Work smarter – not harder, as the saying goes. When it comes to social media and its vastly changing landscape, one way for independent retail insurance brokers to “tame the tiger” is to emulate successful peers in the industry, such as Zack Gould and Matt Naimoli of Massachusetts-based G&N Insurance.
G&N Insurance has acquired more than 10,000 customers since its 2010 founding and was twice recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of its 5000 Fastest Growing Companies. Its partners have mastered the art of lead generation, focusing uniquely on selling personal lines to homebuyers, and cultivating a huge referral network of mortgage brokers, realtors, attorneys, and other real estate professionals. Social media plays a significant role in keeping this network engaged and valued.
Michael Jans interviewed Zack Gould and Matt Naimoli for the Connected Insurance Podcast in October 2018 to learn some of their secrets to success. Their conversation, which we touched on in a past article on the Connected Insurance Blog, generated a list of powerful social media tips, which we’ll share here:
1. Make the Time
True or false: the principals of a successful, growing independent retail insurance agency don’t have time to be on social media at least once every two hours, every single day. At G&N, the answer is a resounding FALSE. Partner Zack Gould says social media is a daily “need to” for him. “It’s helping that much” he asserts.
2. Next, Delegate
While Gould remains closely connected to G&N’s social media interactions, he and Naimoli recently turned the reins of social strategy planning, videography, and administration over to an internal marketing team. “We never delegated a second of our social media activity until (2018)” says Gould. “Once we got the traction, we said, ‘Now let’s bring in experts and make it better.’” Having dedicated resources for social media ensures that the daily chaos in the partners’ work doesn’t cause their online presence to diminish.
3. The Platform Doesn’t Matter
Facebook and Insta and Twitter – oh my! With so many social media platforms, it’s quickly overwhelming for most independent retail insurance agents to stay consistent with their social media. However, Gould has some advice: “The actual platform is not as important as where you think your referral partners or your clients are.” In other words, LinkedIn isn’t as relevant as Instagram for agencies that sell personal lines, but it’s critical for those that sell commercial. And as for chasing the “next big thing” in social media platforms? Zen master Gould says, “I don’t care what comes out next. We’ll be on it if it’s necessary.”
4. The Content Does Matter
In the end, social media success isn’t measured in the quality of the videos, the number of platforms covered, or the number of posts. What matters is engagement. To this end, the principals of G&N Insurance recommend focusing on content. “Really, the objective is to stay top of mind in a positive light,” summarizes Naimoli. “The key is offering really valuable, creative, innovative, and fun content that people actually want to consume.”
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There’s much more to hear in Zack Gould and Matt Naimoli’s entire conversation with Michael Jans. Tune in to this episode of the Connected Insurance Podcast to hear it all – and for year-round insight and inspiration, fill out the form on the right side of the page to subscribe to the podcast and get alerts delivered to your inbox.