Insurance Bartender | IIAW's Online Community: Supporting Your Local Communities

In last month’s issue of Wisconsin Independent Agent, we announced our new platform, the Online Community. IIAW’s Online Community will help our members, vendors, sponsors and IIAW staff connect. This new member benefit will launch on November 1st, and we have a big incentive for members to participate:

Top contributors of our Online Community will receive gifts and prizes that will give back to their local communities, simply for participating.

Participating in our Online Community is easy. All you need to do is sign up, join Groups, connect collaborate and engage to earn gifts that will give back to your local communities.

Sign Up:

On November 1st our Online Community will go live for all members. Once live, IIAW members can log into their profile on our website, iiaw.com, to access the Online Community. If you or someone within your company would like to join the Online Community but don’t currently have an account through our website, please contact us at info@iiaw.com and we will send you a link to be added as a user under your company’s membership. You can also email us at info@iiaw.com if you have any questions about logging into an existing account.

Join Groups:

We are moving our current committees online, and they will now be called Groups. Amidst COVID-19, in-person gatherings are hard to accommodate. Instead, we want to continue offering a place for those with like interests to gather together but in a more attainable way - online. Recently, we opened Group sign up to those who would like to be Thought Leaders (previously known as committee members). Thought Leaders will lead discussions within their Groups and answer any questions that may arise. Prior to the launch of our Online Community, we will be opening the sign up for those that would like to be general contributors of Groups. There are no obligations to join a Group as a contributor, but contributors can still soak up the information being shared within the Groups they choose to join. When members log into their account on our website November 1st, they will already be a member of the Groups they selected in previous sign-ups.

As we move our current Groups (formerly known as committees) online, we are also introducing a few new Group interest areas.

• Legal - This Group will be a source for news and articles. This will be a place to discuss laws and legal implications. Information within this Group will be general in nature, and the forum will not be used to provide personal or agency-specific legal advice and counsel.

Matt’s Mixology Apple Cider Mules

Toast to the kickoff of fall with this seasonal take on Moscow Mules.

Ingredients Directions

• 4 oz. vodka • Ginger beer • Sparkling cider • Sliced apple, for garnish • Cinnamon sticks, for garnish 1. Fill two copper mugs with ice. Pour 2 oz. vodka into each cup. Fill 2/3 full with sparkling cider, then top with ginger beer. 2. Garnish with an apple slice and a cinnamon stick. Serve.

• Education and Events - This Group will share professional development and continuing education opportunities. Members in this Group will learn about industry educational offerings and events.

• Internet of Insurance - The Internet of Insurance User Group will assist users in the utilization and troubleshooting of the IOI, a free platform for members. Members can share questions, comments and connect with Thought Leaders within the Internet of Insurance space to make improvements to the customer and user experience. Within the Group, members can learn more about the platform and use it to your agency’s advantage. Founders and employees of DAIS, the company that created the IOI, will be Thought Leaders within this Group.

Connect, Collaborate and Engage

Our Online Community is our industry-curated version of Facebook and LinkedIn. Similar to your favorite social media sites, you can connect with others, read, comment, like posts and much more within Groups and on the feed (MyFeed). Connecting, collaborating and engaging with other members of our Online Community is the best way to get the most value out of this new member benefit.

Earn Gifts that Give Back

One of the important features of our Online Community is how we will be giving back to local communities. We have created a rewards system to award those who actively participate in MyFeed and Group discussions. Top contributors will earn gift cards/gift certificates to local eateries (Wisconsin small businesses), donations to local charities and handpicked IIAW swag and prizes.

Additionally, participation will also play a part in the selection process for IIAW’s end-of-year Association Awards like Agent of the Year, Industry Representative of the Year, Emerging Leader of the Year and more.

If used to its full potential, our new Online Community will be a great member benefit. Being an active member of our Online Community and its Groups will give members the ability to be a part of just that - an online community of professionals that understand the industry, customers and values.

We are excited to offer our members this free and valuable benefit, and we are eager that together, as a community, we can support your local communities too!

> Matt Banaszynski

CEO of IIAW

Take Your Business to New Heights.

Going into business was a big decision. Succession planning—your next business decision—can be even bigger. A partnership with Ansay & Associates can transition that decision by joining a group of like-minded leaders committed to measuring performance for accountability and growth.

Family-owned and committed to your success, we cultivate insurance carrier options and design insurance solutions that last well beyond the initial merger.