To succeed as a sales insurance professional, it’s important that you create a brand for yourself. That means developing a personal or agency brand identity that can help you stand out from your competition.
Let’s start with a question. Do you already have a personal or agency brand? Whether you’re actively cultivating it or not, the answer is probably yes. An effective way to check your existing brand is to search for yourself (or your agency) on Google. If your Google results include your LinkedIn profile or other online presence (like your agency Facebook page), that is likely a good thing. However, it depends on what else you and others might see, too.
What will help you build a positive brand identity? Here are five ideas you might consider.
1: Embrace social media (to a point): It’s important that people know about you – and know how to find you. Your online presence helps you enhance your business profile and increases awareness among prospects and current customers alike. That can help generate increased word of mouth and improve your chances of future referrals.
Take a multi-platform approach as suggested by Kalup Alexander, Digital Director for The Word & Brown Companies, in his Marketing Yourself on Social Media blog published earlier this year.
2: Network, network, network: Networking is essential for growth in the employee benefits and health insurance industry. You can attend industry events, join business groups (like your local, regional, or state chapter of the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals (NABIP) or chamber of commerce), and engage with other professionals and business owners. A strong network can help you open doors to new sales opportunities.
3: Be an expert: Carve out a niche for yourself by embracing a specialty. You can focus on a specific type of insurance (like Small Group health insurance or ancillary coverage), a specific market segment (like manufacturers, retail, health care, etc.), or zero in on specific business types (like non-profits, partnerships, or corporations – to name just a few).
4: Reject rejection: If you’re in sales, you know that the occasional rejection is a routine part of doing business. Don’t let it discourage you. View every interaction as an opportunity to learn and improve. Look back at what didn’t work and how you can refine your strategy for next time. Resilience is key to long-term sales success.
5: Blogging: Developing a blog for your agency website can help you boost your community and industry profile. But it is only a first step. What you need to do is contribute content to LinkedIn or other sites. That will further enhance your profile and help you broaden your network. Look at opportunities in your community or region for online and print opportunities for you to share your insights on the employee benefits industry and how your expertise can benefit business owners.
So, that’s five brand-building ideas. If you’re looking for more, LinkedIn offers a variety of articles on branding and how to build a campaign that will work for you. Those articles might also be a good reference for how others are using blogging to boost their own profiles.
Talk with your Word & Brown rep about the technology and marketing tools available that can further set you apart from competing brokers. If you’re not already doing business with Word & Brown, call 800-869-6989 or register online.
