While much of the news around social media and insurance has focused on direct writers and major-branded agency forces, new research from Novarica shows more than 70 percent of insurers that distribute through independent agents also use Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn as a part of their communications strategies.

The report, "Insurer Social Media Strategies for Independent Agent Distribution," also found that over 40 percent of insurers surveyed have no official social media policy in place—setting insurers up for compliance risk and a limited ability to capitalize on the technology.

A significant number of insurers with independent distribution are using social media for one-to-one contact with their agents, suggesting that some of the communication with agents that used to take place by telephone or email is migrating to social media platforms, according to Matt Josefowicz, managing director and partner for Novarica. Agent usage of social media in this arena is sharply split by age, with 25 percent of agents below the age of 40 using LinkedIn to communicate with specific underwriters at their insurers—double the percentage of those over 40.