WASHINGTON—In a time when communication happens more oftenthrough a mobile device than face-to-face, agents must move beyondtheir old word-of-mouth marketing strategies and embracesocial-media outlets to connect with a new generation of insurancecustomers, a business professor contends.

Speaking today at the annual Independent Insurance Agents &Brokers of American Legislative Conference and Convention here,Richard Honack, professor of business at Northwestern University,says recent changes in technology are breathtaking: computers arebecoming dinosaurs, replaced by smartphones and other devices; atelevision can display 16 different channels on one screen; and inthe future, while driving in a car, information will appear on thewindshield simply by speaking.

“Change is happening so fast that you can't keep track,” saysHonack, However, customers are adapting more quickly than theinsurance industry, which means agents need to adjust in order toremain relevant.

Social-media networking emerged as a new component ofcommunication just a few years ago, he notes. Today, it is a majorform of communication and a brand builder among the youngergeneration and future insurance buyers.

“That is the way they communicate,” says Honack. “You have to bethere.”

However, it is not enough to appear on a social-networking site.Agents have to say something important and deliver it quicklybecause their younger customers “just don't have time” fordetails.

“You have to change and think differently in a nanosecond,” saysHonack. “The younger generation is wired differently from the oldergeneration.”

Agents, he suggests, should go back to school to take atechnology course to understand the changing landscape.

“You have to look at your business differently and start at basezero,” says Honack. “Start thinking outside of the box.”