Like it or not, social media sites are here to stay. LinkedIn, BranchOut, Plaxo and others offervenues for insurance professionals to build Internet businesscards, brand identity and strategic alliances. Social media sitesallow agents to conduct pre-approach research to learn aboutprospects and their industries. Sales and personal marketingchallenges are discussed in open forums. Insurance and riskmanagement expertise can be built and recommendations gleaned tohelp attract qualified prospects. Social media sites are powerfultools when used wisely.

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Why LinkedIn?

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I chose LinkedIn over other social media sites for severalreasons. LinkedIn intuitively appeals to me. Plaxo matches LinkedInin many ways, but with less reach. Facebook emphasizes social overbusiness and tends to be a time drain. Although still emerging,BranchOut appears to be a job search site without the depth ofinformation matching LinkedIn (Readour Agency Technology column for more on BranchOut).Twitter is a time killing, work avoiding diversion. LinkedIn was itfor me.

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I've been a LinkedIn user for nearly 3 years. My advice is basedon trial and error, immersion and a little help from my friends.Time management trumps technical prowess when I sit at my computer.Results outweigh “oohs and ahs” when using social media sites.

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See the “Top 10 LinkedIn Dos and Don'ts.”

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How can you take advantage of the power of LinkedIn? What stepsshould you consider? Exactly where should you begin? Learn how.

Build an internet businesscard

Construct your LinkedIn profile carefully; your profile is anInternet business card and must exude professionalism. Take time toaccurately, precisely and succinctly describe who you are, how youoffer excellent value and what type of clients you best serve. Ifsomeone reads your profile and thinks, “So what does this guy (orgal) do?”, then you've missed an opportunity. Clarity is the key tounderstanding.

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Related: Read the article “It's All About the Price” by EdLamont.

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Post a business photograph. Some LinkedIn profiles include aheadshot of poor quality. Others post a picture of questionablecontent or omit a headshot altogether. You may love your dog, butdon't post a photograph of you hugging your slobbering canine asyour profile headshot.

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Use a current photograph. Studio created,color headshots should be your first choice. If you want to reduceexpense, have a friend or family member with good camera equipmentand better Photoshop skills take your picture.

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Remember, this is your Internet business card. You're brandingyour Internet identity. Think “professional” with everything youpost on your LinkedIn profile. What you write is viewed by thepublic and there's no spell-check feature with basic LinkedInservice. Take the time to copy and paste everything that you wantto appear on LinkedIn to whatever word processing program you use.Review it for errors, then re-paste the corrected copy back to yourLinkedIn profile or anything else you post on LinkedIn. Fairly ornot, you are judged by the way you communicate in writing.Communicate clearly, correctly and concisely to maximizecredibility.

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Harvest LinkedIn recommendations. In the past, professionalinsurance agents requested letters of recommendation to displaycustomer satisfaction, establish expertise, and prove credibility.With LinkedIn, it's easy to ask for and receive recommendations.You can recommend others as well. Find the “Recommendations”drop-down menu under your profile. Click Recommendations andrequest brief endorsements or recommend others. It's simple andquick. Once gathered and approved by you, recommendations appear onyour profile for all to see.

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Related: Read the article “Relationships are Everything” by KennethL. Fields.

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Categorize your recommendations. Build a steady flow ofendorsements. If you are reluctant to request a recommendation,give one to someone from whom you would like to receive anendorsement. Let the Law of Reciprocity work for you. Userecommendations when marketing to prospects. Endorsements provevalue and separate you from other agents.

When building your profile, include education, work experienceand professional designations. Create links to blogs you write.Post websites that promote your agency and insurance products.Recommend books and let others know of LinkedIn groups you havejoined. There's so much you can include when you tailor yourLinkedIn profile. Build your Internet business card to increasevisibility, accentuate value and attract future clients.

Develop strategic alliances

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Send connection requests to clients, prospects, vendors, family,friends and referral sources. Build your LinkedIn connection basesteadily to create a powerful network of strategic alliances.

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Related: Read “7 Things to Know Before Meeting Your Next CommercialProspect” by Matt Brown.

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With basic LinkedIn service, connections can be categorized intouseful clusters. Filter connections broadly by industry orlocation, then further filter connections by creating tags based onkey words, specialization or importance. When you organizeconnections by category and tags, you enhance prospectingefficiency, help deliver valuable information effectively andmaintain constant contact effortlessly.

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How big should your connections base be? Thereare two prevailing schools of thought to consider. One is to buildthe base of connections slowly and methodically. Carefully qualifyto control the quality of whom you accept as a connection. MostLinkedIn users allow those they connect with to view all of theirLinkedIn connections. Shouldn't you at least know whom yourconnections are and something material about them? This line ofreasoning emphasizes the value you provide LinkedIn connectionpartners because of direct, significant influence with those inyour connection base.

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The other school of thought is to build as big a base ofconnections as possible. Some LinkedIn users have thousands andthousands of connections; more connections than can be viewedreasonably. Every one of your LinkedIn connections is notified eachtime you update your profile, edit summary details, add connectionsor post information. That adds power to sales and marketingefforts.

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Post updates to your profile often. That keeps you “top of mind”with your strategic alliances. Once notified, many dormantconnections revisit your LinkedIn profile. This line of reasoningemphasizes the value numerous LinkedIn connections provide you forexpert positioning and identity branding.

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Remember, your connections help you help others. As your base ofconnections expands, sales and marketing efforts are optimized. Usethe benefits of both schools of thought to develop quality andquantity of LinkedIn connections as strategic alliances.

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LinkedIn as a research tool

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Professional insurance agents earn buyer confidence by beingprepared. Research potential buyers and their industry before youapproach. Gathering data prior to contact saves time, earnsrespect, and helps to create rapport quickly. Use LinkedInresources as a research tool. The information you gather forprospect pre-approach purposes is valuable and can separate youfrom competitors.

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Once on your LinkedIn profile site, you can search for peopleand companies by name. If those you search have a presence, youhave valuable information. What does the prospect say aboutthemselves? Where has he worked or gone to school? What are hisinterests?

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Company or personal websites appear. Blogs, Facebook pages andTwitter links may be included. LinkedIn offers quick, timely andmeaningful information about many people who make insurance buyingdecisions. Don't ignore LinkedIn as a research tool—yourcompetitors aren't.

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Another important research tool LinkedInoffers are groups created by LinkedIn users. Discussions of currentissues and problems faced by the businesses to which you aremarketing are posted. What a great resource to learn what'simportant to your clients. Find out who participates in thediscussions. Join groups where your clients and prospects can befound. Follow discussions that interest your buyers, and discoverpotential leads, build strategic alliances and add connections togrow your base.

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In addition to groups where your buyers belong, join insuranceindustry groups. There are plenty from which to choose. Groups formto discuss insurance coverage and products. For example, workers'compensation, surety bond and risk management groups are abundantand easily found. There are other types of coverage and productgroups to be found as well.

Group forums that discuss insurance selling and personalmarketing are available. Many state insurance associations startgroups for their members' benefit. The National Alliance forInsurance Education & Research reaches out with several groupsand sub-groups.

Learn from the discussions. You will benefit by discoveringsolutions to problems clients and prospects want solved. Sharpenyour communication abilities by contributing posts to groupdiscussions. The focus and clarity of what you write in groupdiscussions will serve you well when taken to the street andcompeting in the arena of sales.

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Don't get left out

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So where do you start with LinkedIn? Review other LinkedInprofiles to find effective models. Let the intuitive nature ofLinkedIn profile creation assist you. Ask others who have built aLinkedIn profile for help. Remember, be professional. The result ofyour efforts is a business card.

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Harvest connections and build your base. Learn to post updates,add connections, and gather and give recommendations. When yourbase of LinkedIn connections is notified of your activities, you'rethen “top of mind” and “on the radar screen” with all of yourconnections.

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Join industry and trade groups to which your clients andprospects belong. Find out what they're talking about. Participatein the conversations. Discover insurance, risk management andinsurance sales forums. Learn the problems and possible solutionsfrom insurance peers.

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If you've already started to construct a social media presenceon LinkedIn, take your Internet business card to the next level. Ifyou haven't, use these tips to get started. Get LinkedIn or getleft out