Social Networking for the Insurance Industry
Increasing virtual real estate
If you have read this blog in the last 6 months you would have read me use the term virtual real estate. As I said then I did not coin the word but like it some much, I try and use it whenever I find an excuse.
I have been thinking about a post like this for a while and think it is a good time to write it. I have been speaking with a few clients or late about how they can increase their exposure online without spending lots of money.
A few conversations later I have come up with a few ideas and places that you can add unique content to, which very little cost that will give you more access to your target audience.
The main response I got from clients was that they have never thought of using the Internet much beyond a corporate website and maybe at a push a blog.
Your virtual real estate really is the various locations that you can add content too in order to attract your audience that might not come direct to your website.
So here is a list of 14 sources of expanding your virtual real estate:
1. A standalone blog
2. An industry or secondary website - For example, if you sell classic car insurance, when not run a classic car information website
3. Using Social Networks – Your profile pages are potential routes for clients to find you
4. Article Syndication – writing and submitting content to a range of websites again provides a secondary route to your website
5. Newsletters – Running a promoting a news letter can add some viral elements of sharing which can attract new visitors
6. Guest Blogs – you can write a guest blog post for a related blog in your industry
7. Guest Articles – submit a unique article to another related website
8. Digital Magazine – create a PDF and setup a flash based newsletter
9. Video Site – If you are creating video why not create a separate site just for your video channel
10. Facebook Pages- Setup relevant Facebook fan pages
11. Web Applications – Create a tool that can be given away and circulated. This could be a web tool, Wordpress template or plugin as three examples
12. Audio Site - Create a Audio site for your podcasts and set it up like a radio channel
13. Answers – Using LinkedIn Answers and Yahoo Answers is a great way to get added expert content out there
14. Forums / Comments – Taking part in the on-line conversation on forum and commenting on blogs can lead to increased exposure, plus some of the sites rank well in Google so they can drive you some traffic.
As you can see there are lots of ways of increasing your virtual real estate with little more than a bit of time dedicated to expanding your online real estate every week.
All you need to do is make sure that ALL of the web content you add online, adds some kind of value to the potential customer.
I have been thinking about a post like this for a while and think it is a good time to write it. I have been speaking with a few clients or late about how they can increase their exposure online without spending lots of money.
A few conversations later I have come up with a few ideas and places that you can add unique content to, which very little cost that will give you more access to your target audience.
The main response I got from clients was that they have never thought of using the Internet much beyond a corporate website and maybe at a push a blog.
Your virtual real estate really is the various locations that you can add content too in order to attract your audience that might not come direct to your website.
So here is a list of 14 sources of expanding your virtual real estate:
1. A standalone blog
2. An industry or secondary website - For example, if you sell classic car insurance, when not run a classic car information website
3. Using Social Networks – Your profile pages are potential routes for clients to find you
4. Article Syndication – writing and submitting content to a range of websites again provides a secondary route to your website
5. Newsletters – Running a promoting a news letter can add some viral elements of sharing which can attract new visitors
6. Guest Blogs – you can write a guest blog post for a related blog in your industry
7. Guest Articles – submit a unique article to another related website
8. Digital Magazine – create a PDF and setup a flash based newsletter
9. Video Site – If you are creating video why not create a separate site just for your video channel
10. Facebook Pages- Setup relevant Facebook fan pages
11. Web Applications – Create a tool that can be given away and circulated. This could be a web tool, Wordpress template or plugin as three examples
12. Audio Site - Create a Audio site for your podcasts and set it up like a radio channel
13. Answers – Using LinkedIn Answers and Yahoo Answers is a great way to get added expert content out there
14. Forums / Comments – Taking part in the on-line conversation on forum and commenting on blogs can lead to increased exposure, plus some of the sites rank well in Google so they can drive you some traffic.
As you can see there are lots of ways of increasing your virtual real estate with little more than a bit of time dedicated to expanding your online real estate every week.
All you need to do is make sure that ALL of the web content you add online, adds some kind of value to the potential customer.
Comment
What They're Saying...
"So there are some people out there that feel me? They want to make insurance fun; they want to make insurance sexy. SexyInsurance.com."
"You didn’t know you were part of the sexiest industry on the planet, did you? Me neither."
"Children advertising house parties on the likes of MySpace have often paid the price as their parents' homes are destroyed. Should we expect to read stories of wild insurance seminars being trashed by gate crashing actuaries after seeing the event posted on SexyInsurance.com?"
"A place to complain about your insurance job and hook up with someone "- Afternoon Advice with Tiffany Granath
"Social network Web site gets on sexy side of insurance."
"The point of the site - for those who know that they belong to the sexiest industry on the planet - is to interact."
"Check it out, create a page, and network with your sexy colleagues! Yee haw!"
"With 42 members so far, Sexy Insurance has a way to go before rivaling Facebook’s 60 million members."
"One forum on the site is dubbed, After Dark -- the place to share your party exploits!"
"Insurance professionals looking for friendship (and maybe more) can now look further afield than Facebook or Match.com."
"Most Emailed #10: Sexy Insurance? A New Social Networking Site for the Sexiest Industry on the Planet. Meet new colleagues, network, job search."
"January is traditionally a gloomy month, so we appreciated the raucous laughter caused by an email a work colleague thoughtfully forwarded, informing us of the latest social networking phenomenon to hit the UK."
"A lover’s guide to insurance."
Badge
© 2009 Created by Sean
You need to be a member of Sexy Insurance! to add comments!
Join this Ning Network