With the growing popularity of social networking, it can be easy for businesses to get caught up in all the latest and greatest social media marketing tips. The use of social media in search results is growing in popularity amongst all the search engines, not just Google. It’s important to understand the simple ways that you can improve you SEO through social media.

Search Engine Journal recently released an article regarding Twitter use for SEO that really drives this point home. It’s amazing what you can do for your SEO efforts through only 140 characters. Take a look at SEJ’s 10 tips to improve SEO through Twitter.

 
These are basic practices of using Twitter, but sometimes seeing how they work for purposes outside of just social presence, like for SEO, can help to drive the point home. Have any Twitter suggestions for SEO that I didn’t include? Tweet me at @astonish_shawna!

You’ve heard it before. You need to have good keywords on your site.  But what exactly is a good keyword you ask?  Well for starters, a good keyword or keyword phrase is one people are actually using in their searches.  There is no reason to optimize your website around words not searched for by potential customers. If everyone is searching for ice cream and you are optimized for frozen milk, how well will your site do? You might rank #1 for frozen milk, but you probably won’t be seeing any traffic.  And isn’t the whole point to drive good traffic to your site?

People can also run into a problem with wanting to use their professional or industry buzz words as keywords.  Just because you think you know what potential clients are searching for doesn’t make it so. Most potential customers probably won’t know those specific terms so their search would be a bit broader. Therefore, it is important to do the research and find the keywords that will actually bring the customers to you.

Another key ingredient to a good keyword is for it to be relevant to what your website is about. Your goal is to not only bring in visitors, but visitors that will find what they are looking for and on an e-commerce site, fill out a form.  If your website sells blue cars and you optimized for red cars, when visitors see that most will “bounce” from your site without filling out a form or visiting additional pages.  Obviously “red cars” was not a good keyword for your site even though it brought in visitors.

As an SEO specialist, part of the job is to research what people are searching for in relationship to what you are selling and find the best keywords to bring in conversions through your site.  Of course finding the right keywords is only the beginning.  How they are deployed is just as important. But that is for another day…

At Astonish, we’re big believers in having a plan.  This belief spills over into everything that we do.  From an SEO perspective, it means having a defined strategy.  Gone are the days where you could just toss some keywords onto your website, cross your fingers, and hope for the best.  There needs to be a cohesive strategy and a method to the madness.

Once we define what your targets are (product mix and geographic focus), we’ll come up with a plan of attack to get your new virtual insurance office optimized for the right keywords and phrases, based on our extensive research.

That’s only the beginning, though. Our best clients are making use of every opportunity to really increase their internet presence.  They do that by:

• Blogging on site, to show the search engines that their website is being updated on a regular basis and that it’s not just a stagnant information center.

• Blogging off site (on a wordpress.org blog, for example), to focus on a specific niche that they want to target.

• Working with us on developing a solid Press Release strategy.

• Getting involved with paid search advertising.

• Playing an active role in their local listings and soliciting some of their best clients to get reviews added to their listings.

• Maintaining an active Social Media presence.

If it sounds like there’s a lot to do, you’re right.  There is.  The good news, though, is that we can help you develop a plan of attack for each of the above areas (and then some)!

The most important thing to remember is that it’s not just about tossing some keywords up on a page.  There needs to be a plan of attack to supplement and reinforce those keywords. Organic Search Optimization isn’t something that happens over night, but stick with it and follow our lead.  The results will come!

During the recent #Inschat the discussion surrounded the topic of blogging. Insurance Marketing chat contributor @NicoleYeary shared a great statistic at the end of the chat showing that 14,409 people were reached by #Inschat tweets!

The conversation discussed blogging content, SEO, commenting, and more. Check below for the #Inschat round-up where we have grabbed some of the key tweets that contributed to the conversation. Full transcript available at the bottom.

Question #1—What are some good ways to promote your blog?

@ReyInsurance:
absolutely on your website! twitter is fun too (of course), monthly newsletters, facebook, linkedin #inschat

@RitaAtNCLife:
Yes definitely RT @Astonish_Kelly: Q1: URLs & “teaser” messages in Tweets & Fbook Status are an easy way! #inschat

@BravuraLeads:
Q1. I try to link to it as much as possible. In my emails, by commenting on other blogs, through SM i.e. Twitter & Linkedin #INSchat

@LloydProGrp:
He have all our social media sources linked to our blog or updates. Facebook link, twitter, website, linked in… #inschat

@IIABNY:
We use links to our fan page, Twitter account and LinkedIn group at the bottom of all marketing e-mails #inschat

@maia_melissa:
Just did the same as of 1/1 @GarryInsurance Q1: links in e-mail signature as well as links on our social networking sites #INSchat #inschat

Question #2—Do you have a blog commenting strategy?

@doubleicf: Yes! I keep a running list of sites I hit weekly RT @LloydProGrp: Dont forget to bookmark everything and your other friends too! #inschat

@BrownstoneInsur: A2 – No strategy per say. I simply have a few key blogs I regularly read and offer further insight or interaction. #INSchat

@Berrys_Amanda: RT @Astonish_Kelly: Q2: I have a network of other #bloggers that I follow; I always try to comment on their posts ASAP after I post to generate convo #INSchat

@astonish_alicia: Q2: Finding relevant posts and posting a genuine comment and link! #Inschat

@IIABNY: Q2. No formal strategy on commenting, but I find comments are most helpful when they expand a point or introduce a new perspective #inschat

Question #3—Where do you look when you are stuck for content ideas?

@GarryInsurance: Q3: I try to use experiences like a few weeks ago I put my car in the ditch & used Roadside Assistance – So I blogged about it! #INSchat

@kellydavis226: Q3: my google reader – I subscribe to relevant blogs and there’s always new stuff to read, all in one place. Great inspiration! #INSchat

@maia_melissa: Q3: I rummage thru the search engine terms that brought people to the blog to begin with. #inschat

@iWebHound: Q3 – Take notes if you exhibit at tradeshows. We did a blog post about FAQ we heard. Seemed to get a lot of curious people clicking #INSchat

@AskTim: @maia_melissa @ReyInsurance I just did a blog post this morning based on a client question. #inschat

Question #4—What is the best way to optimize a blog post?

@PRnick: A4L: Write posts with SEO keywords, use keyword as links to relevant pages, SEO plugin, intriguing titles (w/ keywords of course) #inschat

@GarryInsurance: Q4: Using the same back link terms from post to post to keep it consistent #INSchat

@Astonish_Kelly: Q4 I try to optimize all images too! putting keywords in the ALT text & captions of photos in your post is an easy way to start! #INSchat

@ReyInsurance: hyperlink content to other sites? RT @InsuranceMHQ: Q4: What are the best ways to optimize a blog post? #seo #inschat

Question #5—Lets share blog links for networking!

@InsuranceMHQ: http://insurancemarketinghq.com / http://www.theinsuranceblogger.com(Coming soon!)

@iWebhound: http://iwebhound.wordpress.com/

@Bravuraleads: http://www.bravuraleads.com/news

@RitaatNCLife: http://blog.nclife.com/

@ReyInsurance: http://www.equifax.com/blog/insurance/en_ff

@IIABNY: http://www.iiaba.net

@Maia_melissa: http://massagent.wordpress.com

@Berrys_Amanda: http://www.mainsurancejuice.com

@Lloydprogroup: www.atlantainsurancetips.com / http://www.lloydprogroup.com/blog/

@KellyDavis226: http://blog.blisspr.com/

@GarryInsurance: http://garryinsurancenterblog.com/

@NicoleYeary: http://nicoleyeary.com / http://aelloluxe.com

@FCSBulletins: http://www.propertycasualty360.com

@JimKinmartin: http://jimkinmartin.com

@AskTim: http://insurancegeek.typepad.com.

@BrownstoneInsur: www.brownstoneinsurance.com/blog

@Carrie_AGINS: http://www.insurancegoddess.com/

Thank you to everyone who participated. If you were part of #Inschat and we forgot to add your blog just let us know! The next insurance marketing chat will take place next month; time and topic to be determined.

View the entire #Inschat transcript here.

After a month off for the holidays it is time for the next Insurance Marketing Twitter Chat (#INSchat). The next #INSchat will be taking place this Friday at 2 p.m. EST. The second #INSchat featured questions on blogging; such as how to gett started and how to effectively build a community around your blog. The upcoming Insurance Twitter Chat is going to continue the conversation. Blogging is such a large topic that we have decided to discuss it again in more depth.

The definition of a blog according to dictionary.com is:

“a journal written online  and accessible to users of the internet”

But we all know it is much more than that. A blog is a way to communicate with your industry, community, and the others on web. Most bloggers blog about specific topics which are usually assocuated with their interests or involves their line of work. Some companies blog about what is going on inside the walls of their office and offer advice based on their industry knowledge.  Blogging is sharing your knowledge and ideas with others and creating a community within itself.

On Friday’s #INSchat we will be discussing all things blogging in the insurance industry. Discussion will range from content ideas to how to encourage comments, where you should be linking, and how to grow your blog’s readership.

If you have never participated in a twitter chat check out the post on how to participate in #INSchat and join us at 2:00 p.m. EST this Friday the 28th! If anyone has any great questions ideas for Friday let us know. You can email myself at acollins@astonishresults.com or send a tweet over to @InsuranceMHQ.

Every year at this time thoughts are swarming through the heads of many. What will be my New Year’s Resolution? And of everyone who vows to lose weight, quit a bad habit, relax more, and spend more time with friends, how many of them had made that exact same resolution just one year earlier? Probably most of them.

Having a New Year’s Resolution does not mean much if you are not going to keep it, or if it was the same one as last year. As an independent insurance agency have you come up with resolutions for the New Year? You might think, well of course, to obtain more leads, to sell more policies, and increase your premium. All great things to strive for in 2010, but where are you going to get the leads, to sell the policies, to increase your premium? It all boils down to having a blended marketing strategy.

As Astonish Results Co-Founders Adam DeGraide and Tim Sawyer travel the country and speak with agents they say the same thing. Many of the people that sit in on their presentations and speeches shake their heads in compliance. Knowing that coming up with such a strategy is a great idea, but will never act on implementing one.

If your agency makes one resolution to keep this year it should be to implement a blended strategy, and if you already have one working than continue on improving it! Implementing a strategy is the first step, now you must evaluate your efforts and focus on tweaking the weaker parts, and repeating the successful ones.

You can do it, you just have to believe:

As the holidays approach the articles about Black Friday check-in’s and location based services, being harnessed by many retailers to offer customer deals, are being published hourly. The use of platforms such as Foursquare and Gowalla are becoming more popular among social media users and the new availability of Facebook Places and Deals on most Smartphone’s will result in an increase of holiday shoppers checking into stores to claim certain discounts.

For the third insurance marketing twitter chat we thought it was only appropriate to cover the topic of location based services and how they can be used to help an agency’s marketing strategy. I recently wrote a blog post about using Facebook deals in your insurance agency, but there are so many more applications and uses of location based services that many CSR’s and social media engineers do not take advantage of.

So in light of the topic’s recent popularity the Insurance Marketing HQ team would like to announce the third #INSchat scheduled for Monday November 29th at 1 p.m. EST. After the Thanksgiving holiday what better time to discuss the topic and share insights from those who participated in the Black Friday deals and those who have implemented such a strategy at their own agency.

The instructions on how to participate in the twitter chat are the same as before with the use of hashtag #INSchat of course. The IMHQ team will be compiling questions over the next week, so for any suggestions or specific topics you would like covered, feel free to email to acollins@astonishresults.com.

We hope to see you all there!

Facebook announced today that they will be rolling out Deals for Facebook Places in the near future starting with 22 vendors from local businesses to large companies such as Gap. Gap will be offering at some point next week, a free pair of blue jeans to the first 10,000 check-in’s using Facebook Places on a mobile device.

Unlike previous Facebook applications, which did not allow you to check in directly, the new applications are available for Droid and Blackberry starting as of yesterday. So how can the insurance industry leverage this new application? Here are a few ways to implement mobile marketing into your insurance agency efforts.

Check-in’s for Charity

Many agencies have leveraged their Facebook fan pages by offering to donate a dollar or two to a specific charity or cause for users to “Like” their page. With Facebook Deals soon being integrated into FB Places this could now be taken a step further. Instead of having them like you on Facebook, you can create a deal for people in the area to come in for a free quote and in return you will donate a certain amount to charity. This will drive local people into the actual office and help a good cause simultaneously.

Gift and Quote Exchange

Another possible way to leverage Facebook Deals, is by creating a deal that gives away a gift. It does not have to be a large gift, it can be something as simple as a slice of pizza or a free coffee at the Starbucks down the road. Announce in the deal that the first 20 people to check-in to your agency and sit down for a free auto policy quote will receive the gift of your choice.

Donate Your Time

Every “deal” does not have to be monetary. Instead of rewarding people with gifts, offer to donate your time. Whether it is 15 minutes to community service for each check-in and quote given, or something quirky such as running around town in a chicken suit, you would be surprised what people might check-in to see.

Over the next month Facebook Deals will be rolling out, giving the opportunity for businesses to be able to create deals in their area. In the meantime download the newest Facebook Application for your Smartphone and see if any promotional deals pop up. Some of the company’s chosen to test out the new application are the North Face, H & M, McDonalds, The Palms Hotel and Casino, and more. For a full list of trial companies on Facebook Deals starting next week check out the Facebook Blog.

Recently we held the second insurance marketing twitter chat. One of the last questions that came up was “What advice would you give to a new blogger or social media intern?” Especially in the insurance industry having the right approach at your social media strategy is an important first step. I have included some of the #INSchat comments along with some of my own tips for social media gurus in training.

1) Don’t be overwhelmed.

Leading the social media efforts at your agency can seem overwhelming at first. Social media is meant to be interactive and fun so don’t worry about having too much on your plate. Blogging, tweeting, tagging, it is all progressive. From the point about five months ago when I started until now I have learned an immense amount of knowledge about online marketing and different social media platforms. It takes time to learn everything, so don’t be overwhelmed just have a confident attitude and dive in!

2) Brand Yourself.

This is one of the most important points. No one wants to chat with an insurance agency on Facebook or twitter. If a friend suggested that I “like” an agency on Facebook and they have a picture of their logo and only tweet about how they can give me the best quote, I probably wouldn’t accept. Your job is to represent the agency as a thought leader. Showcase some of your own interests, whether you like football, fishing, or french fries, showing your personality keeps it interesting, makes it more fun for you, and allows others to see there is more to your social media efforts than generating leads. Lets face it. No one wants to hear about insurance unless they need a quote or have a question. So representing your agency as a person not just someone who is trying to sell something is key.

3) Read!

This one probably seems like a no brainer, but reading is important for content ideas and keeping up to date with the latest trends. There is so much information out there about social media, marketing strategy, and technology, so read it! The Alltop social media page is a great resource for finding the trending stories each day. If you have a question, someone has probably answered it in a blog post. The only way to learn about social media besides experience is to immerse yourself in the culture.

Things to keep in mind:

• Be sincere and authentic.
• Posts never go away, think long-term.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Many people on social networking sites, especially twitter, are more than happy to answer a question you may have.
• Get SOCIAL! Having good content is a positive but it isn’t the main source that will drive traffic to your post.

When you spend workdays explaining the joys, benefits and best practices of social media/networking to insurance agency employees, common questions emerge. One of the most frequent inquiries, How do I attract more fans to my Facebook fan page?

Sadly and surprisingly to some, there’s no magic bullet that will instantly flood your Facebook page with droves of relevant, prospect-worthy fans. Set it and forget it only works with rotisserie ovens.

However, a dedicated approach showing the agency does more than just provide quotes, write policies and service claims is the best strategy for picking up fans who matter, and ideally, turning them into insureds who become brand ambassadors. I understand this blog post has been written dozens of times (a couple favorites are a the bottom), but here are nine ways to help drive your insurance agency Facebook efforts.

Before getting to the last tip, one specific question that constantly pops up is the inability to comment on Facebook pages or profiles from an agency fan page. When posting on other walls directly, it always shows up from the personal profile.

9. Use the “@” Symbol to Appear on Other Fan Page Walls – After liking a fan page, use the “@” symbol before writing the name of a business/organization in your fan page status window. A dropdown will appear and you’ll be able to post an update that appears on both your wall and the wall of the business or person mentioned, with an internal Facebook link to both.

DO mention your favorite brands, carriers, local businesses, networking groups etc.

DON’T use for individuals who may not want their name blasted out for the world to see.

These ideas are not earth-shattering but the perspective given is aimed at agency owners and insurance marketing people committed to a well-rounded Facebook strategy.

As promised, here are a couple other like-minded articles to provide inspiration.

21 Creative Ways to Increase your Facebook Fan Base

15 Ways to Get More Facebook Fans