For Aartrijk’s new series of guest bloggers

About Nibby: Nibby began his insurance career in August 1983 as a part-time employee in his father’s business, then joined the agency full-time in 1986 after graduating from Eastern Kentucky University. Nibby is known nationally for his insurance agency automation consulting work with the AGENA Corporation and National Users of AGENA Systems. He has also worked extensively with Henderson Community College as an instructor in various computer-related classes.

1. What has happened in the past year with your agency/firm now in the area of branding? What changes or initiatives have you been working on? What is the top challenge right now for companies like yours?

We are trying to brand more with our online name GoVaughn.com Insurance, instead of our old, long name Vaughn Insurance Agency Co.

We have dropped our Yellow Pages, TV, radio and newspaper advertisements. Our biggest challenge is making sense out of it all, even though we know that the time we are spending in social media and new media (online advertising) is really the right way to go.

We also are looking more to referrals for new business. We really feel high-touch relationships (referrals) are where some of our best business is coming from.

With Internet leads, the good news is that consumers are ready and willing to talk insurance, but their eagerness to share information and buy gives us pause about writing the business.

2. It seems like 2008-2009 was a watershed time for social networking for consumers, while a few insurance practitioners were getting ramped up on social networking. But by and large, there was fear and loathing of it. What do you see as the status (of opportunity and implementation) at the moment for independent insurance agents and social networking?

Agents are seeing the benefits. Just this week I downloaded and installed Microsoft’s add in for Outlook that meshes my Outlook Contacts with Facebook and LinkedIn. I created a separate contacts list for my clients. I couldn’t believe how many of my existing clients are on Facebook and LinkedIn. This is just another way we can reach out and touch and be real to these people.

Many agents are educating themselves about SM [social media] and just a sense of awareness leads them to acknowledge how productive and interesting social networking can be. I don’t see as many totally ‘dissing’ the idea as were 12 months ago — which is good since many were dishing because they simply didn’t understand or know about SM.

3. The insurance industry has long been known for collaboration and idea-sharing among peers, especially independent agents. What are your best sources and inspirations for branding, marketing communications, social networking, etc. within the industry?

My Twitter friends! Peeps like Pat Alexander, Steve Anderson and Laura Toops. The quick little tidbits of information and links that they and many other insurance agents share, specifically on Twitter, are most helpful to me.

4. Now a word from our sponsor. Tell us one thing that you learned at Aartrijk Brand Camp 2009, and how you have implemented it or changed your branding since then.

Collaboration needs to not only be between likes (agents to agents) — but also company people, brand marketing people, large agents, small agents, new agents, old agents.

I have been trying to network more and be more open to those who might do business differently from me. I have a lot to learn from my perceived competition. I’m paying more attention to trends and reading more about the insurance-buying public and trying to adjust our agency to catering more to the different age groups and how they want to do business.

Being able to meet in person many of the relationships that I have created by using Twitter and other social media tools was really worth the entire [Brand Camp 2009] conference. The synergy that was going on during the conference was fresh and new unlike any insurance trade conference that I have been to in over 15 years. I felt like I was attending my very first insurance systems users group meeting — which I did in 1987 when we started NUAS (National Users of AGENA Systems).

The latest mini-rage in social networking seems to be geolocation.

So here’s the cat’s pajamas in geolocation: Scientists (social and technical) have come up with a cat-Tweeting system, based on a cat’s movements and actions.

I love the name … Cat@Log: A Human-Pet Interaction Platform.

Basically, this new prototype cat-tracking-and-communicating system involves a camera, Bluetooth wireless technology, and a GPS (global positioning system) attached to the cat. Then it posts images and location information as automatically-programmed Tweets, which are mini-messages posted to the microblog site Twitter.

Enough about the cats (and the puns).

What’ s interesting is the potential uses of automated uploading of data (regardless of whether Twitter is involved). How about for safety — a mini-bracelet around a kid’s wrist could track for his parents where he or she is? Or a delivery person could track productivity. Or a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan on a sensitive mission could automatically transmit data back to a base. Some of these things likely already exist, in some fashion.

But here’s the big news: This whole thing was developed by Sony, in conjunction with the University of Tokyo. Yes, that’s the same company that came up with the Walkman, which went it was introduced in 1979 revolutionized the mobile use of audio, music, books on cassette, and so on.

Here’s the article: Sony Develops Tweeting Cat Collar in MediaPost.

Here’s a video of the cat thing in action:

cat@log: human animal interaction platform from rkmtlab on Vimeo.

“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.

Linda Rey is a second-generation agent and owner of Rey Insurance in Sleepy Hollow, New York. Frank Rey founded the agency in 1978 to serve bilingual clients in the local community.

Linda discusses how she has incorporated the use of social media into the agency’s marketing strategy. For Linda, it was an “effective way to be present, visible, and increase awareness and exposure.”

This agency has made very effective use of video to put a human touch and project personality on their website. Linda states, “it is OK to show personality – it isn’t always about business.”

While it is important to have a solid strategy, Linda feels that having fun and enjoying what you are doing are keys to being successful an benefiting from the use of social networking.

You can also follow Linda Rey and Rey Insurance on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

The podcast was published Monday, May 10, 2010. Run time is 20 minutes 9 seconds.

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.

Cindy Adams and Lori Tapscott have taken the agency on a “very deliberate path” with social media. Lori and Cindy were part of a team that looked at social media and educated each other and established a policy.

The pair wanted Holmes Murphy to maintain a culture of collaboration on the agency’s Intranet. Each division in this large firm has specialty groups, and the key was to allow the communities to get together. The agency also uses an RSS feed and monthly newsletter, and keeps a presence on Facebook and Twitter. It also hosts video for testimonials and niche marketing.

Cindy was a contributor to the Agents Council for Technology policy guide for her fellow independent agencies as they go down the social media path.

The podcast was published Tuesday, April 13, 2010. Run time is 21 minutes 17 seconds.

As Allstate’s social media manager, Marcia Hansen oversees Vehicle Vibes, an automotive blog geared toward women and young adults, and Friender Benders.com, an entertaining and irreverent user-generated content portal. Marcia is also the host of Vehicle Vibes Radio, live at 10am Central on Tuesdays.

As Allstate’s social media guru, Marsha was also a presenter at Aartrijk’s Brand Camp, talking about her role in marketing and the importance of listening to customers and prospects.

The podcast was published Monday, December 28, 2009. Run time is 29 minutes 3 seconds.

In the eleventh episode, Peter and Rick talk with Chris Jordan of Atlanta Insurance Live in Atlanta, Georgia. Chris argues using video and live chat promotes transparency and gives agency owners and agents new ways to connect with their customers. Facebook, Twitter and the other social web tools add to his social media arsenal and provide an avenue to connect and establish relationships.

The podcast was published Monday, December 14, 2009. Run time is 18 minutes 23 seconds.

The auto insurer in 2004 created “Erin Esurance” (a cartoon character fighting off villains to insure her car) to deliver the message: it’s easy to quote-buy-print your auto insurance policy. Esurance’s brand and advertising icon are well known in the 30 states in which the insurer does business, primarily because of $94 million of TV advertising in 2008. What’s more, according to TNS Media Intelligence, Esurance has pumped up its TV ad buy by 45% thus far in 2009.

But TV advertising isn’t enough, curiously. Esurance also has made a commitment to use social media sites to follow up with customers after the sale, Swigert said. He cited an example of a Esurance customer who complained on Twitter: “@Esurance is saying my policy with $55k coverage doesn’t cover my roommates things. This is not going to be fun.”

To make a long story (about a month long, it turns out) short, Esurance’s eagle-eyed social media monitors replied to the customer via Twitter, then got in touch by e-mail and resolved the issue to the customer’s satisfaction. Esurance got a public thank you, noted Swigert, from the customer: “@Esurance Thank you for everything! You really came through. Guess I’m a customer for life now.”

That’s a nice ending to the story for Esurance.

But there’s also some good news in this story for independent insurance agents and brokers: Even the big ad spenders need to work one-on-one with customers. That kind of personal follow-up and response to consumers is what independent insurance agencies do every day of the week.

The big-ad-spender brands have to perform on the same nitty-gritty issues (read: claims) as do independent agents and their carriers. The difference today is that social media has made the process viewable to others, if and when any given consumer chooses to make it public. There’s a new public record, and it’s called “social media.”

Independent agents who are active in social networking have had this epiphany. Here’s what Nibby Priest of Vaughn Insurance Agency Co., Henderson, Kentucky, said in an Insurance Journal Webinar in September:

Q: In opening up your business to Facebook fan page, you are obviously opening up your business to negative feedback. How do handle negative comments?

Nibby Priest: “That’s a great question. Sometimes people don’t want to be a part of social media because they don’t want somebody to say something negative. You know bad things are not always bad; sometimes you need to know about them. So many times a client will leave you and you don’t even know what you did wrong. So, at least this gives an avenue and gives you, as business owners, the opportunity to go in there and correct it.”

Enough said.

Chris, who trains and talks with numerous independent agents, is featured on the latest podcast (Episode 3: The New Old) of On Point with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan published by Insurance Journal.

In the third episode, Chris Amrhein of Insurance Is Fun! talks with Peter and Rick about similarities of digital world to the old world, complete with front porches and Grateful Dead concerts.

The video was published Monday, August 17, 2009. Run time is 18 minutes 48 seconds.

Here are two articles about Aartrijk Brand Camp 2009:

National Underwriter, Property-Casualty Insurance Edition: “Brand Camp Set For Insurance Marketers”

Insurance Newscast: “‘Aartrijk Brand Camp’ to Debut Sept. 28-30 in Chicago — Event Focuses On Insurance Branding in Social Web Age”

Peter van Aartrijk

Check out what might be dubbed a “Beginner’s Guide to Social Networking in Insurance.” It’s an audio podcast published by Insurance Journal featuring Peter van Aartrijk, managing director, and Rick Morgan, senior associate of Aartrijk.

Noted van Aartrijk in the podcast: It’s becoming urgent for independent agency owners to experiment with social networking, if they’re not already. Some agencies are using social networking portals as a way to do business.

“What they [independent agents/brokers] do — dispense advice, solve problems … It’s incredibly important what they do,” commented van Aartrijk in the podcast. “This new social media … is incredibly powerful to really bring to light what they do.”

Check out the podcast, Agency Management Done Right, Episode 2: Social Media, at: http://www.insurancejournal.tv/videos/2434/

The “Agency Management Done Right” audio podcast is hosted by Mitch Dunford of Insurance Journal and explores insurance agency management.

April 30, 2009