Summer is here! Sure, it may be tempting to put away your laptop and put your blogging efforts on hold but that would only hurt your insurance marketing strategy. Instead, you should consider getting the best of both worlds. Have you thought about working outdoors?

Whether you are blogging or even working on your agency’s social media strategy, it doesn’t hurt to juice up your laptop’s battery and sit outside for a few hours (just remember to sit in the shade to avoid the sun’s glare!) Here are five reasons you should be working outside this month:

#1: Boosts inspiration and creativity. New sounds, new sites, new colors, new atmosphere… new ideas! Sometimes all it takes is a little change to get your creative juices flowing.

#2: Change of scenery. Staring at the same screen in the same setting each and every day is not exactly inspiring. While routine is great, this break from the indoors will allow you to think outside of the box. For example, maybe you are blogging about home insurance. In the office, you may be struggling for a topic. However, outside your home, you may be looking around and notice that your garden needs some care. Now you have something great to blog about! Gardening and yard care tips are great for home insurance posts around this time of year.

#3: Fresh air. The office tends to get a little stuffy sometimes, don’t you think? Even a half hour outdoors will do wonders for your overall mood and attitude. Instead of getting frustrated with a blog topic, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Feels good, right?

#4: Lessen the chance of procrastination. You may be working indoors, but are you being productive? On a beautiful day, you are most likely staring out the window! Get the best of both worlds and you will be less likely to put off the five blogs you need to write.

#5: Peace and quiet. If you blog out of a noisy office, chances are you usually turn to your headphones to get away. If you find a remote place outside, you will not have to worry about the constant chatter or your blaring headphones. Just you, your laptop and the sound of nature!

These benefits sound tempting, right? We thought so! The key is to NOT get distracted while you are outside. Take advantage of this time to enjoy the fresh air but remember that you still need to get your work done; your strategy depends on it!

Say hello to warm weather! While it may be tempting to put all insurance marketing efforts on hold and hit the beach, that would not be ideal for your business. What you CAN do is bring some summer fun into your blog posts over the next few months!

Here are 20 blogging topics you can use over the course of the summer:

Health Insurance:

Home Insurance:

Auto Insurance:

Other seasonal policies:

Now that you have 20 ideas to go off of, hit the beach or a local park for some quiet time. Blogging outdoors is a great way to get the best of the summer weather while still being productive. It can also help inspire some creativity; it’s a win/win!

A few weeks ago, I covered 15 different movies that you could incorporate into your blog posts in order to make them much more interesting and shareable. Why should the fun end at the movies? There are tons of television series that can also be thrown into your insurance marketing strategy mix!

If your readers are able to relate to the content that you are writing, you are sure to hit home. Bonus points if you can add a touch of comedy to your post!

Here are ten television series that deserve to be blogged about:

So, are you convinced that insurance and pop culture can actually work in harmony? The next time you watch an episode of your favorite television series, start taking notes! Chances are, you will have an awesome blog post by the end of the half hour.

As always, share your ideas in the comment section!

Ah February, the month of love! With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I thought it would be interesting to write up a post about love. As a blogger, you hope that all readers will fall in love with your blog and keep coming back for more. However, in order for this to happen it is important that you reciprocate the feeling! It is time to learn how to show your readers some love this V-day!

#1: Always give back. For all those loyal followers and readers, give something back. Perhaps you hold a contest or give away prizes. Whatever you do, a reward will be greatly appreciated and have readers coming back for more.

#2: Comment your way into their heart. If you have readers who write on their own blogs, be sure to read and comment on theirs, too. There is nothing better than two bloggers supporting each other back and forth.

#3: Do not be afraid to get personal. Posts that are geared towards your products and niches are great, but it never hurts to get a little personal. Post about an experience or even a general topic that has been on your mind. This way, you will come off as more human!

#4: Recognize your readers. If you have a few loyal readers who will comment every once in a while, give them a quick shout out! You can do this on Twitter or even Facebook. They are sure to appreciate the recognition!

#5: Ask a reader to guest post. Sure, it is your blog but it does not hurt to have another voice every once in a while! Find a loyal reader and ask if they are interested in writing a guest post. This will not only build on your relationship but show readers that the blog is about them just as much as it is about your company and services.

With these few techniques, you will be able to build stronger relationships with those who check out your blog on the daily- not to mention generate more comments! It is so important that you continue to work on your insurance marketing strategies. If not, your blog will fall behind and soon be forgotten- and no one likes to be forgotten on Valentine’s Day!

I am sure that by now you have gathered how important it is to constantly enhance your blog posts. We constantly remind you that CONTENT IS KING, but how should you be writing your content?  As a blogger, I have tested out a few different styles of writing, from paragraph form to bullets, to numbered lists. The results? I found that using numbered and bolded lists receive much more shares than any three-paragraph post.

Structuring your blog post as a list is your next challenge when it comes to your insurance marketing strategies. Here are a few reasons why lists are so great!

#1: Easy to plan. Planning out what you are going to say in a post is much easier when you have headings. First, number your points and then go back to fill in the details.

#2: Easy to scan. It is important that readers will be able to quickly scan over your content. It is also much easier for readers to go back when they go to reference a specific point. Your main points can get lost in a paragraph!

#3: Less intimidating. A bunch of paragraphs are much more intimidating than a simple list. Many readers may actually pass by your post if it seems to be cluttered and lengthy.

#4: Creates a structure. Having a structure to your post will benefit both parties; makes it easier for you to write and easier for your audience to read.

#5: Straight to the point. It is easy to stray while reading a paragraph. With a list, you will be getting right to the point without any useless filler content. Your readers will appreciate that.

#6: More shareable. If your readers enjoy your easy-to-read blog post, they are much more likely to share! It will also be much easier for your readers to say “Check out bullet #5!” then having to scroll around and search.

Once you start writing your posts as numbered lists, you will never go back to paragraphs! Not only is it a much easier way to produce content, but much easier on your readers eyes as well. Once you are done, don’t forget to edit your work. If you need some advice in the editing department, feel free to check out a few editing tips from one of our past posts!

Social Media isn’t just for Twitter and Facebook anymore.  More people are utilizing Foursquare to let their friends and family know what they’re up to.  This application is a location-based check-in system allows customers to boost your business’s status in the community.

“Foursquare unlocks your city and makes your world a more interesting place,” writes Carmine Gallo, author of ‘The Power of Foursquare’.  He continues, “It informs, illuminates, and inspires.  For small businesses, it can help attract, reward and engage customers in ways that were never possible.”  Gallo’s book give seven tips that educate business owners how the application can help them.

• Connect your brand
• Harness new fans
• Engage your followers
• Create rewards
• Knock out the competition
• Incentivize your customers
• Never stop entertaining

With the November 15, 2011 revamp of Foursquare.com, your business has the opportunity to get noticed without a customer “check in”.  Users who sign onto Foursquare via the web at certain times the website will suggest places they should visit.  For instance, sign in at 11:30am and they will suggest great lunch spots near their office.  The same will occur later in the day around dinnertime.   Foursquare is committed to helping your business connect with your customers.

Compatible with other Social Media tools, when your customers “check-in” they are able to notify not only their friends who utilize Foursquare, but Facebook and Twitter.  For every check-in, Foursquare users have the ability to “unlock” different achievements:

• Mayorships
• Reward points
• BadgesDeals

Foursquare helps your business connect with your customers in a new way.  It also brings attention to your business and community.  “Unlock” the possibilities.

Turning a blogging tutorial into a recipe is only appropriate for holiday season! With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, it is important to prepare for the upcoming festivities. However, don’t let it put a hold on your blogging efforts. Blogging at least once a week is so important when it comes to your insurance marketing efforts!

Ingredients:

1 search engine

2 cups of fresh content

1 cup of creativity

A sprinkling of humor

A dash of SEO

1 appealing image

1 catchy title

Directions:

#1: Research. To start, make sure you do your research. Use your choice search engine to generate ideas and make sure whatever you are reading is true. Your readers will take everything you say to be true, so do not let them down by offering false information.

#2: Choose a format. Formatting is everything in a blog post- which makes this is a necessary step in the recipe! Are you looking to give your readers tips? A bulleted or bolded list is a great way to do so (much like this one!) If you blogging about a current event or re-telling a news article, paragraph form is a better option.

#3: Start writing. This part of the recipe calls for your 2 cups of fresh content, 1 cup of creativity and a sprinkling of humor. Your blog post should be original and interesting. The internet is full of blogs and yours could easily get lost if it does not scream creativity! You want your readers to share your blog and keep coming back for more. A great recipe does both of those things; keep that in mind when you are writing. If you constantly blog about the same content, your blog will get stale. No one likes a stale baked good!

#4: Add in your keywords. After the bulk of your blog is written, you must add a dash of SEO. This means adding in your best keywords and linking to your website. Be careful though- any more than a dash could be SEO-overkill and will destroy the end result.

#5: Give your post a catchy title. The title can be compared to the first bite. This is the first part of your blog post that your readers will see, so luring them in is a must.

#6: Add your image. In order to make your final product appealing to the eye, and well, appetizing, you should add an image. This image should go hand-in-hand with the content in your post.

#7: Edit before you post. Your final product should not have any flaws, which makes editing a must. This is the finishing touch- the cherry to the ice cream! Once you feel that your final product is good to go- it is time to post!

The holidays are a great time to be blogging; there are so many great topics to write about.  So once you are done baking that pumpkin pie, be sure to come back to this recipe, take notes, and write that perfect blog post!

Traffic is an interesting term. Many American’s may think of traffic in a negative way- no one likes being stuck in rush hour traffic! However, in the world of SEO, traffic is AWESOME- especially when it comes to your blogging efforts. You want your blog to be a high-traffic website. If it already is, that is proof that your insurance marketing strategies are working. If not, there are always ways to increase your traffic.

Here are a few tips from the experts:

#1: Title tag it. The title of your post is not only the first thing your readers will see, but also the search engines. So make it a good one! Keep it short, sweet and be sure to get your keyword in there! Yes, it can be difficult but it is not impossible.

#2: Be social. Wrote a blog post? Tweet about it! You can put it up on your Facebook wall or even post the link on Twitter or LinkedIn. The use of social media is a great way to get your friends, family and community involved in your blogging efforts.

#3: Make your posts shareable. Make sure you write posts that others will want to share. Posts that include current events and pop culture references are usually the most viewed. Lists are also a great way to grab people’s attention as well as “how-to” guides. These are the things that people want to read!

#4: Bookmark, bookmark, bookmark. As soon as you write a post, bookmark it. Then bookmark it again and again and again. Use bookmarking sites such as Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit, Blink List, Delicious, and Jumptags. Believe us- these are not your only options! The more you bookmark a site, the more exposure it will get.

#5: Be a human. It’s important that you connect with your readers. Don’t just write blog post after blog post. It’s important that you ask your readers questions and try to engage conversation.

#6: SEO strategy. If you are not using keywords, it is time to start. Be sure to choose the best keywords, typically those with high search volume and low competition. Insert them into your blog post naturally to avoid sounding like spam.

#7: Comment to connect. It’s time to enter the realm of blogging. Finding other blog posts and commenting will not only show others that you are social, but will allow you to build back links. If you write something insightful, be sure to link to your own blog- readers will most likely click your link!

#8: Imagery. Adding images or some sort of creative flair to your posts are sure to grab your readers’ attention.

Your blog traffic may not increase overnight because everything takes time. However, with the right strategy you will begin to see results gradually. If not, it may be time to think about your actual blog posts. Believe it or not, blogging mistakes are actually common and you may not even realize that you are making them.

Hopefully these few tips have helped and if you have any questions or anything to add, feel free to do so!

Many people live by a set of standards- and that is what makes a person who they are. Your blogs are the same way! Each and every post should follow a set of standards. This way, your posts will not only be credible and informative, but also give your company a voice. This is an important part of your insurance marketing efforts; you will be rewarded for great content!

I present to you, The 10 Blogging Commandments:

#1: Thou shall not plagiarize. The worst thing that any blogger can do is use someone else’s words. The purpose of your blog is to show readers the company’s voice. Using others’ work is a sure way to ruin your reputation.

#2: Thou shall keep posts positive. No one wants to feel sad after reading a blog post. Insurance may seem like a drag but it does not have to be! Yes, life insurance is a somber topic, but it’s simple to turn it into something positive: give health tips or even ways to zap stress.

#3: Thou shall keep content fresh. Re-using the same blogging topics over and over again? Spend an hour brainstorming topics that work for the season, or even current events. Stale content is sure to keep your readers from coming back for more.

#4: You shall edit all your work. There is nothing worse than reading a blog with grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Very unprofessional!

#5: Thou shall not link profusely. Too many links in your post will not only look spammy, but it really IS spammy. Keep the links to a minimum (2-3).

#6: Thou shall bookmark every post. Your posts deserve to be read, and not just from your website! Bookmark your posts on sites such as Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit, and Delicious.

#7: You shall accept all feedback. Receive a negative comment? Don’t start an internet war! Be sure to address the comment in a professional manner.

#8: Thou shall show love. Find other bloggers and comment! If you do not put yourself out there as a human being, people will not bother to give you feedback. It’s important to reciprocate.

#9: Thou shall respect a day of rest. No need to be excessive about blogging. Three times a week is usually a good place to be, once a day at most. Take weekends off!

#10: Thou shall not give false facts. All your information and posts should be backed by credible sources. Your words are powerful and your readers will take them seriously. Any false information that you post will be held against you!

If you follow these simple guidelines, your blogging efforts will take off, and pay off! Any questions or comments, please feel free to ask. We are always here to help- now go spread your words!

Think about your favorite band- why is it that they are so successful? Is it their cool hair or their killer vocals? It is probably a mix of both- but there is a lot more to it! Now think about YOUR business. Of course you have been working on your insurance marketing strategies and incorporating social media into your marketing plan. However, are you truly using social media to its fullest potential? Believe it or not- but a good social media strategy is a lot like your favorite band’s strategy.

#1: Patience. Do you think that U2 just became famous over night? No way! Having patience is key in the social media world. You may not have many fans and followers in the first few weeks but if you keep posting, interacting and searching- you will grow!

#2: Originality. Like 311 says, you have to “Come Original” if you want to be heard. In your case, this will mean having an original site, slogan and even original blog posts! If your business is different from the rest, people will remember you and be intrigued.

#3: Time. If you do not have time to update your social sites, it may be time to hire someone who does, or even hire an intern. You need time to build relationships, connect and communicate. Logging on for 10 minutes every morning is not going to cut it. Busy bands do not have the time to promote, so they hire someone!

#4: Open. Show your followers what is going on in your company. Post pictures of company events or blog about future plans. It’s important to keep them involved! Take a lesson from blink-182; every hour or so they update their Twitter AND Facebook with pictures from the tour, their bus and current status. Fans love it!

#5: Visual. What is one of the best parts of a rock show? The light show! You need to WOW your clients with your social site presentation. Use colors that represent your company on Twitter. For Facebook, be sure to add your favorite pages and show the world that you are much more than a business page…you are a real person and a friend!

#6: Consistent. If a band does not put out music every few years, they may fall off the radar. Same with your company! If you tweet once a month, you are going to fall off your follower’s radar. It’s important to update daily and keep content fresh.

These few tips are sure to lead to success. The main goal for a band is to build an audience- and that is exactly what you have to do on your social media accounts. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+…whatever you use- they are sure to boost your business. But without an audience, there would be no show. So keep your audiences coming back for more!  Once you have done that, then you are a true social media rock star!