5 Ways to Search for Insurance Leads via Twitter

It is no secret that Twitter is a popular social medium to network and connect with people in your industry and community, but how can you leverage it to search for leads?

Twitter gives you the capability to build relationships and network one-on-one with people sharing advice, recommendations, and newsworthy links. But how can an independent insurance agency leverage Twitter to find leads? Here are some ways to start.

1) Use Twitter Directories.

Registering your Twitter handle to online directories cannot only help people find you, but help you find the right people to create your network. Sites such as Twellow.com and Wefollow.com have great search resources to use in starting your search for tweeps! For example Twellow.com has two different search options. You can use the map to search a broad region or search on a more specific area like the town that your agency IS in. You can also search by industry, niche, or topic. If you are an agency trying to sell more Missouri life insurance, you would search in Missouri under “families, doctors, and professionals”; people who you think could be potential clients.

2) Use Twitter Search.

Image: AskAaronLee.com

Search.twitter.com is one way, and you can also search on the Twitter homepage or on any desktop application such as Hootsuite or Seesmic. You should be looking for geo-specific terms along with insurance related terms. People use Twitter to ask questions and for recommendations. So if someone tweets about needing auto insurance in your area why would you not be there to answer them? Searching on Twitter cannot only help you find people to follow but can also help you find the consumers who are looking for insurance advice or even an insurance agency. Imagine being the first one to respond to someone asking about a quote in your area. The dedication and customer service level of your agency shows right there.

3) Use Hashtags.

Hashtags are most often used to categorize tweets. Even today, hashtags are becoming a way for people to express (in short) what they are thinking. Hashtags also help people join a given conversation and give them an opportunity to comment on how they feel about a certain topic. But using hashtags for insurance-related tweets can help people find what they are looking for. Using #insurance, #auto #insurance, #California, #insuranceagents can all help categorize your tweets that consumers will see in search when looking for a possible recommendation. It also allows you to be more specific about the message you are sending out.

4) InboxQ.

I am sure there are other similar plugins out there, but one I have used is InboxQ for Seesmic, the Twitter desktop management platform. InboxQ allows you to create campaigns for different Twitter accounts using particular keywords you are interested in. You can also set the permissions based on the quantity and quality of the results you want to see. This is a newer tool but a great one to experiment with when searching for particular keywords.

5) Keyword Use on Twitter.

As I mentioned above, keywords are important. Google has confirmed that they incorporate social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter in their search results. Using your insurance keywords in tweets can help your search results over time, similar to using them in blog posts. The more people that re-tweet certain blogs you post will also help the ranking of that link. The search engines see that the more that people “like” a certain link by re-tweeting and sharing it, the more relevant the content is to the search query for those keywords. Ultimately they can be incorporated into the search results.

Still don’t think Twitter is valuable? It is all about engagement and usage. Having Twitter is one thing, but using it correctly is another. Putting the time and effort into creating the RIGHT community for your agency and networking with potential/current clients, along with industry leaders can build your following. Between building trust and relationships, along with searching for leads, Twitter can be a power tool in the insurance business.

Have you found a lead using Twitter previously? Share it below!