How Insurance Agents Can Use Facebook Business to Grow Their Agency
Facebook is one of the largest social media networks in the world. Every day, more than 1.62 billion people log in to Facebook. For insurance agents and other B2C companies, Facebook is where many of your ideal buyers are hanging out online. Building a Facebook presence and leveraging the power of this social media giant is an excellent strategy for growing your business. Facebook Business for agency owners will help your target customers find you, engage with your agency, and learn more about your insurance products and offerings. Here’s what you need to know about creating and leveraging a great Facebook business strategy.
Create a Facebook Business Page for Your Agency
Before creating a Facebook business page for your insurance agency, you’ll need to be aware that Facebook business pages are different than a Facebook profile. Facebook profiles are considered personal Facebook accounts. These profiles are ideal for keeping in touch with family, friends… and sharing funny cat videos – not for promoting your business. But a Facebook business page is designed specifically as a public page for brands and companies to engage with their customers. When a viewer “likes” a Facebook business page, they will start to see the page’s posts and updates in their Facebook feed alongside photos of their friends.
Creating a Facebook business page for your agency is an easy process. First, you’ll need a regular personal profile page. Go to facebook.com/business and select “create a page” in the top, right-hand corner. The next screen will display a selection of different business types. Choose the one that best describes your agency. As you continue along with the setup process, Facebook will ask you several questions about your business, such as your agency name, location, and phone number. You’ll want to fill out as much information as possible, including uploading a photo that represents your agency well.
Complete the Different Facebook Business Page Sections
Facebook offers businesses several different page sections they can complete. Not every single section needs to be filled out, and you’ll have to decide which sections will best serve your agency. But in general, your page should have a professional profile picture, and a completed “About” section. Other sections you can fill out and use on your Facebook business page are:
- Community
- Events
- Home
- Info and Ads
- Offers
- Photos
- Posts
- Reviews
- Services
- Shop
Facebook Business Page: Use a Recognizable Profile Photo
Your profile photo for your agency Facebook business page will be displayed at the top. It is one of the first things people will see when they visit your page. Your profile picture will also be a part of your posts’ thumbnails. Make sure that your customers will recognize the profile photo you’ll be using for your page.
Complete the About Section on Your Facebook Business Page
Leaving this section blank is like leaving free likes and follows on the table. Filling out the “About” section for your agency business page is a must and not something to be ignored. This is one of the few parts of your page that people will look at to find out more information about your agency. What should you put in the “About” section? Think about the main questions that new clients have for you. Use this part of the Facebook business page to answer those questions. Add your agency hours, too, and your website URL.
Coordinate Your Facebook Business Page for Marketing Campaigns
The most valuable real estate on your agency’s page is the cover photo, pinned post, and profile CTA. These aspects of the page are the most visible to viewers, and you’ll want to optimize and coordinate these parts of the page for marketing purposes. Take time to make the cover photo, pinned post and CTA all coordinate with your agency’s branding.
Let’s say your agency wants to promote an eBook lead magnet to build your email list. Consider making an image of the eBook part of your cover photo, then publish a post promoting the eBook. Use a landing page to provide a download link and then pin the whole post on your profile. Make sure the to include a CTA that links to the eBook landing page.
Facebook Business for Agency Owners Best Practices
Using Facebook to grow your business is an excellent strategy for insurance agents. Facebook is where many of your ideal customers will be online and having a Facebook page for your agency helps foster trust and increase exposure for your company. Keep in mind though, there are a few things insurance agents should understand if they want to make the most of the Facebook’s business platform. Implementing the following best practices will help you fully leverage the power of Facebook for B2C marketing.
Always Respond to Messages
Responding to messages from your customers or potential clients is not only a polite way to do business, but it will also give off several impressions. For one thing, prompt responses indicate that your business is alive and well online. Customers like to know that if they send a message to a company, that their queries will be answered quickly. The Facebook Messenger inbox is located at the top of your business page. This tool lets you quickly and easily engage with customers and potential clients on Facebook. Also, Facebook will track your timing and response rates and displays the average response time of a business on your profile.
Understand Your Audience on Facebook
Marketers love Facebook for several reasons. But one of the most effective methods of using Facebook to find new customers is through their cutting-edge targeting tools. When you advertise on the platform with either Facebook PPC ads or boosted posts, Facebook gives you the option to target people based on very detailed data. You can configure your ads to display to people based on their demographic information, location, and even their other interests on Facebook, i.e., other pages they’ve liked and followed. It’s important to know your target audience before you set up promotional posts and ads on the platform.
Schedule and Publish Organic Posts
Studies have found that posting new content on Facebook should happen at least three times per week. This will help you get the most engagement out of the platform. We know that insurance agents often wear many different hats and don’t have time for all of that content creation and posting. Instead, you can hire out a service like Lift Local who takes care of all social engagement for you. You can also set aside one day a month and use Facebook publishing tools to schedule out your posts. That way you can sit back and relax all month while content is being pushed. This method takes some organization and planning but is totally doable!
Be Personable on Facebook
Facebook is a social media network. People aren’t on the platform to find new businesses or products to buy. Instead, people use Facebook to do just that – socialize. You want to avoid coming off as overly sales-y on Facebook. Instead, make an effort to be personable. Put a face to your agency and use your Facebook business page to connect and engage with others.
How can you do that? Use Facebook to open up a dialogue with your ideal customer. Have conversations. Post content that is designed to get people commenting, and then respond to comments and questions. Make a point to “like” other people’s comments so they feel heard. It’s important that your business page isn’t a faceless entity trying to push products and services. Having conversations with Facebook users will help build trust with your agency and drive sales.
Content Ideas for Facebook Business for Agency Owners
If you’re unsure of what type of posts to publish on your insurance business page, you’re not alone. Coming up with new content ideas is one roadblock that many business owners struggle with. For your Facebook business page, consider the following content ideas for future posts:
- Post business milestones and accomplishments
- Pin posts for events
- Offer giveaways and contests
- Share relevant content from other people and businesses on Facebook
- Create engaging videos with Facebook Live
When it comes to Facebook marketing for businesses, don’t be afraid to test new ideas and post different types of content for your audience. What may work well for one kind of business may not translate for your agency on Facebook. To get the most out of your social media efforts, forego assumptions, and be bold with your content. Always use photos and striking images for your Facebook posts. The last thing you want to do is clutter your audience’s feed with mediocre content.
Time to Get Started
Have you implemented Facebook business marketing for your insurance agency? What strategies are working for you, and what would you like to achieve? Feel free to get the conversation started in the comments and let us know what you think about using Facebook for your insurance agency. As always, feel free to reach out to us with any questions!