Social Media Boost Sales - Next Wave Marketing Strategies

You already know social media is great for swapping pictures with old friends and keeping up with family members, but it is also a very powerful marketing tool that, if used properly, can bring customers to you and keep them loyal to your agency. Here are some ideas you might try to make the most of the social network.

1. Spread the Word about Your Agency

Most people would rather buy insurance from someone they know and trust rather than from a total stranger. Make your prospects feel like they know you by creating accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. Of course, your agency should also have its own web page. As your name crops up on one forum after another, even prospects who have never spoken to one of your sales agents may begin to feel connected to your company, and that’s exactly what you want.

2. Participate in Social Forums

Just having an account on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ doesn’t necessarily mean prospects will just stumble across your information. You need to be an active participant in social media, posting or Tweeting several times each week. Some of your posts can be direct advertisements, but the rest should be service announcements, such as passing on information about a new law that affects insurance customers, or responses to other people’s posts. The more prospects you can engage online, the greater your chances of making a sale.

3. Respond Promptly to Questions and Comments

If a prospect reaches out to you by writing on your Facebook wall or sending you a message via LinkedIn or Twitter, respond promptly and suggest ways that your agency might be able to help. Prospects who get useful information after reaching out to you to engage online will trust your agency and will be more likely to think about you the next time they need to solve a thorny insurance problem.

4. Keep an Eye on Your Reputation

Social media monitoring is a critical part of launching a social network campaign. It involves going to each of the social media websites and looking for any mention of your agency’s name. If you come across a complimentary comment, thank the person who left it. If possible, offer a small token of your gratitude such as a free ebook or insurance report.

Social media monitoring is also useful because it allows you to catch negative comments about your agency and address them before they go viral. Contact the person who made the comment and work to give him or her a better experience with your agency.

It’s important that your sales agents realize that engaging in online social networks is an important part of their work, much like cold calling or following up with purchased leads. Emphasize that being a strong online presence can help increase your insurance sales.

Social Media Builds Trust - Next Wave Marketing Strategies

The first step to getting online leads is building visibility. Your prospects have to know you are there before they can make a decision about whether or not to use your products and services.

The second stage is building trust. Actually creating an online relationship over the Internet is much harder than merely being noticed. Social media profiles are vital to gaining your prospects’ trust for five reasons:

1. Your profile establishes a presence in a trusted community.

In the television show, “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus” eight-year-old Virginia writes, “Papa says if you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” If she were writing that letter today, it would probably read, “If you see it on Facebook it’s so.” Many people today use social media to research products and services and even to make buying decisions. Just being a presence on Facebook or Twitter gives you some credibility.

2. Your profile shows that you are easily accessible.

When creating your profile, make sure prospects know exactly how to get in touch with you by telephone, email and Skype. If your business has a physical address, include that as well. Potential and current customers are far more likely to trust you if they know exactly where you are and how to reach you should they experience problems with your goods or services.

3. Your profile allows you to share information and news.

Many businesses make the mistake of trying to make their profiles seem too casual and “chatty.” Your profile is not the place to talk about your hobbies, pets or family issues. It is a great place, though, to share information that might be important to your prospects such as changes in insurance laws and new packages that you are offering. Update your profile regularly so customers know your page contains up to date news.

4. Your profile is a great place to put testimonials.

You’ve probably received several positive letters from grateful customers. Instead of just reading them and tucking them away in a file, ask the customers’ permission to put those glowing words in your profile so that prospects can see the many ways in which you are appreciated.

5. Your profile is a place to post professional images.

It’s easier for a prospect to trust someone he or she can see, so make sure your profile includes a photo album with professional-looking pictures of your sales staff, customer service representatives, and anyone else at your agency with whom the prospect is likely to come into contact.

Building trust is an important part of finding leads online. Your well-crafted social media profile makes it easy for prospects to feel as if they know you and trust you.

Creating Your Google+ Page

Google pages are amazingly easy to create. In a pinch, you can throw one together in a matter of minutes, although this isn’t the approach the thoughtful and creative marketer should take.

If you want to make your Google page both memorable and easily recognizable, be sure to include your unique brand or logo – if you don’t have one yet, now is the perfect time to create it – along with a catchy tagline that will stick in visitors’ minds.

Another area that deserves special attention when you are social selling is the “About” section, which broadcasts the story of your company across the Internet. Make it engaging, compelling, even suspenseful if you can. It should be something customers are drawn to, not something that inspires a yawn and a quick click to another page. If you believe your “About” section is boring, you may want to consider hiring a professional writer to spice it up.

Sharing Your Google+ Page

Google is set up to allow you to use existing social media options, like Facebook and Twitter to share the launch of your new Google page with friends and followers. Just make sure your outreach doesn’t start and end with social media.

Other ways to let people know about your Google page include sending the link to your e-newsletter contact list and coaching your sales and marketing staff to talk up your Google page at networking events. You can also offer incentives to people who visit your page and click through to your websites. Free e-books and reports are always popular, and they are easy for you to create and for your visitor to download.

Although Google pages have only been available for a few months, businesses have already started to make good use of them to reach out to old clients and to attract new clients.

If you haven’t gotten on board yet, now is the time to do so.

Health Insurance is About Trust

The keys to converting health insurance leads are trust and patience. Purchasing health insurance is a big decision. The buying process is often long and drawn out as prospects carefully consider their options. Some insurance companies fail to understand this and stop following up with a lead who might have, with additional nurturing, become a valuable customer.

Aged health insurance leads are often leads who were almost ready to make their purchase when a previous agent abandoned them. If you can earn their trust, you can often make that sale.

There are several tools that can earn you can use to build trust during the buying process:

1. Maintain a Clean Website

Before you start lead prospecting, make sure that your website is attractive, easy to navigate, and search engine optimized. Make it easy for leads to contact you by providing your email, direct mailing address, telephone number, and an online opt in form to get a free quote. Make sure you respond promptly and courteously to all requests for information.

2. Offer an Informative Blog

Use your blog to inform prospects about health insurance issues, breaking news, and changes that are taking place within your company. A blog that contains accurate, helpful, and up-to-date information gives you “expert” status in the eyes of your leads and makes it easier for them to trust you.

3. Keep Up with Social Media

Social media is a great tool for lead prospecting. If you haven’t already got your company signed up with the big three – Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter – now is the time to do so. You don’t have to check your accounts every five minutes, but an agent should check at least twice a day for new messages and inquiries. Take a few minutes to post to your accounts several times per week. As with your blog, make sure the information you post to your social media accounts is timely and useful.

Next Wave Marketing Strategies getting-life-insurance-leads

If you’re selling life insurance, your career depends on coming up with quality life insurance leads. Luckily, there are many different ways to cultivate such leads. Here are the top six:

1. Hire a Telemarketing Firm

A telemarketing firm places cold calls to potential customers. When they find a respondent who agrees to talk to a life insurance agent for further information and a free quote, the telemarketing company notifies you immediately so that you can follow up with the lead. This method of lead buying has proven to be very effective, especially if you follow up with leads as soon as you are notified of their interest.

2. Use the Internet

If your company has a web page, and you should, place a brief form on the landing page. Anyone completing the form fills in basic contact information and agrees that you may call them to discuss your life insurance plans. This type of lead generation can be a big timesaver, since you only contact people who have expressed an interest in what you are selling.

Another way to use the Internet is to establish a Facebook Business Page where potential clients can leave questions and comments about your insurance policies. Again, speedy follow-up is the key to making a sale.

3. Cold Call Small Businesses

Small businesses of 100 employees are fewer are often looking for cost-effective benefits they can offer their workers. Do a little online research prior to making your call. Try to find out the name of the person you need to speak to. Having a name will get you much further with a receptionist than merely asking for the person in charge of employee benefits. Also, try to find out if the company already offers life insurance through a competitor. If so, prepare to make them a better deal.

4. Advertise

Internet and print ads can be remarkably successful at lead generation. To ensure that your campaign draws potential customers, hire a copywriter to come up with compelling text. In general, life insurance leads respond well to offers of discounts, free products such as a book on financial planning, and ads that inspire a mild degree of fear or anxiety (“Who will take care of YOUR family if the worst happens?”)

5. Face to Face Networking

No amount of technology will ever take the place of human-to-human contact. Attend networking events whenever possible. Always carry plenty of business cards that contain all of your contact information. Prepare a brief–thirty second or less–speech about the benefits of carrying enough life insurance. If you’re speaking to someone who isn’t interested or who already has life insurance, ask that person if they know of anyone who is seeking life insurance. Referrals can be a great source for life insurance leads.

6. Read the Paper

One way to find leads without lead buying is to simply follow your local newspaper. Many newspapers, especially those in small towns, routinely print news about weddings, births, and other life transitions. Make a note of the names of the people mentioned, look up their contact information online, and contact them to offer counseling about their life insurance needs and a free quote. People who have had a big change in their life circumstances often haven’t taken the time to think through how the change will affect their insurance needs.

Generating leads for life insurance is not difficult. All it takes is an advertising budget, a little time, and a little creativity.

Next Wave Marketing Strategies Cold-Calling

When it comes right down to it, cold calling probably isn’t any salesperson’s favorite way to spend time. Speaking to a new person for the first time is awkward enough anyway, and many individuals and companies make it clear that they don’t appreciate receiving cold calls. If done right, however, cold calling can generate some valuable leads. The following tips will help you spark your cold calling program.

1. Do Customer Research

Before picking up the phone, find out as much as you can about the business or individual whom you are calling. Items of interest include people in a head position (in a company), people who have been newly promoted, the needs of the company or individual, and how you might be able to meet those needs.

When you cold call a company, for instance, don’t simply ask to speak to “the person who makes decisions about health insurance.” Instead, know who that individual is and ask for him or her by name. When you get on the phone with your lead, offer a compliment or make a comment showing that you know something about the business. For instance, “Congratulations on being voted the Chamber of Commerce Person of the Month,” or “Congratulations on your promotion to Human Resources Manager.”

Finally, acknowledge who is presently meeting the customer’s need and ask if there are any gaps that you might be able to fill. For instance, “I know you currently buy health insurance through ABC Company. Their rates climbed pretty steeply at the end of last year. Can we set up a time for me to tell you about our rate structure?”

2. Use Lead Nurturing Techniques

It’s not realistic to expect to score a huge sale on your first phone call. Instead, go for a smaller “yes.” That could mean getting the person to agree to a face-to-face meeting, to look at materials you send via email or regular mail, to talk again on the phone at a later date, or even to follow you and your company through social media.

Lead nurturing means being interested in more than just a sale. It means coming to understand your lead’s needs and showing him or her that your company is the right one to meet those needs.

3. Use Online Lead Generation

If your company has a web page, and you should, develop a brief online form that customers who want more information about your products or services can fill out. When a potential customer completes the form and clicks send, your company will immediately receive an email with the lead’s name and contact information. When using online lead generation, it is important to follow up with leads as quickly as possible so they don’t lose interest or, worse, select a competitor to provide the goods or services they are looking for.

Social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, and also be a valuable way to generate leads online. On Facebook, you can set up a business page and even run ads based on your average customer’s demographics. Again, if a lead contacts you through social media, it is important to provide a personal response as soon as possible.

Cold calls can make even the best salesperson sweat a little bit, but if done right, they can be quite profitable.

nextwavemarketingstrategies.com searching-tax-leads

When the economy is in a slump, people tend to have increased trouble with debt. And as everyone who has ever had tax problems would acknowledge, one of the worst entities to be in debt to is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The IRS can be merciless about collecting taxes and penalties it believes it is owed, spurring people to look for help and advice.

If you deal with tax settlement issues, one of the best ways to capture leads is to open a Twitter account. Each account holder is entitled to a profile page where you can post the website for your business. Twitter is a type of social media that allows followers to post status updates of no more than 140 characters each. These updates, commonly referred to as tweets, can be a valuable source for finding new leads. You can also use updates and information to help leads find you.

Before you start using social media as part of your marketing, decide in advance which words or phrases you will use as lead triggers. For instance, you may decide to focus on the phrases “tax help,” “tax settlement,” “IRS problems,” “back taxes,” and “IRS debt.”

Once you have chosen your lead triggers, go to Twitter’s home page and look at the section entitled “Trending Topics.” These topics are the current hot topics that have the attention of many readers. Do any of the trending topics match or come close to matching your triggers? If so, join the conversation by posting a brief statement about tax settlement and referring readers to a website where they can get additional information.

If none of the trending topics match your triggers, don’t despair. You can use the search function to look for tweets that include the keywords you have selected. Respond to these tweets in the manner described above.

Since identifying leads in real time is important, you can also request to be notified by cell phone each time the keywords appear in a tweet. You can then immediately respond to the user with (brief) helpful advice and the address of your website.

Another way to find leads is to initiate an online conversation about tax settlement issues. Briefly inform readers about your company, about tax settlement issues they should be aware of, and about any specials or deals you may be offering. (“Free book on dealing with IRS. [Your website]“) You’ll soon gain followers, and, with proper nurturing, those followers may become dedicated customers.

Social media is the wave of the future. Make it a part of your marketing plans, and watch your number of leads, as well as your percentage of conversions, increase dramatically.

Nextwavemarketingstrategies.com Tax-Settlement-Leads

If you’re in the tax settlement business, lead generation may be difficult, but it is not impossible. There are several ways to go about finding tax settlement leads.

1. Purchase Debt Leads from a Reputable Company

Many companies on the Internet sell tax settlement leads. These leads range from expensive (a lead who called within the past 24 hours in response to the company’s advertisement) to relatively low cost (Internet leads aged 31-90 days old). Typically, the higher-priced leads are the ones that are more likely to convert to customers, but the less expensive leads can be a good deal because, if your sales force can convert only one or two of them, you’ll likely earn back the money you spent on the purchase.

2. Develop a Quality Business Website

Work with a web designer to design a quality site for your business. The site should contain your company’s name, physical address, email address, and telephone number, helpful content about tax settlement, and an online form that potential clients an complete if they would like you to contact them with further information. This type of website allows you to generate your own leads rather than pay a third party to do it for you.

3. Use Social Media

Another way to generate debt leads is to set up a Twitter account and a business page on Facebook. Once your accounts are set up, offer brief regular posts tax tips. You can also use your social media accounts to advertise any specials you may be offering and to spread word about company news, such as the publication of a new book or manual. As you gain a following, you may also gain some clients.

4. Advertise

Direct advertising is a reliable means of lead generation. Depending on your budget, run ads with local newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and television stations. Display your phone number and email address prominently. Ads are particularly effective when they offer “freebies,” such as a free consultation or a free subscription to your company newsletter.

5. Review Tax Lien Filings

If a person falls behind on property taxes, the IRS will file a tax lien, meaning that the property cannot be sold or transferred until the lien is satisfied. People who are the subject of tax liens often require help with tax settlement issues. Many states allow you to review tax lien filings online by the county where the lien is located. In states that don’t publish this information online, you can go to the county recording office or the lands records office in your county to obtain information about new lien filings. Such information is public. Before you contact a lead, however, check to make sure he or she is not on the “Do Not Call List.”

When the economy is slow, many people run into trouble keeping up with taxes. If your business is debt settlement, finding leads should not be difficult.

Simply adding these people to your various social networks is like stocking the pond. Here’s how I keep my radar up for opportunities.

Keyword Searches

Start with keyword searches on your various social networks. Many of them will feed you conversations and discussions in real-time. Just do a few searches and find a good refined flow of chatter about debt, credit cards, spending, budgeting, and other finance terms. Then blend in modifiers like need, problem, pay, or trouble.

These simple searches will start to show you a new world of consumer debt problems.

Facebook, Twitter, Google Alerts

Where should you search for these debt problems? Where the people are, naturally.

Start with the most popular–Facebook. Chances are as soon as you start adding Friends to your network you will see indicators of debt problems. However, for real debt lead (potential) volume I suggest start a Fan Page. Focus your Facebook page on debt education and you will attract debt problems like flies.

Second to Facebook, I like Twitter. The fundamental question is, "What’s Happening?" and boy do people tell you. Even something as personal as financial woes are flying across the network. Add to this the efficiency of Search.Twitter.com and you have another ready flow of debt relief prospects.

Finally, although not as sexy as real-time social media like Facebook and Twitter, Google Alerts is still a good source of debt leads. I add my debt keyword searches into Alerts and gobble up lots of people talking about debt problems on their blogs and social networks.

RSS Feeds

Watching all of these debt problems flow by can be overwhelming. Even worse it can be distracting and waste your time. The truth is most are not ready to close, or even inquire into your debt relief services. That means you need to find an efficient way to monitor these streams over time. RSS is the best solution.

Most of these social networks and real-time searches can produce RSS feeds. You don’t really have to understand the details of the technology, but if you subscribe to them in a RSS reader (Google Reader) you will have a steady flow of social media debt leads to supplement your debt lead buying.

It seems like everyone is selling with social media or social networking these days, or at least making that claim. But, how successful are these rainmakers?

I have shared several tips on this blog. And I think it all comes back to one fundamental principle: social selling is for building relationships. Social networks are like cocktail parties. You might get a sale from them, but you are not selling at them.

This is a nice little summary of this point I found over the weekend:

Manners, please! Social networking isn’t for hard sell.

Here are Jon Lasner’s common sense tips:

• Don’t lead with a sales pitch (though an “elevator pitch” may still be appropriate with proper context),
• Don’t come with the sole intent of seeing how many business cards you can pass.
• Be interested in others.
• Be engaging without making it all about you.
• See whom else you can connect with those new people you meet.
• Find opportunities to help someone.

What are your rules for social networking and selling online?

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