Social media has never been more important for building a business than it is today. While in-person connections are still key to building strong business relationships (especially in B2B and wholesale insurance), that doesn’t mean social media isn’t a crucial part of the puzzle. Ideally, you want your social media strategy, including content development, to work hand-in-hand with your in-person business development efforts.
Here are 3 top reasons to nurture your company’s social media presence:
1. Social media helps build your brand
Brand-building can certainly happen in-person – but social media is where you tell a cohesive story. People who meet you in real life can check out your social media to see why you cover the types of insurance you do, what brought you into the business, and what keeps you passionate about it. This can help strengthen relationships and keep you in front of your new connections.
2. Social media can generate leads
The people you meet in real life may not be ready to work with you just yet – but your social media presence can help move them further along in the journey from acquaintance to customer. Your social media account is a great place to showcase highlights from your own work (such as case studies of agents with big insurance challenges that you’ve helped to solve). It can help you demonstrate your expertise and highlight articles you’ve published and been quoted in as an expert. It can help build your credibility – which, especially in the wholesale insurance industry, can play a big role in generating leads.
3. Social media nurtures relationships and builds trust
Social media is a great place to continue a conversation that started in real life. It’s easy to start by interacting with posts on a colleague or prospect’s social media. That can become a conversation, which can lead to strengthened relationships and perhaps a business connection. Social media makes it easy to keep the conversation going and remain top-of-mind for when a prospect needs your services.
So – how do you choose which social media platform to use?
Of course, even if your messaging is terrific, you may have a hard time getting traction if your audience isn’t present on that platform in large numbers. Here are some tips for choosing the right platform to focus your efforts on, and how to maximize your presence.
- LinkedIn is the place for B2B businesses. There are over 830 million users on LinkedIn, and four out of five are business decision-makers.
- Consider your demographics. Does your target audience skew young? You might be the exception to the rule that should focus on Instagram or maybe even TikTok.
- Conduct competitive research. Where are your top competitors focusing their efforts? How’s their engagement? Looking at their social media can give you a clue.
- Tailor your content to the platform. Each platform has its own tone, conventions, unspoken rules, and tools to help you expand your reach.
- Tag strategically. No matter what platform you’re on, consider who the thought leaders are in your industry – and strategically tag them to generate more likes and shares.
Interested in learning more about expanding your reach on LinkedIn and other social media platforms? Check out our case study: How We Increased One Client’s LinkedIn Followers 297%.
With a foundation of high-quality, educational content, our clients were able to greatly expand their reach – and it can also work for you. Have questions? We have answers. Reach out to Brad Nevins at brad@directconnectionusa.com or call 707-759-5391.
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