A Brand New Brand
March 31, 2010 by Maureen Wall Bentley · Leave a Comment
For brand geeks like us, there is nothing quite as exciting as the introduction of new brand. Everything is still shiny and clean, with that new-brand smell.
Last week, we got to watch just such an event: At their conference in Nashville, the AMS Users Group rebranded as Network of Vertafore Users, or NetVU. In addition to the new name, the organization now boasts a cool new logo and purposeful tagline, all of which tie into the group’s focus on education, advocacy and networking.
Aartrijk worked with the organization for months on this project, which included a dedicated task force; top leaders Jim Armitage, Carl Schlotman and Brady Polansky; and a hard-working staff in Dallas.
Needless to say we’re very jazzed about the outcome for this 32-year old user group. For more on what this change means for NetVU and its 15,000 independent agency members, check out the story in Rough Notes’ April issue or ads running throughout the trade press.
Congratulations to our friends at NetVU and best wishes for their next 32 years.
On Point with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan, Episode 16: Commercial Lines Is An Accommodation
March 29, 2010 by Charles Wasilewski · Leave a Comment
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.
Peter and Rick spoke with Steve Brooks, an independent agency owner in Westlake Village, Calif. who is a proponent of personal lines and social media as a marketing tool.
While many agencies sell a mix of commercial and personal lines, Steve is very focused on upscale personal lines accounts. He started his firm from scratch 20 years ago, and is 98% personal lines.
Personal lines is stable, with higher persistency than commercial, especially in an economy where businesses are moving their insurance, or going out of business altogether. And the personal lines book is worth more to an agency, Steve says.
Traditional media—such as TV ads and direct marketing—don’t work as well as they once did for personal lines, he maintains. He likes social media—like Facebook and Twitter—for reaching a higher-end clientele. “It’s hard to measure ROI on social media sites,” he says, “but the intangible references are priceless.”
And he likes to work relationships. Commercial lines agents refer preferred personal lines to Brooks because they take the line seriously and want it handled well. “You can’t wait until business slows to start doing this,” he says. “You need to be doing it all the time.”
The podcast was published Monday, March 29, 2010. Run time is 24 minutes 18 seconds.
Opportunities, Doubts Abound in Social Media for Insurance, Aartrijk Brand Camp Survey Finds
October 23, 2009 by Charles Wasilewski · 4 Comments
Six Key Issues Uncovered in Research of Brand Decision-Makers
SPRINGFIELD, VA (October 23, 2009)—Insurance brand decision-makers are intrigued by increasing opportunities to use social networking, but they face internal pressure about these new rules of customer and prospect engagement, according to a recent survey conducted by leading industry branding firm Aartrijk.
The survey of attendees at Aartrijk Brand Camp 2009, an interactive conference for insurance and financial services brand managers in the age of the social Web, found that caution and doubts about managing social media are holding back many insurance brands from experimenting and implementing social media initiatives. Brand Camp attendees work at agencies, brokers, trade associations, carriers, technology firms, and other industry partners.
“Insurance brands that already have begun to work in social media have a lot of passion for it,” says Maureen Wall Bentley, vice president of brand strategy for Aartrijk. “But those who are in the exploration stage have real uncertainty about the potential impact and application of social media. They are curious but cautious, and many are not sure where to start.”
The survey was completed by most of the conference attendees prior to Aartrijk Brand Camp, held last month in Chicago. It found that the top six issues are:
1. Social networking is viewed more as a risk than an opportunity by many insurance executives outside the areas of marketing and branding. Brand managers face internal struggles in convincing management to implement social media. Concerns about security, productivity, reputation, privacy, disclosure, workflow, technology and legal issues have held up even experimental efforts. “The conversational, interactive nature of social networking conflicts with the traditional one-to-many marketing efforts, which lack an online feedback loop,” Bentley points out.
2. How do professionals and businesses manage the time and people involved in social media efforts?
3. Brand decision-makers are unsure where or how to start with social media—they are looking for a plan, budget and agreement on corporate leadership on the issue. They’re not certain if and when those resources will come.
4. Insurance brands see social networking opportunities in agent or member communications as well as the business-to-consumer realm. The dual opportunities, however, split resources and focus.
5. Brand decision-makers are seeking ways to measure activity and success in social media.
6. Insurance brands are looking for best practices and success stories for building brand awareness and customer service through social media.
Despite these issues, Bentley notes attendees at Aartrijk Brand Camp heard from a cross-section of insurance professionals who are writing new business, servicing existing business, listening to customers, engaging prospects and building their brands—all with a variety of social media tools such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Web sites, too, are evolving rapidly as corporate online “brochure-ware” becomes less interesting to customers and prospects.
The Aartrijk Brand Camp community, which includes “campers” attending the first event and “counselors” from Aartrijk, are continuing a dialogue online, and a Webinar is planned for this winter to address some of the issues raised in the survey as well as present case studies.
“Some people in our industry still question whether social media should play any role at all in insurance and financial services,” says Bentley. “They’re not convinced that consumers want to engage with their agent or carrier in the same way that they follow their personal interests online.
“And, frankly, insurance probably doesn’t have the same pull as entertainment, politics or sports,” continues Bentley. “But smart insurance professionals are touching customers and prospects through online social networks much in the same way they’ve always done offline—by demonstrating their expertise, their relationship to the community, and their understanding of the challenges families and businesses face each day. The social Web is simply a new vehicle for expressing those qualities.”
About Aartrijk: Aartrijk is a boutique branding firm serving clients from insurance and financial services firms and member organizations. Aartrijk’s experienced team offers business-to-business and business-to-consumer brand auditing; brand identity development; Web and social media; advertising, marketing-communications and public relations; publishing and editorial; and customer and marketing channel research. Visit www.Aartrijk.com; find Aartrijk on Facebook, Linked In, and Twitter (@Aartrijk), and follow Brand Camp and social media topics on Twitter: #ABC09. For camp information, visit www.aartrijk.com/brandcamp/agenda-2009.
CONTACT:
Charles Wasilewski
(908) 647-2216; charles@Aartrijk.com
###
On Point with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan, Episode 7: Trends in Communication
October 16, 2009 by Charles Wasilewski · Leave a Comment
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 seventh episode, Peter and Rick talk about what the term “brand” means–and how insurance practitioners are using a new set of tools to bring their brands to consumers.
The podcast was published Friday, October 16, 2009. Run time is 19 minutes 46 seconds.
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.