May 13, 2008

Pumpkins and sidewalk chalk

Yes, the economy is acting like your schizophrenic uncle. Yes, there seems to be a natural disaster every day.

While there’s no silver lining for the latter, there is for the former: if you’re a enterprising and innovative agent, these times of uncertainty allow you to pull ahead of the pack and demonstrate your marketing ingenuity.

Which brings me to the title of this post: Walking in the park with my dogs the other day, I noticed a web site address had been written on the pavement in chalk. Coloradopetfitters.com was the address. It occurred to me that this was a perfect example of contextual marketing. Contextual because I was in a park that is, on most days, a veritable Russian circus of dogs and dog-lovers. Talk about targeting your ideal market! Also, since it was written in chalk, it was temporary, which meant I didn’t consider it graffiti.

Here another anecdote: A local State Farm office offered free pumpkins (last fall—I meant to blog about this earlier). You didn’t have to talk to anyone to get a pumpkin. They were just there for the taking. The office, in return for the pumpkins, was given a hefty dose of goodwill that will pay dividends for a long time to come.

The problem with times of uncertainty is we tend to tighten up. We become more fearful and less apt to take risks. Instead of grabbing sidewalk chalk or setting out three dozen pumpkins, we tense up, and our sales pitches get more strained, marred by nervous energy.

The challenge is to take that energy—that anxiety over our less-than-stable economy—and channel it into something new.

May 12, 2008

A few FAQs

Whether it's my dad asking me why people use Facebook or my own curiosity about what meme actually means, I put together the answers to the internet-related questions people have asked me recently.

Why do people use Facebook?

More people every day set up their own Facebook page. If you aren’t familiar, Facebook is a social networking site that was created by a Harvard undergrad with some friends. At first it was only open to individuals in college, which is why many people opted for it over the similar MySpace. But in 2006 it opened its doors to all, and has seen tremendous growth since then.

Not just young adults use this site now; it really is a social network for all age groups and walks of life. Most people will tell you they use sites like Facebook, Myspace, Orkut (Google’s version) and even LinkedIn to stay in touch with people—family, friends, former colleagues. Like any social network, its purpose is to allow you to easily maintain a set of connections online. This way, you are able to keep up relationships (albeit somewhat superficial) with people you would have likely lost touch with.

Continue reading "A few FAQs" »

May 09, 2008

Online Shopping Trends

Bankrate.com, which is InsureMe’s parent company, held its partner conference this week. Bankrate.com is based in Palm Beach, Florida, so the conference was held at the historic Breakers Resort. Turquoise ocean, pounding surf, flower blossoms in abundance, and blue skies. breakers2.jpg

The keynote speaker was Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Since 1999, this organization has examined how people’s internet use affects their families, communities, health care education, work place and political life.

Continue reading "Online Shopping Trends" »

May 08, 2008

Recession-Proof Your Business

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Gas prices are up, rice prices are up. And there is talk of a downturn, a recession or worse.

So if the current economic climate lasts throughout 2008, how will you protect your business? Here are some bits of advice from several successful business people.

Eliminate unprofitable customers. Evaluate the profitability of each customer. If you have a customer who demands a lot of attention and time, but you see little in return, it may be time to let them go.

Severing unprofitable or exhausting relationships can, after the initial fallout, boost your company's revenues by allowing you to focus more time on gaining new business. Read more about Customer Evaluation Scoring.

Keep in close contact with your customers. Show them that you care. They are also experiencing the downturn. Understand how their business is being affected and look for ways you can help.

According to Gregg Landers, director of growth management consulting at CBIZ Accounting Tax & Advisory Services, “Lasting relationships are built in hard times. And look for new market opportunities, recognizing that when the business climate changes, customer needs will change as well. That may mean new markets will open up for you,” he says.

Amp up sales to land more customers. Jay Siff, CEO and founder of direct marketing firm Moving Targets and Loyal Rewards, has told his clients to literally steal customers from their competitors, if they want to see their companies grow.

"The pie is shrinking and the successful small business is going to have to win a bigger share of that shrinking pie," he says. One way to do this is to give your customers a better consumer experience. He also advises his clients to reach out to the new community members. “You should have an active campaign to greet and bond with them," he explains.

Continue reading "Recession-Proof Your Business" »

May 07, 2008

On Email Signatures

We’re in the process of shoring up our email standards here at InsureMe, and our current area of focus is the signature, that last bit of text after the signoff which tends to be either

• too dense with information (or too spare);
• overly colorful (or overly bland);
• unnecessarily blighted with fine-print legalese; and/or
• completely ineffectual from a marketing perspective.

If you’re like most people, you don’t notice other people’s signatures except in rare occasions, when (a) you need to find a phone number or (b) the person’s signature cries out for ridicule (see: bad clip art, comic sans font, color magenta).

Continue reading "On Email Signatures" »

May 05, 2008

It's Hip to Be Square

As an agent you probably use some industry jargon from time to time. The internet also has its own vocabulary. And even though this may not be your native tongue, it is worthwhile to at least be familiar with some of this terminology as it’s becoming ever more prevalent in all professions. Not only that, being a tech geek is considered cooler than ever. Adding some of these acronyms to your vocab definitely won’t hurt your cred with the younger generation.

Internet Terms to Know

SEM: Search engine marketing is a form of internet marketing that tries to promote web sites by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages (SERPs). Some methods include search engine optimization, paid placement and paid inclusion.

SERPS:
Search engine results pages. These are the pages that appear when you type a search term into Google, Yahoo, or MSN.

SEO: Search engine optimization is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines (Google, Yahoo and MSN) via natural, or unpaid, search results for targeted keywords. Usually, the closer to the top of the page a site is presented in the search results, or the higher its rank, the more searchers will visit that site. Some efforts may include adding unique content to a site, ensuring that content is easily indexed by search engine robots, and making the site more appealing to users.

PPC: Pay per click is another way that web site owners attempt to drive traffic to their site. PPC considers what words people use when searching for certain things. For example, when searching for life insurance, a person may type “life insurance,” find life insurance,” “looking for cheap life insurance,” and so on. Web site owners bid on those key words and key word phrases. The higher the bid, the closer to the top of the page the ad appears. These results will show up in the sponsored listings, or the ads to the top and right of the page.

Continue reading "It's Hip to Be Square" »

May 01, 2008

Anti-Age Your Brain

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According to The Gerontological Society of America, the brain loses tissue from your 30s onward. Studies have shown that aerobic exercise actually improves cognition and overall cerebral health. Yet another reason to stop using that treadmill as a clothes rack.

But beyond physical exercise, how can you keep your brain sharp well into your golden years? Scientists believe that exercising your brain can create synapses that will help you maintain your mental acuity as you age.

Her are a few tips courtesy of wikiHow.

Learn. As people age they tend to think they are unable to learn new skills. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, learning a language, how to play an instrument or to use a computer program not only keep your brain young, but keeps life interesting…and keeps you marketable.

Play. Games and puzzles like crosswords, Sudoku, Scrabble and computer games keep those synapses firing.

Read. Reading often and a variety of books, magazines and newspapers increases you vocabulary and exercises your brain.

Continue reading "Anti-Age Your Brain" »

April 30, 2008

McCainCare

John McCain, presumptive GOP nominee for president, laid out his health care policy yesterday, and insurers are likely to embrace its hands-off approach.

In general terms, McCain wants to spur competition among insurers, increase consumer choice and reduce government intervention and regulation. He would do this, in large part, by allowing insurers to sell policies across state lines and by severing the employer-health insurance link (which earns him points in my book). He would redirect the tax break that employers currently receive to individuals, who would then be able to buy individual coverage on their own (which they could take from job to job).

McCain would also create a “guaranteed access plan” for those can’t find coverage through traditional methods, but there is some early skepticism about this ill-defined element of his proposal.

“The plan isn't expected to make a major dent in the number of uninsured Americans, and questions remain about how the plan would help older, sicker people who can't find insurance on the open market,” says the Wall Street Journal.

[Hat tip: WSJ Health Blog]

April 29, 2008

Get Your Conference On

If you are just now determining which conferences you’d like to attend this year, you are a little behind the eight ball, but most are still open for attendees, so check out our list and see if any strike your fancy. Conferences are great way to network, get new business ideas and have fun. So pack you bags and pick at least one great conference to attend in 2008.


American Association of Managing General Agents AAMGA

5/7-5/9 Scottsdale, AZ


ACORD / LOMA Insurance Systems Forum

5/13 - 5/15 Las Vegas, NV


AAMGA University: MGA and Brokers Beginner's School

5/7-5/9 Scottsdale, AZ

Institute 2008
6/18-6/20 Moscone Center WestSan Francisco, CA

NAHU 2008 Convention and Exhibition

6/29 – 7/2, San Diego, CA

American Council of Life Insurers ACLI Annual Conference 2008
10/19-10/21 The Westin Boston, MA

Property Casualty Ins. Ass. Of America
10/26 – 10/28 Scottsdale, AZ

Before you hit the conference circuit, brush up on your networking skills.


April 28, 2008

An Idea

Earth Day has come and gone, and I somehow forgot to find a home for a few tasty hyperlinks, which give tips on how to be green at the office.

I was about to send them to the bin when it occurred to me: In these times of climatic peril, it’s really not enough that Earth Day is only 1/365 of the calendar year. In fact, I propose we ditch Monday and replace it with Earthday. No one likes Mondays anyway, and they make up a whopping 15 percent of the entire year. So let’s agree to replace that soul-sapping day with the more inspiring Earthday.

Anyway, without further ado, here are those links I was telling you about. If you’re pressed for time but want to do something green that’s next to effortless, just turn off your computer before you leave the office tonight.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/ten-ways-to-cut-your-carbon-footprint-at-work-459967.html
http://www.thegreenoffice.com/carbon/result.php
http://www.energysavingsecrets.co.uk/ReduceYourCarbonFootprintAtWork.html
http://green.msn.com/Articles/article.aspx?aid=3

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