Although less than a quarter of independent agents and brokers responding to a recent survey are using social networking in their marketing plans, almost 20 percent are considering it, according to an exclusive reader survey of American Agent & Broker readers.

Published in AA&B's December issue on Internet marketing, the unscientific survey suggests that although agents may still be holding back from full involvement in social media, interest is strong in reaching customers through other Web methods.

The online survey, which was conducted in October and November, included more than 600 participants of all sizes and locations. The questions focused on what types of Internet marketing methods users were currently employing, from basic Web sites to Twitter and Facebook.

In general, the responses suggest that although most agents and brokers are actively using more traditional Internet methods, they have been slower to get involved in more cutting-edge practices. When asked whether their agency or brokerage had a social media presence, almost 60 percent (58.1 percent) said no, 22.3 percent said yes, and 19.6 percent said they were considering it.

Of those respondents who had a social media presence, 26.6 percent used LinkedIn, 24.9 percent Facebook, 11.4 percent on Twitter, and 3.8 percent on MySpace. Of the social networking users, 47 percent reported having a formal policy on what employees can do on the Web during working hours.
Surprisingly, even Web sites are not ubiquitous. Although 81 percent of respondents reported having an agency Web site, 19 percent did not. Of those respondents with Web sites, the majority (32.3 percent) had supervised a redesign it over the past 6 to 9 months, 24.6 percent did so more than 2 years ago, and 21.9 percent over the past year. In an open-ended question, several respondents commented that they didn't pursue any form of Internet marketing because Web sales were "undesirable."

Along with Web sites and social networking, other popular marketing methods used to reach current and prospective customers included:
o E-mail marketing (49.3 percent)
o Search engine optimization (24.9 percent)
o Lead-based Web sites (13 percent)
o Interactive Web site such as reader forums (10.4 percent)
o Electronic customer relationship management (8.4 percent)

Other methods mentioned in an open-ended question included insurer-sponsored Web sites, online and print advertising, telemarketing, seminars, direct mail, cross-policy sales lists and instant quotes and purchase options on Web site.

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Social media use lags with agents and brokers

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