Last month we discussed speaking the language of yourclients and prospects in order to bring more value to the table.However, as a young man who is well-versed in Internet technologyasked me, “How will you sell insurance in a non-verbal world?”

Coincident to that question was the release of the Pew Internet Project that offered someeye-opening statistics:

• The affluent and well-educated are more likely to havesmartphones
• People under age 45 are more likely to ownsmartphones
• 25 percent of smartphone owners use their phone rather than acomputer.

Other recent studies indicate that data use on smart phones isdouble that of phone (talk) usage.

Those facts illustrate the changing nature of our world and howwe will do business. How can we brand ourselves as a value resourcein a non-verbal world?

The Basics

Although the world is changing, the basic foundation of brandingholds true. For a top-performing insurance producer, it meanscontinuing education, sales professionalism and personal growth.Couple that with service activity within your communityorganizations and you begin to establish a personal brand.

Related: Read a previous column by Jack Burke“Watch Your Language.”

Agencies have it a little more difficult, as they often aredefined by multiple brands: the agency itself, the carriers itrepresents and the associations to which it belongs. I may bedecried as a heretic, but the Trusted Choice logo or the logo of arisk association should never be as prominent as your agency logo.Remember, the average prospect has no idea what the other logosmean, but he does know you and your agency. And, like theindividual producer, it is beneficial when the agency is identifiedwith a particular charity or cause.

Connell Insurance in Branson, Mo., has been certified as a greenworkplace and carries that message by supporting charitableorganizations that are involved in environmental efforts. The sideof one organization's mobile recycling truck is emblazoned with asign that says, “Recycling Protects the Environment, ConnellInsurance Protects You.”

The Brave New World

In the early years of the Internet, I encountered agency ownerswho refused to allow their staff to access the Web. They wereconcerned that employees would be playing rather than working. Isuggested that even if they were playing on the Internet, they werelearning a tool that would soon engulf our industry. And ithas!

Even though today's Internet is our primary communicationplatform, many agencies are still slow to embrace it. Some agenciesstill advertise in the phone book. The Internet has eclipsed phoneusage, newspapers and magazine reading, social interaction,entertainment and purchasing routines—which clearly says that ourbrand, agency and personal, must be delineated in the non-verbalworld of the Internet.

Web Presence

Most agency websites are still not much more than the oldbrochure marketing of the past. These sites offer very littledifferentiation. Home pages have agency descriptives like “goodservice,” “professional personnel,” “representing multiplecarriers,” etc.

I believe that prospects feel these descriptions mean nothing.They are “givens.” If you didn't offer those basics, you shouldn'tbe in the insurance business. Instead, talk to clients about whythey do business with you. Frame that into statements ofdifferentiation that will set you apart and make prospectscurious.

Related: Read the article “What Animals Teach” byJack Burke.

Make your site personal. Let people get to know your staff.You'd be surprised at how many people will do business with youbecause of a connection with a staff member. I gained a clientbecause of a photo of a restored '67 Thunderbird on our site. Hecalled asking if I knew where he could find wheel covers for his,we started talking and he hired us to develop some trainingvideos.

Provide resources in articles, videos, podcasts and businesstools that will position you as a valued partner in the success oftheir businesses. Remember, you have to be more than just aninsurance peddler if you want to survive.

Consider creating two websites, or a website within a website.It is difficult to serve clients and market to prospectssimultaneously. That's why some agencies offer either a loginaccess to client information and portals, or a main website formarketing and a “my website” version for clients. Either one isworth looking at for the future.

For Producers

A producer needs his own unique brand within the brand of theagency. That's why some agencies provide unique webpages withintheir website for the producers to use and manage. More frequently,successful producers develop their own websites and link to theagency sites

These personal websites enable producers to expand on theirexpertise, their interests, their hobbies and their beliefs. Theyalso provide the opportunity for producers to create their ownblogs for clients and prospects and promote events and items ofinterest. Remember, people do business with people they know, likeand trust—or at least that's the formula that has worked well forWarren Buffett up until now.

Getting Social

This arena applies to both agencies and producers. It isessential to become active within the social media scene. LinkedIn,Facebook, Twitter and others are the interaction platforms of todayand tomorrow—and you can coordinate all of them to yourwebsite.

For instance, I have had difficulty keeping our companywebsite current in the events area. Now it happens automatically.On the home page, the events section immediately reposts anythingthat I post to my Facebook account. The same can be done withLinkedIn and Twitter. You also can create settings or use apps thatrepost anything from any of them to all the others as well. Thinkhow easy it is: If you write a blog entry, it can immediately besent to all your other feeds.

Related: Read another column by Jack Burke “Chickenand the Egg.”

Ensure that all of your sites and social media pages maintaincontinuity in appearance—that's all part of your brand. To raisethe recognition factor, fonts, colors and logos should all beconsistent. If that seems beyond your techno-capabilities, thereare companies and individuals that can do that for you at nominalcost.

Wrap-Ups

Your job as an insurance agency or producer is to bring value toyour prospects and clients. That value will reinforce their desireto do business with you. However, today's world is socluttered that it has become very difficult to send the message ofvalue that you represent.

Identify the value resources and learn to translate them intothe language of your prospects as we discussed in last month'sarticle. Then use the digital world to send that message and createthe brand that will serve you into the future.