Last week's announcement from Esurance that the insurer will be offering discounts to customers in Texas who “like” the personal auto insurer on Facebook may turn out to be a gimmick that draws more discussion than results. Or, it may be the start of a trend among insurers to use social media as something more than a marketing tool.

The industry will be watching this program closely, though, because the one thing we do know about American business—insurance or otherwise—is if someone has any success at all with a business plan, the competition is sure to follow.

Social media has mystified many business people during its short lifespan. No one argues the value of communication with customers or potential customers, but few realized that they could find a way to integrate social media with their business operations and make money off it.

Esurance promotes itself as a hipper alternative to some of the older names in the insurance business—except for the fact that it is owned by Allstate—and this move does nothing but enhance that image.

What will be interesting to see is whether this is just a push for more policies—certainly a worthy goal for any business—or an attempt to take social media a major part of the relationship between insurer and insured.

I'm not sure many of us are that interested in status updates from our insurer, but by having customers make a Facebook connection, Esurance will get an inside look at the lives of their customers.

There certainly is a potential to do more with the Facebook connection. Customers are more likely to stay loyal—and recommend their insurer to friends and family—if the insurer demonstrates value to the Facebook connection beyond advertising. Esurance has, for the most part, avoided the broad humor that the major auto insurers have thrown into their advertisements, which may work well with serious young adults.

One group that is likely disappointed by this news is the independent agencies of the world. Many of them were looking at social media—particularly Facebook—as a way to better connect with customers and re-establish their claim as “trusted advisors” in a world where many potential customers often look strictly at price. This group does not have the power to offer discounts to “friends” and may see their social media advantage being co-opted by the direct insurers.

Esurance has shown it does not want to follow the same path as others. Others may soon follow Esurance's path, though, if competitors can see that offering discounts to their “friends” on social media means an increase in sales—something many people never imagined as a benefit from their social media strategy.

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Competitors May &ldquo;Like&rdquo; Esurance&rsquo;s Social Media Strategy

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Competitors May “Like” Esurance’s Social Media Strategy