-consumer? Both? Neither?
Finally, do insurance and financial services play a role at all in social media? Do consumers care about us? We’re not worthy! We’re just not cool enough!
Ah, yes, great questions. Stay tuned for some solutions offered up by Brand Camp attendees.
– Peter van Aartrijk
Follow Aartrijk on Twitter: @Aartrijk. Follow Brand Camp conversation on Twitter using hashtag #ABC09.