On Point with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan is an audio conversation with insurance industry leaders who champion change and challenge all of us to think.
So, how does a large independent agency with multiple offices approach new marketing and communications opportunities on the social Web? They apply it first inside their own firm.
Peter and Rick spoke with two representatives in IT and communications at a forward-thinking independent agency, Holmes Murphy Insurance. Based in Des Moines, Holmes Murphy has 13 offices in 11 states, 500 employees, and 77 years in the market. Read more
Google Loves Blogs in 2010
On Point with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan is an audio conversation with insurance industry leaders who champion change and challenge all of us to think.
“Don’t be a binge blogger.”
These are the words of Liz Strauss, a blogger and social media educator, when discussing the importance of consistency over frequency. Other advice for new bloggers includes: using free web analytics to monitor metrics; using FAQs as initial blog posts; and the importance of a really good headline on a blog post.
Here’s another: “You are the chef that provides the content that Google serves up.”
Enjoy other morsels of blogging wisdom at Liz’s April SOBCon in Chicago, follow Liz on Twitter, or tune into this tasty episode.
The podcast was published Monday, February 1, 2010. Run time is 27 minutes 15 seconds.
Much of the discussion at the recent Aartrijk Brand Camp focused on the value of blogging and becoming a better blogger. Liz Strauss, a social web and blogging pioneer, offered some great tips. For example, she suggested that we separate brainstorming ideas from the actual writing of the blog. Other ideas ranged from creating and following an editorial calendar to finding our voice.
Liz also stressed how important it is to be consistent. That is, it is better to publish one post a week than to do five posts in one week and then wait several weeks until the next post.
Liz also reminded us that what is unique about each of our blogs is us. Being ourselves is what distinguishes us from all the rest of the content on the Web.
Agent bloggers Cindy Donaldson from Founders Group, Nibby Priest from Vaughn Insurance and and Kristin Rielly from Irwin Siegel Agency also shared some valuable pointers they use in writing their blogs. So too did Laura Toops, editor of American Agent and Broker magazine and creator of the Agent for Change blog on the magazine’s Web site. For example, they suggested keeping posts short and to the point and writing about topics that are of general interest and not just about insurance..
If you are interested in starting a blog or becoming a better blogger I would recommend visiting the blogs highlighted above. Watching what others are doing is great way to learn. Another valuable resource I have found helpful is the ProBlogger Blog.
If you have a blog, what ideas and/or tips do you have to share?
– Rick Morgan
Follow Aartrijk on Twitter: @Aartrijk. Follow Brand Camp conversation on Twitter using hashtag #ABC09.
Photo: flickr cambodia4kids.org
On Point with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan, Episode 5: Human Services 2.0
On Point with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan is an audio conversation with insurance industry leaders who champion change and challenge all of us to think.
In the fifth episode, Peter and Rick talk with Irwin Siegel Agency, Inc. about their trailblazing efforts with social web tools to build online communities in the human services field.
The podcast was published Monday, September 14, 2009. Run time is 21 minutes 50 seconds.
Filed under Aartrijk, Podcasts, insurance branding · Tagged with Aartrijk, Blogging, independent agents, insurance agencies, insurance branding, Irwin Siegel Agency, Peter van Aartrijk, Rick Morgan, social Web, Web 2.0, Web sites
On Point with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan, Episode 4: Expanding Business Objectives
On Point with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan is an audio conversation with insurance industry leaders who champion change and challenge all of us to think.
In the fourth episode, Rick and Peter talk to Katie Herbst, Senior Marketing Communications Specialist at Westfield Insurance, about the evolution of social media at Westfield and her role within the organization.
The video was published Tuesday, September 1, 2009. Run time is 26 min 30 seconds.
Filed under Aartrijk, Podcasts, insurance branding, social Web · Tagged with Aartrijk Brand Camp, Blogging, independent agents, insurance branding, Peter van Aartrijk, Podcast, Rick Morgan, Social Networking, social Web
On Point with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan is an audio conversation with insurance industry leaders who champion change and challenge all of us to think.
In the second episode, Cindy Donaldson, Marketing Director at Founders Insurance Group, explains the agency’s use of social marketing tools to reach customers and prospects.
The video was published Wednesday, August 5, 2009. Run time is 15 min 28 sec.
Filed under Aartrijk, Branding, Podcasts, insurance branding, social Web · Tagged with Blogging, independent agents, Peter van Aartrijk, Podcast, Rick Morgan, Social Networking, social Web
On Point with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan is an audio conversation with insurance industry leaders who champion change and challenge all of us to think.