IN THIS ISSUE: 5 overlooked benefits of social Why not to be everywhere online Member profile: OHL Insurance
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Contents PRIMARY AGENT MAGAZINE
5 most overlooked business benefits of social media The mantra of social media’s benefits for business is overplayed, and cynicism is common and, in some cases, deserved. However, the benefits of social (when it’s done right) remain, no matter how oversold and now overlooked they are.
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Why the ‘be everywhere’ strategy is destroying your business online Leveraging social media for your agency must be a strategic venture. Attempting to engage consumers on too many channels — or the wrong ones — can prove more problematic than never stepping foot into the social sphere to begin with. Here, Ryan Hanley shares the danger in the “be everywhere” approach and tips for choosing which social networking sites make sense for your agency.
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20 Mission Statement Primary Agent delivers ideas to help Insurance Agents & Brokers’ members negotiate their unique position as guardians of trust between insurance consumers and companies while facing the challenges of maintaining a small business. Primary Agent also supports IA&B’s mission to preserve and advocate the American Agency System.
Get social with IA&B
Member profile: OHL Insurance gets social When Miranda Ohl, office manager for OHL Insurance & Financial Services, took on the role of social media manager in 2010, she admittedly was unsure what she was getting into. After nearly five years — and a few stumbling blocks — the North Huntingdon, Pa. agency is seeing value from its strong presence on several social networking platforms.
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In every issue 2 3 4 6 8 11
Chairwoman of the Board’s Message Ask Our Experts State News Preventing Errors & Omissions Coverage Corner IA&B Partners
22 24 IBC IBC IBC
H.R. Headquarters My Events Advertisers Index Classified Ads C’mon, get appy!
All communications for publications, including news, features, advertising copy, cuts, etc., must reach the editor by 1st of month two months prior to publication. Advertising rates furnished upon request. Address inquiries to: Primary Agent Editor 5050 Ritter Road Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-0763 Phone (800) 998-9644 or (717) 795-9100 Fax (717) 795-8347 Periodical postage paid at Mechanicsburg, Pa. and at additional mailing offices. Ride-along Enclosed. Postmaster: Send address changes to above address. Primary Agent (ISSN 1543-3110), Permit # 638-620, Issue # 2015-1 is published monthly by IA&B Service Group Inc., a subsidiary of IA&B. Copyright 2015. All rights reserved. No material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent of the publisher. The information in this publication is general in nature and is not intended to serve as legal, accounting, financial, insurance, investment advisory or other professional advice as to any reader’s particular situation. Users are encouraged to consult with competent legal, financial, insurance, investment advisory and or other professional advisors concerning specific matters before making any decisions and we disclaim any responsibility for any decisions or actions by readers. Statements of fact and opinion in Primary Agent are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of the officers or the members of the IA&B. Participation in IA&B events, activities and/or publications is available on a non-discriminatory basis and does not reflect IA&B endorsement of the products and/or services.
Board of Directors
Diana M. Hornung Hanby
Officers Diana M. Hornung Hanby, ACSR Chair of the Board Wilmington, Del. Robert S. Klinger, LUTCF, CPIA Vice Chair of the Board Germantown, Md. G. Greg Gunn, CIC Immediate Past Chair of the Board Lemoyne, Pa.
Members Henry “Butch” Bradley, Jr. Forest Hill, Md. E. Stephen Burnett, CIC, ARM Wilmington, Del. Richard F. Corroon, CPCU Wilmington, Del. N. Lee Dotson, CIC, AAI Wilmington, Del. Michael P. Ertel+ Columbia, Md. John B. Hollister Milford, Pa. Jocelyn R. Howard-Sinopoli, CIC, CISR Butler, Pa. Douglas A. Loesel, CPCU Erie, Pa. Michael F. McGroarty Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa. Craig S. Mader Gambrills, Md. Ann Gallen Moll, CIC Reading, Pa. Mark J. Monroe West Chester, Pa. Joseph R. Pastor, CPCU, AAI Oil City, Pa. Richard M. Rankin, CIC Lancaster, Pa. April E. Ressler, CIC Altoona, Pa. Scott C. Rogers, CPIA* York, Pa. Glenn R. Strachan Ft. Washington, Md. Lawrence A. Wilson, CIC, CPIA, CPCU, ARM** New Castle, Del.
Chairwoman of the Board’s M
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Impetus for change Happy New Year! While Jan. 1 is, in some sense, just another day, the passage into a new year always feels significant to me. And I would venture to guess that many of you join me in feeling that the new year is a time of optimism, fresh starts and new opportunities. It’s a catalyst for change. Coming from a small business, as most of us do, I would also venture to guess that many of our agencies could benefit from a little change. But when we’re already wearing multiple hats and balancing endless meetings and to-do lists, it’s overwhelming to think about adding to our plates … be it tackling an HR headache or strategizing our marketing efforts, let alone contemplating something that feels as distant and overwhelming as an eventual transfer of agency ownership. Enter IA&B. Your agents’ association aims to simplify, to supplement and to support your agency operations. Help navigating social media — understanding what’s to be gained and, if it’s worth our while, how to proceed strategically — is a common ask among members. And it’s one of the areas upon which IA&B will focus in 2015, beginning with this edition of Primary Agent magazine. Take a read of the feature articles that follow, and then watch your email inbox and IABforME.com for more on the subject. Welcome to 2015 — a chance to take advantage of more of what IA&B has to offer and an opportunity to change your agency for the better. Until next time,
Diana M. Hornung Hanby
J. Marshall Wolff, CIC, CPCU Easton, Pa. * Pa. IIABA National Director ** Del. IIABA National Director + Md. PIA National Director
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Ask our Experts QUESTION: What type of information are we required to encrypt? ANSWER: A simple question, with a not-so-simple
Safe harbor Most laws and regulations that discuss encryption present it, directly or indirectly, as a safe harbor, protecting your agency if someone claims that the data was breached. For example, under our state data breach laws (in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania) and under the Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act (HIPAA)’s Data Breach Notification Rule, if the information that is accessed without authorization is encrypted, the unauthorized access will generally not be considered a “breach.” Therefore, you won’t need to send notification letters to affected insureds.
answer. Various laws and regulations address the need for privacy and safeguarding of customer information, from collection to disposal and beyond, to what you must do in case of a breach of that information. At this time, however, these laws and regulations do not clearly identify a pre-determined set of information that you are required to encrypt, nor do they technically require you to encrypt anything. Generally, the laws and regulations: w Broadly identify the information that needs to be protected,
What information? To help you navigate the different types of federal and state requirements, and decide how your agency will address encryption and for what information, we have developed a cheat-sheet available at IABforME.com/privacy. Setting aside Social Security numbers, which should never be sent via email without being redacted, the cheat-sheet will help you identify the types of information targeted by each law or regulation, and help you decide how to set your own policies and procedures.
w Require you to have a security program in place for protection, and w Address encryption not as a mandate, but as a standard to include in your Information Security Program and as a safe harbor for agencies (more on this below). How is encryption addressed? As part of your Information Security Program, you must consider how customer information is protected: w When in storage (e.g. on your server or on the cloud), and w When in transit (circulating via email, carrier-agency portals or other systems).
HAVE A QUESTION? ASK OUR EXPERTS! Rely on our experts to answer your most perplexing questions. Visit the Ask Our Experts section of IABforME.com (find the link in the website footer) to submit your question and review answers to other frequently asked questions. Or email your question to us at IAB@IABforME.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
If the communication contains personally identifiable information, is it encrypted or otherwise secured? If not, what alternatives are used in the agency to protect the privacy and integrity of that information? Encryption is one of the methods that can be used to guard against unauthorized access.
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Primary Agent | January 2015
State News New insurance legislation in effect Gov. Tom Corbett last fall signed into law several pieces of insurance legislation, including House Bill 1846 which is intended to reform the practice of physician dispensing in the state’s workers compensation (WC) system. Proponents of the new law – which took effect Dec. 26 – say that it will save Pennsylvania employers approximately $13 million annually in the cost of their WC premiums. HB 1846, now Act 184 of 2014, limits the amount of drugs that can be dispensed and the price for those drugs that can be charged (price is capped at 110 percent of the drug’s average wholesale price) by a physician under the state’s WC program. Additionally, if one healthcare provider has dispensed drugs to a workers’ compensation patient, no other healthcare provider may submit for reimbursement for drugs dispensed to the same employee under the same workers’ compensation claim. Also signed into law were Senate Bills 1356 and 1357 which, as of Dec. 21, amended the definition of “renewal” or “to renew” within the Unfair Insurance Practices Act to include “affiliated insurer.” This change allows insurers to move both automobile and homeowners’ customers from one affiliate to another without having to go through the non-renewal process and without issuing a cancellation notice. These are carrier-supported bills, and the language in them originated in the House with Rep. Tobash (R-Schuylkill), who is also a Nationwide agent. Similar legislation has been enacted in 35 states. [4]
Waiver of stacking in a postBumbarger world Mutual Benefit Group last fall advised its agents authorized to write personal lines auto policies in Pennsylvania that, effectively immediately, they will be required to obtain a new waiver of stacking form when: w A new vehicle is added to an existing multi-car policy and w T he insured had previously rejected stacking Mutual Benefit’s decision to require an updated waiver is in response to the recent Bumbarger court decision. While there is no statutory requirement to obtain a new waiver of stacking form when a vehicle is added to an existing multi-car policy, Mutual Benefit’s new policy certainly represents a pragmatic and “better safe than sorry” approach, given the courts’ recent decisions in Sackett and Bumbarger. Mutual Benefit Group agents are directed to contact their marketing reps or personal lines underwriter should they have any questions regarding this issue.
First Keystone RRG liquidation reminder If you were doing business with First Keystone Risk Retention Group, remember that insureds’ proof-ofclaim form must be filed (all claims must be submitted) by Saturday, Feb. 28. As a reminder, coverage ceased last November. Background: First Keystone was licensed to write commercial transportation liability insurance in Pennsylvania, among a handful of other states. Last fall, the insurer was found insolvent and ordered into liquidation. Any questions regarding the liquidation can be directed to Special Deputy Liquidator Mike Fitzgibbons at 480-948-4351.
New seminar locations in western Pa. for 2015 Our full 2015 professional training schedule is available online as a searchable database and in a PDF booklet. Along with it, registration is open for the classes you need in the locations you want. For agents in western Pennsylvania, there are two notable additions coming in 2015. Indiana, Pa.: CISR Personal Auto, April 21 CISR Commercial Casualty I, Sept. 18 Pittsburgh, Pa.: James K. Ruble Graduate Seminar, Aug. 10-11 (Registration opening soon for this second graduate seminar scheduled for the Steel City in 2015)
—————— NEIGHBORING NEWS ——————
Del. non-resident license renewal due Feb. 28 Non-resident licensees – to include individuals and business entities – must renew their Delaware licenses by Saturday, Feb. 28. As a reminder, the Delaware Department of Insurance no longer mails renewal notices. To renew your license, visit the National Insurance Producer Registry website (NIPR.com). There is a $75 fee for the two-year renewal. If you choose not to renew your license, notify the Delaware Licensing Department at licensing@state.de.us. Failure to surrender your license will result in an administrative penalty should you wish to use the license again as a resident or non-resident. delawareinsurance.gov/ services/renewlicense.shtml
WELCOME
New Members Bruner Insurance Agency LLC Connellsville, PA Lake Region Insurance Inc. Hawley, PA H&M Insurance Agency LLC Philadelphia, PA Metro Bucks Insurance Agency Doylestown, PA John W. Fisher Insurance Agency Inc. Whitaker, PA Lackawanna Insurance Group Wilkes-Barre, PA
IABforME.com/MyTraining [5]
New York to cut non-resident agencies a (tax) break If your agency holds a New York nonresident license, doing business in the Empire State is about to get easier. The state’s legislature voted to repeal and eliminate its annual maintenance fee on foreign corporations beginning with the 2015 tax year. Elimination of the tax should save affected agencies up to $300 annually. Please note the repeal of the annual maintenance fee requirement does not: w E xempt agencies doing business in New York – or any other state in which it conducts business – from filing applicable tax returns, which may be required even if no premiums are generated during the tax year w E xempt agencies from complying with other annual filing requirements which may be imposed by the respective states’ Departments of State and/or Departments of Revenue Additionally, because the corporate tax reform measures in New York extend well beyond the issue of the annual maintenance fee, agency principals are encouraged to inform their accountants of the pending corporate tax reform measures, which will become effective in 2015.
Primary Agent | January 2015
Preventing ERRORS AND OMISSIONS
WHAT’S YOUR 2015 E&O GOAL?
The Utica National E&O Program supplied this article. Insurance Agents & Brokers Service Group Inc. is the exclusive agent for the Utica E&O program in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. For questions regarding this article or your E&O coverage, contact IA&B at 800-998-9644 or IAB@IABforME.com.
With the new year upon us, most agencies are goal setting for 2015. This goal setting should include some errorsand-omissions goals for agencies to be successful. It appears that those agencies that continually enhance their E&O culture and commitment are being rewarded by writing more business and protecting themselves when E&O litigation arises.
such as the following, is suggested: w Need for staff training w Review/update of the current agency procedures w A focus of customer education using various methods When setting your goal, it is best to focus on a handful of initiatives, at most. Trying to launch too many has the potential to result in doing an OK job on a significant number, as opposed to a solid job
A good starting point involves a reality check of how things are going. A review of issues,
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on a more manageable number. Here are some items to consider: Enhance your staff education. After all, agencies don’t make mistakes, people do. A strong focus on ensuring that you have a technically proficient staff that possesses strong customer service and automation skills is recommended. Work individually with each staff member to identify those areas that need improvement. Each employee’s annual
performance review should include the specific goals that were agreed upon. Include a cover letter when sending out new and renewal policies. This ties in with the duty in most states for the customer to read his or her policy. Raise awareness of options and limits. Make sure your customers are aware of limit options and that higher limits are available. Get signatures. Be a fanatic about requiring the staff (producers, account managers, CSRs, etc.) to secure customers’ signatures on the various insurance applications. Secure the customer’s sign-off on all rejected coverages. This is one aspect of an enhanced focus on documentation that will reap benefits if E&O litigation develops. There is a general feeling in the courts that “if it is not in the file, it didn’t happen,” so any initiative that strengthens the agency’s documentation culture and commitment is a good thing. Perform – or at least offer to perform – annual reviews with your customers. This could involve a live discussion or a form that is automatically sent to each personal and commercial lines customer 60-90 days prior to the expiration of his or her coverage. The goal is to secure an update of any changes in exposures so that some insurance discussions can take place. Include coverages for a customer to consider, such as flood, earthquake, home businesses, various types of personal articles floaters, umbrellas, etc. While some may believe that “it’s their job” for a CSR to identify gaps and round out the various accounts, consider an incentive or form of compensation for the staff. Many agencies have enjoyed solid success in this initiative by rewarding the staff.
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Educate your customers. Take some time and ask your staff what insurance issues are potentially misunderstood and need to be communicated. It is important to examine the issues by line of business and then develop a marketing/education campaign using the media that would be most effective. There have been a number of surveys that spoke to customers’ desire to understand the coverage they have and how it works. One of the biggest segments of the population that wants this education and advice is the 18-24 age group. Establish a strong quality control/ audit process – or update your current one. The goal of an audit process is to verify that the staff meets the expectations established by the agency. Without this type of
a process, how can any agency feel confident that the various tasks and requirements are being met? Maybe there is a need for further training. Be proactive – don’t wait for a claim to develop to discover some issues. Good results don’t just happen. They involve a strong culture and commitment of management and every person in the agency. As you start 2015, dedicate some time and thought to how you can enhance the E&O culture in your agency. Establishing some well-thought-out attainable E&O initiatives is a step in the right direction and should pay solid benefits moving forward. You may just find your agency selling some more business, too.
Partners.
You and your clients. You and Harford Mutual. We’re committed to protecting their business and building yours. That’s what mutual success is all about.
Explore P&C insurance opportunities at www.HarfordMutual.com 410.838.4000 / 800.638.3669
Primary Agent | January 2015
Coverage COR N E R
LIQUOR LIABILITY AND DRAM SHOP LAWS
JERRY M. MILTON, CIC Jerry M. Milton, CIC, teaches and consults on industry issues. The legal profession recognizes him as an expert on insurance coverages. He is also the education consultant for IA&B, working with CISR, CIC and continuing education programs.
It’s Friday night. Joe has had a hard week. He decides to go out and have a few beers to relax. After stopping at three or four bars and drinking several beers (with a few “shooters”), Joe gets in his car to drive home. He causes an accident, which kills two occupants of the other car. Joe’s blood alcohol level was over double the state’s legal limit. In other words, he was drunk.
killed sue the bars that served Joe alcohol in addition to suing Joe? That depends on the state’s Dram Shop law. The name Dram Shop comes from 18th Century England, where gin was sold by the spoonful, or “dram.” The purpose of a Dram Shop law is to allow victims who suffer injury or death caused by an intoxicated person to hold bars, restaurants and other alcohol retailers liable for the injury, death or other damages caused by the intoxicated
Can the family members of the two occupants of the other car who were
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person. These type suits occur most frequently in drunk driving accidents. In 1999, a New Jersey jury awarded $135 million to the family of a young girl who was paralyzed after a drunk driver collided with her car. The drunk driver, after attending a New York Giants football game, had a blood alcohol level that was double the legal limit. The stadium’s concessionaire had to share the liability judgment with the drunk driver.
Currently, 43 states, including Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia have some type of a Dram Shop law. Those states without a Dram Shop law include Maryland and Delaware. Pennsylvania’s Dram Shop Act reads as follows: No licensee shall be liable to third persons on account of damages inflicted upon them off the licensee’s premises by customers of a licensee unless the customer who inflicts the damages was sold, furnished or given liquor or malt or brewed beverages by said licensee or his agent, servant or employee when said customer was visibly intoxicated. Whether someone is “visibly intoxicated” depends not only on blood alcohol content or the number of drinks consumed, but rather on apparent signs of intoxication such as bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and staggering. Maryland and Delaware do not have a Dram Shop law. Maryland has consistently refused to extend liability to the establishment that served the alcoholic beverages. In Wright v. Sue & Charles, Inc., 131 Md. App. 466 (2000), the Court held that the responsibility rests with the person who chooses to drink and not with the liquor store. However, Delaware, in a few court cases, has imposed liability on the liquor establishment. In Taylor v. Ruiz, 394 A.2d 765 De. (1978), the Court held the tavern owner liable for injury to a plaintiff struck by an automobile driven by a patron of the tavern who was continually served alcohol despite the tavern’s knowledge that the patron was intoxicated. The Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy excludes liquor liability claims arising out of causing or contributing to the intoxication of a person, furnishing alcohol to a person under the legal drinking age or violating any statute, ordinance or regulation regulating alcoholic beverages. This exclusion applies only if the insured is in the business of manufacturing, distributing, selling, serving or furnishing alcoholic beverages. The CGL does not define “business.” The exclusion does not apply to a “bring your own bottle” establishment. However, if the Amendment Of Liquor Liability Exclusion endorsement (CG 21 50) is added, the liquor liability exclusion becomes absolute. What about “host liquor liability”? The unendorsed CGL covers. So does the Homeowners’ policy. The Homeowners’ policy does not have a liquor liability exclusion. Can the insured have social host liability for intoxicated persons? Intoxicated adults? PA – No; MD – No; DE – No. Intoxicated minors? PA – Yes; MD – No; DE – No.
Commercial lines conundrums Liquor liability is one of the many tricky-to-navigate coverages Jerry Milton addressed in a free members-only Power Hour — A Cornucopia of Commercial Lines Conundrums — last fall. During the webinar, Jerry discussed:
w Flood and earthquake
w Equipment breakdown
w Pollution liability
w Employee theft
w Money and securities
w Employment practices liability
w Employee benefits liability
w Internet/e-commerce (cyber liability & property)
Missed the Power Hour on commercial lines coverage gaps? Find the recording online. IABforME.com/Power_Hour
If you’re ready to sell, downsize, retire, or expand your services and products, talk with the business professionals at AAA Mid-Atlantic Insurance Agency. We’d welcome the opportunity to discuss your desire or need for change—and how we can help you attain your goals. Call:
Judy Dodds
Business Development Manager 302-299-4776 or email at: jdodds@aaamidatlantic.com
Y’all take care! ©2014 AAA Insurance
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Platinum Profile Insurance Agents & Brokers proudly recognizes MMG Insurance as one of its Platinum Partners. IA&B Platinum Partners dedicate the highest level of sponsorship to our organization.
Proud Partner of the Trusted Choice network of Independent Insurance Agents
FEATURED PARTNER MMG Insurance Company PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Larry M. Shaw, CPCU COMPANY LOCATIONS Presque Isle, ME (Home Office) Concord, NH & Allentown, PA 1-800-343-0533 A.M. BEST RATING “A” (Excellent) WEB SITE www.mmgins.com RECENT AWARDS 2014 Ward’s 50 Top Performing P&C Insurers 2014 #4 Performing Company in Personal Lines (IA&B of PA) 2013 #1 Performing Company in Commercial Lines (IA&B of PA)
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very minute of every day, you can count on us to protect your piece of the world — in good times and bad — just as we have for all of our customers for over 115 years. At MMG Insurance, a progressive regional property/casualty insurance company, we value the trusted relationships we’ve built with our agency partners and work to serve our policyholders. It’s our belief that behind every accomplishment you’ll find hard work and a commitment to excellence. That’s a big reason MMG is a carrier of choice for agencies across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania and Virginia. To differentiate ourselves from the larger companies, MMG works to ensure top-notch service. We take a tremendous amount of pride in being there when our agents and policyholders need us. We still [ 10 ]
answer the telephone in person and have empowered employees to resolve issues quickly. We do business exclusively through independent agents and live by the philosophy that people do business with people. MMG management and staff meet face to face with agents to see what they are dealing with and bring innovative ideas back, making changes where necessary. We strive to add value to the agents’ operations, so our major focus is making it easy for them to do business with us, particularly through cutting-edge automation. It’s that combination of high-tech, high-touch that enables business to flow quickly from the agents to us and back, and ultimately benefits the policyholder. Named among the 2013 Top 3 P&C Performers Nationwide for Ease of Doing Business! (Deep Customer Connections Annual Survey).
Listed below are those companies that strongly support the independent agency system and Insurance Agents & Brokers. Thank you for your continued sponsorship.
WHAT IS IA&B PARTNERS? The IA&B Partners program gives company and allied businesses the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment of support to independent agents and receive maximum market exposure. As an IA&B Partner, you will also realize the benefits of IA&B membership to help you succeed in the insurance industry.
DO YOU SEE YOUR NAME? To become an IA&B Partner, choose the sponsorship package that matches your commitment of support. Contact the Member Sales Center at 800-998-9644, 717-795-9100 or visit us online at IABforME.com to get started.
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Primary Agent January 2015
MARKETING
5 most overlooked business benefits of social media The mantra of social media’s benefits for business is overplayed, and cynicism is common and, in some cases, deserved. However, the benefits of social (when it’s done right) remain, no matter how oversold and now overlooked they are. On the following pages we share why the benefits are still relevant and provide concrete examples of how to make them work for your agency.
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Primary Primary Agent Agent | November | January 2015 2014
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he never ending list of social media’s business benefits has become repetitive and worn out: “Social media connects you with your customers.” “Grow your business using social media!” “Get unfiltered and direct feedback from your customers on social networks.” Hooks like these have resulted in social media being oversold and under delivering. The underlying problem is that these benefits most commonly lack context and examples. So what if social media can get you traffic and brand exposure — what does that even mean? How do you go about making that happen? You can’t just build it and then they’ll come. I’m revisiting the topic of social media’s business benefits to overcome these opinions. The overused and overlooked “benefits” truly are still relevant and, more importantly, achievable. Here are the five most oversold (and now overlooked) business benefits of social and how to make them work for you:
1) Increased traffic and exposure The missing context here is that by having a social presence for your business, you’ll eventually be able to lead your followers to complete an action. Whether that’s to click on a link and get back to your website or to remember your name when the time comes to do business again, you want them to see you and know you’re still active. A lot of people start out on social media just for the sake of being there. However, without setting up your goals for what you want to get out of social for your business, it’s easy to forget what your motivation should be. How to make it work for you Set up your social media sharing to fit an 80/20 split. Eighty percent of your posts should be helpful, entertaining and informative blogs, links and photos. People want to enjoy what they find on social networks. The other 20 percent of the time, feel free to drive traffic and engagement toward something that directly helps your business. Maybe this is a link to a blog you wrote or a referral contest you’re running. This balance will help keep your audience interested but also work toward achieving your business goals.
2) Multiple touches across a longer sales cycle Social media is not the exclusive method you should use to run your business. It’s simply one part of a greater marketing strategy. The benefit of social media is that it is easily folded into your greater customer outreach strategy for long-term engagement. When you work in an industry like real estate or insurance, the likelihood of doing business with a particular person in a given calendar year is pretty slim. But you have to maintain that connection
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Social is not a short-term game. The results come when you set yourself up for a long-term customer engagement strategy.
MARKETING and relationship because they are an excellent source of referral business and future repeat business. The context missing here is that not every post, tweet and link shared on your social media accounts is going to be touched by every one of your followers. But the ones they do see and interact with should be counted as touch points towards their overall engagement with you. Just like a phone call to them, an opened email or a personal note in the mail, all of these touches work together to keep you top of mind. How to make it work for you You want to make sure that you are always sharing interesting content with your social networks. It’s hard to let people interact with you on social media if you’re not giving them anything to read. Trust me, they’re not going to look you up out of the blue. The best way to approach to this is to make yourself a calendar of things to share and do on social media throughout your week and stick to it.
up for a long-term customer engagement strategy. However, if you don’t see immediate results, I understand it’s hard to believe that social media helps with top-of-mind awareness. But remember that the goal here is to be in the business of helping, not selling. People don’t want to be friends with or follow businesses that have only their own interests in mind. They want to follow brands that give them some form of enjoyment, education or inspiration.
——————————————— Having a longer sales cycle makes it challenging to stay in touch with past clients. However, you know that they’re your best source of leads. Social media can (and does) help with this. ———————————————
3) Top-of-mind awareness and recall
How to make it work for you
Staying top of mind with past clients and customers is so important for industries with long sales cycles. Did you know that in real estate, nine out of 10 people would use their realtor again, if only they could find their phone number or remember their name? The reason why this benefit gets overlooked at times is that social is not a short-term game. The results come when you set yourself
Take a good look at everything you’re sharing on your social networks and compare it to a business you follow on your personal page that you enjoy. For me, it’s a local car wash (facebook.com/ TheArborCarWash) I’ve liked on Facebook. Their social media updates aren’t blatant attempts to get my business again, yet, I find myself clicking on every post they send out. Things like
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a funny photo of a dog on a scooter or a Buzzfeed video that tells me I’ve been pronouncing Japanese car names wrong. This type of content is entertaining, clickable and better at catching my attention.
4) Branding yourself as a trusted resource With a social media plan in place and an established approach to the content you share on social networks, one of the greatest overlooked benefits you’ll receive is branding. When you set out to establish your brand presence on social media, if you’re doing it right, the brand you create will be reflected in both your online presence and through the quality content you share. For that reason, you have to be smart about the social media posts you create. They need to be different enough to not be repetitive but similar enough so that people can see a consistent pattern and tone to your approach. How to make it work for you You have to find out what makes you special and what you want to be known for. Sure, you might be a loan officer, but is that everything you want people to know about you? Take some time to figure out what sort of things people come to you for advice about that aren’t loan specific. For example, maybe you do a lot of home loans. Your approach to content then wouldn’t be just home loans, but rather things new home owners should know. Tips about home ownership, advice on energy-efficient apps or even guides to picking the right insurance coverage.
Primary Primary Agent Agent | November | January 2015 2014
Use your content to make you an invaluable resource for your audience.
5) Increased referrals Having a longer sales cycle makes it challenging to stay in touch with past clients. However, you know that they’re your best source of leads. Social media can (and does) help with this. The whole point of setting yourself up to achieve the aforementioned benefits is to drive a tangible business result. In this case, referrals from past clients is the result, and if you’re planning out your approach to social media ahead of time, this is a very achievable goal. The missing context here is that referrals don’t happen just because you have a Facebook page. You have to take a vested interested in building your social networks in a way that leads your followers to send business your way.
How to make it work for you Above, I mentioned the 80/20 split. If you’re truly following this approach, then use that 20 percent of your earned selfpromotional posting time to ask your followers and friends for referral business. But don’t just throw the question out there; give them some incentive to do so. Make a contest, have a drawing, something!
How to achieve these benefits? As I mentioned throughout the discussion of these five benefits, you have to set yourself up in the right direction in order to make them a reality. You need to create your social media goals, objectives that stem from those goals, strategies to carry out those objectives and tactics to employ when executing your strategy.
Whether you’ve become numb to the repetitive praises of social media benefits for businesses or you’re a believer looking to get things in motion, it’s crucial that you have a plan in place. Without setting up your destination beforehand, it’s easy to lose sight of the end goals and begin to overlook the incremental benefits you’ll achieve using social media for your business.
Travis Balinas authored this article. Balinas is the product marketing manager at OutboundEngine. He is responsible for communicating to the world about OutboundEngine. From all content creation on the website, social media channels, and documents both internal and external, Travis crafts everything to reach our target audiences with ease. OutboundEngine offers the “Beginner’s Guide to Social Media Marketing,” available for download at try.outboundengine. com/Beginners-Guide-To-SocialMedia.html.
Grow online with the 80/20 approach Succeeding on the social Web requires you to be, well, … interesting. Show some personality. Interact and engage with others. Heck, have fun! The author recommends an 80/20 split to your social media activity: 80 percent being “helpful, entertaining and informative”; the other 20 directly relating to your agency. Look to our consumer education library for ideas and support. The library includes vetted answers for frequently asked consumer questions on nearly 20 personal and commercial lines concerns. Sample topics include cyber liability, collision damage waivers, condominium loss assessment coverage and the risks of carrying minimum limits. The content is a benefit of your IA&B membership and free for the taking and repurposing however you see fit – social networking included.
IABforME.com/marketing (Choose “Consumer education”) [ 15 ]
MARKETING
Why the ‘be everywhere’ strategy is destroying your business online Leveraging social media for your agency must be a strategic venture. Attempting to engage consumers on too many channels — or the wrong ones — can prove more problematic than never stepping foot into the social sphere to begin with. On the following pages, Ryan Hanley shares the danger in the “be everywhere” approach and tips for choosing which social networking sites make sense for your agency.
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Primary Primary Agent Agent | November | January 2015 2014
D
o you have a profile on every major social media network? Sure you do. You’re “doing” social media to grow your business, and you’ve heard it’s important to be on as many platforms as possible.
Unfortunately this strategy, often referred to as “be everywhere,” is not only destroying social media, but your business. An apocalyptic proclamation, no doubt. So let’s dig deeper.
Be everywhere Are you active on every social media network on which you have a profile? Before we can sufficiently answer this question, let’s first define “active.” Using the search term “active definition,” Google’s knowledge graph yields these four results: w Engaging or ready to engage in physically energetic pursuits w Moving or tending to move about vigorously or frequently w Characterized by energetic activity w Alert and lively Unless you intend on doing jumping jacks on a Google Hangout, the first two don’t really apply. The third one is better, but it’s the fourth one we should focus on.
Active = engage Social media is supposed to be just that … social. According to a December 2013 Sprout Social Report, user engagement is growing nine times as fast as social media network active users.
Get into the digital marketing game with pointers from Agency Nation, TrustedChoice.com’s agent-facing brand. The initiative — spearheaded in part by the author of this article, Ryan Hanley — aims to support agencies’ sales, marketing and automation. Agency Nation offers agencies resources on: w Content marketing w Lead generation
Growth in Social Networks vs. User Engagement Network growth
Agency Nation
w Insurance marketing
Engagement
178%
w Social media w TrustedChoice.com
107%
48%
43%
4.8% Q4 2012
11% Q4 2013
20.5%
User engagement is growing 9x as fast as Twitter and Facebook combined.
Agencynation.com/pathfinder
13.6
%
Q2 2013
Learn more and sign up for the Agency Nation Pathfinder newsletter.
Q3 2013
Every day there are more users on social media who are more and more comfortable using social media as a means to communicate, build relationships and make buying decisions (think: more Connected Generation consumers).
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MARKETING ——————————————— Consumers must trust the brands they’re engaging with. Nothing destroys trust and credibility inside social media like complete disregard for the platform … because that is what you’re communicating through inactivity. ——————————————— Connected Generation consumers expect the brands they do business to have the ability and capacity to communicate in social media spaces. Why else would your business have a social media profile on a platform if not to communicate with prospects and customers? (Please don’t say, “Because I thought I was supposed to.”)
credibility inside social media like complete disregard for the platform … because that is what you’re communicating through inactivity. “We don’t care enough about you and your desire to communicate on this platform to put in consistent activity and monitoring,” says every inactive social media business profile. eMarketer pulled this little nugget out of the same Sprout Social report: “Average brand response rates for both Twitter and Facebook dipped below 20 percent year over year, and response times increased from 10.9 hours to 11.3 hours. On Facebook, response times came in at 15 hours, on average, while Twitter was at 7.9 hours.” The “be everywhere” strategy doesn’t work in a mature social media ecosystem. Connected Generation consumers demand activity.
Inactivity = negative brand image In a study done by KISS Public Relations, more than half (51 percent) of respondents agreed that if a brand is not present or not active with its social media it would reflect negatively on the company. Inactivity and abandoned social media accounts are destroying your business. Trust lubricates the Internet engine. In order for commerce to happen online, consumers must trust the brands they’re engaging with. Nothing destroys trust and
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Outside of maybe the Fortune 1000, most businesses simply can’t be as active and responsive as they must be on every social media network, without mass automation. (Mass automation is another practice that doesn’t work in a mature social media ecosystem, but we won’t open that bag of snakes today. For now read “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” and learn the importance of native content.)
The solution to be everywhere It is important to claim your brand name and/or personal name on social media networks even if you’re not going to be active. Even if you’re not active, having control of these properties is a good best practice. According to Simon Heseltine, director of SEO with the Huffington Post Media Group: “If you don’t have the resources to maintain an active social account
How to choose where to be on a particular social network, then what you should do is let users of that network know where you are engaging with the general public so they at least have the opportunity to contact you over there.” If you’re not going to be active, let visitors know. This isn’t earth shattering advice. In the description of your social media profile and in your last post to that network, let prospects and customers who find you there know that you’re not active on that particular network and which social media networks you are active on. Many customers and prospects will be happy to connect with you on the platforms you are active on.
Quick guide to choosing social media networks 1. Be active on the social media platforms where you do the best work. If you’re terrible at creating Vine videos, don’t waste all your time on Vine. If you can’t create an engaging slideshow (and are unwilling to pay someone else to do it), don’t waste all your time on Slideshare. 2. Be active on the social media platforms where consumers are looking to buy your products. I find this to be especially true with Facebook. Your consumers may be there, but are they actually looking to buy your product or service there? You don’t have to answer that question, but it’s worth asking.
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3. Be active on the social media platforms which provide search and social benefit. This is a straight plug for Google+, YouTube and even Slideshare — which all provide the added benefit of quality search visibility in addition to the social network benefits. You don’t need to “be everywhere.” If you can pull it off, awesome. More power to you. But it’s not necessary. Not even close. Focus your activity and reap the benefits.
Ryan Hanley authored this piece. Hanley is digital marketing lead at TrustedChoice.com and Agency Nation, as well as president of Hanley Media Lab. Connect with him at plus.google.com/+RyanMHanley.
Part of choosing where to be online is determining who you want to reach. And understanding who uses various social media sites for what purposes is key. A high-level look at usage on several well-known sites follows:
Facebook While younger users are migrating away, adults (especially women) are on the site in droves and strongly engaged. However, their primary use is to connect with family and friends, not necessarily with businesses. LinkedIn Users typically boast high income and education levels and “are in work mode” on the site. Making inroads with commercial lines prospects by connecting with them or providing insights on industry issues is appropriate. Twitter Usage trends toward young “information junkies.” Timely communication between a business and other users is needed to find success. Google Plus Engagement is high among users (IT professionals and those who are selfemployed congregate here), but time spent on the site is low. Sources: Inc.com, GlobalWebIndex
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MARKETING
OHL Insurance gets social Q&A with Miranda Ohl
When Miranda Ohl, office manager for OHL Insurance & Financial Services, took on the role of social media manager in 2010, she admittedly was unsure what she was getting into. After nearly five years — and a few stumbling blocks — the North Huntingdon, Pa. agency is seeing value from its strong presence on several social networking platforms.
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Primary Primary Agent Agent | November | January 2015 2014
M
iranda Ohl sat down with IA&B late last fall to discuss her efforts – blunders and successes – to integrate social into the OHL Insurance marketing and communications strategy and to offer advice for fellow agencies considering taking the plunge.
Recognizing a new opportunity When OHL Insurance opened for business in January 2008, the agency set up shop with a basic website. Two years later the Internet was exploding thanks to the advent of Web 2.0: Throngs of “average” folks were joining social media’s early adopters, and the number of sites for them to network socially was on the rise. The OHL Insurance team recognized the opportunity and launched a Facebook presence in March 2010. “Initially, we just knew it was something we needed to be doing,” says Miranda. “We hoped to see increased retention and referrals, but we weren’t sure how that would all work.” In the months that followed, Miranda tried various blogging sites before settling on hosting a blog on the agency’s own website, which re-launched with major enhancements in January 2012.
Working through the growing pains “It seemed overwhelming in the beginning,” shares Miranda. She dabbled in Google+ and Foursquare before focusing her efforts on Facebook, the blog and Pinterest.
Miranda is quick to point out that she would never suggest where other agencies should be: “The key is to figure out what works for you and to keep doing it,” she explains. LinkedIn is next in her sights. Beyond figuring out what platform to use, the OHL team (smartly) had concerns over their liability exposure. To minimize the risk, Miranda is diligent about not posting anything confidential, recruits her coworkers to preview her posts, and plans to add a social media policy to the agency’s employee manual.
——————————————— “We believe that it is absolutely necessary to be viewed as relevant and that clients want to communicate in this way.” – Miranda Ohl, on OHL Insurance’s social media
——————————————— Integrating social media efforts While Miranda serves as the lead, managing OHL Insurance’s presence on the social Web requires a consistent, agencywide effort. All staff members are encouraged to provide Miranda with input and ideas, and those with a Facebook account have a role on the agency’s Facebook page.
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For Miranda, social media management is becoming easier as she goes — as she learns how the sites work and becomes more organized. These days she spends an hour per month on the agency blog and 45 minutes or less per week on Facebook and Pinterest. She has bookmarked websites and other sources of information and works from an editorial calendar for ease. “You learn over time what works and what doesn’t,” she says. “If it didn’t work, that’s OK. Try something else the next time. Keep at it.”
Finding value on the social Web Miranda readily admits that there have been “setbacks and lulls” along the way, but the OHL Insurance team continues to see value in their social networking efforts. “It’s important to keep up with the changes going on all around us,” she offers. “If our clients are not able to see us do that, they may not see us as relevant.” Beyond relevancy, Miranda points to the benefits of educating customers, maintaining lines of communication, and increasing website traffic that the agency’s social media presence brings. “Social media is an important avenue for letting our clients know that we are here for them,” she says. “I don’t think you can overstate the value in that.”
Primary Agent | January 2015
H.R.
H E AD Q U ART E R S
THE SECRET TO PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT — NO SURPRISES!
KAREN H. DIGIOIA Karen H. DiGioia provided this article on behalf of Mosteller & Associates, IA&B’s contracted human resources consulting firm. Reach out to Karen for more information on job descriptions or with other human resources questions. IA&B’s HR Solution© is a compilation of products and services – available exclusively for our member agencies – that simplifies establishing or improving your human resources program. It includes base-level consultation and discounted professional services from Mosteller & Associates. IABforME.com/HR_Solution
As a business owner or manager, you would never dream of measuring the financial performance of your agency just once a year. No business owner would allow the financial performance of their business to be a surprise at the end of the year. In order to be certain that your agency is financially successful, you take a number of steps. You set specific and quantifiable goals/expectations for the year (and quarter … and month …), and you measure and report on key financial metrics on a regular basis to determine the progress being made toward meeting your goals. The same needs to be done with the performance of your employees. When done right, performance management is not a oncea-year happening, full of mystery and surprise (or, even worse, something that never happens); it is a daily, weekly, monthly,
quarterly occurrence that culminates in the annual performance review. When done once a year, performance reviews can be a tedious and uncomfortable process. When done regularly, it becomes a much more comfortable, and effective, process. So where do you start? Just like you do with the financial performance of the agency, you begin by setting clear expectations and goals. When you hire a new employee, review their job description with them and have a conversation which ensures that they clearly understand their responsibilities and your expectations. An employee who doesn’t have a clear understanding of what is expected of them has little to no chance of doing the job “right.” [ 22 ]
This can, and should, be done with existing employees, as well. At the beginning of a new performance period (often the beginning of the year), ensure that your employee clearly understands his or her responsibilities. Review the job description and discuss expectations. Also, take the time to set individual goals for the coming year. Some examples could be: w Cross-train on another function in the agency w Achieve a certain license which will expand this employee’s value w Increase quality or quantity of work performed Once clear expectations have been set, you can begin to provide feedback and keep notes about your observations and the feedback given so you can remember it all when it’s time to finally do that annual review. This
Primary Agent | January 2015
is the performance management equivalent to regular measurement and reporting on financial metrics. This gives you (and your employees) the ability to fine-tune and adjust performance over the course of the year. As a business owner or manager, you should be interacting with your employees on a daily basis. Take this interaction as an opportunity to observe each employee and provide feedback about what each employee is doing right — and where there’s room for improvement. If you overhear an employee skillfully handling a call with an irate customer, take the time to provide positive feedback to the employee. By recognizing things that are done right, you increase the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated in the future. When you get back to your office, take a moment to jot it down in a file (paper or electronic) where you keep notes about this employee’s performance. As a quick aside on a related topic: You should create some sort of system to keep quick, informal notes about the employee’s performance and the conversations which you’ve had with the employee over the course of the year. By doing this, at the end of the year, when you are preparing for your formal performance review, you won’t have to rely on your memory — you’ll have a full year’s worth of notes that you can use as the basis of the formal performance appraisal. This will ensure that you truly consider the performance over the course of the full year — not just your memory of the last few weeks.
How can you address behavior? What if you observe behavior that has room for improvement? For many, the tendency is to keep this information to ourselves. Few of us enjoy giving bad news. However, by ignoring the behavior, you aren’t giving your employees the opportunity to fix the behavior and improve. By providing constructive feedback, you can help to shape employee behavior in the right direction – and then, you should be on the lookout for changed behavior and provide positive feedback as soon as you see it. So how do provide constructive feedback? Don’t judge the behavior (or the reasons for it). Focus on and describe the behavior you observed: Rather than saying, “You were very rude with the customer. She really got to you.” Say something like, “I noticed that you raised your voice with that customer and repeatedly interrupted him during the course of that call.” Describe impact. “Excellent customer service is one of the factors that sets our agency apart from others. This type of behavior is not in keeping with the service we provide.” Give the employee an opportunity to respond. Listen to his or her side of the story. Offer suggestions. Try something like, “I understand that it can be frustrating to deal with irate customers. If you find yourself losing your patience with customers, maybe it would be helpful to practice how to handle a customer calmly by role-playing some calls with me or another employee.”
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Summarize conversation and express your support. Let the employee know that you believe that he or she can succeed. If an employee doesn’t follow through or issues become significant, it may be time for progressive discipline – verbal warnings, written warnings, etc. But that’s a topic for another day. With a year’s worth of feedback (which you’ve informally documented to your file), you’ll be set with a year’s worth of information upon which to base your annual review. No surprises for you — no surprises for your employee. The annual review will be a summary of many conversations you’ve had over the course of the year. If you don’t have a review form that is used at your agency, you’ll find a sample document in the HR Tools section of HR Solution© under the Performance Evaluation and Management section. If you have questions or concerns, always remember, as part of your IA&B membership benefits, you can call me for advice and clarification. I can be reached at 610-779-3870 and Karen@mostellerhr.com. Editor’s note: To find the sample review form from HR Solution, visit IABforME.com/HR_Solution. Then select the Administrative Tools link and scroll to the Performance Evaluation and Management section.
My Events JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2015
Date
Topic
Location
JANUARY 2015 27
CISR Commercial Casualty II
York, PA
27-29
P&C Licensing Study Course
Mechanicsburg, PA
FEBRUARY 2015 4
CISR Elements of Risk Management
Pittsburgh, PA
10
CISR Personal Auto
Wilkes-Barre, PA
10-12
L&H Licensing Study Course
Mechanicsburg, PA
11
CISR Personal Residential
Bethlehem, PA
17
William T. Hold: Policy Language Surprises
Newark, DE
18
William T. Hold: Policy Language Surprises
Hagerstown, MD
19
William T. Hold: Policy Language Surprises
Pittsburgh, PA
23-26
CIC Commercial Casualty Institute
Harrisburg, PA
24
E&O Risk Management Seminar
Philadelphia, PA
25
CISR Personal Lines Miscellaneous
Philadelphia, PA
25
Insuring Contractors Seminar
Wilkes-Barre, PA
26
CISR Commercial Property
Lancaster, PA
New seminar locations in western Pa., southern Md. for 2015 Our full 2015 professional training schedule is available online as a searchable database and in a PDF booklet. Along with it, registration is open for the classes you need in the locations you want. For agents in western Pennsylvania, there are two notable additions coming in 2015: Indiana, Pa.:
CISR Personal Auto, April 21
CISR Commercial Casualty I, Sept. 18
Pittsburgh, Pa.: James K. Ruble Graduate Seminar, Aug. 10-11 (Registration opening soon for this second graduate seminar scheduled for the Steel City in 2015)
Agents in southern Maryland and the eastern shore have another option for two CISR courses: Waldorf, Md.:
CISR Commercial Casualty I, April 22
IABforME.com/MyTraining
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CISR Personal Residential, Nov. 17
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The “C’mon, get appy” column aims to uncover apps that can benefit you at the office and, in some cases, at home as well. Submit suggestions to IAB@IABforME.com, subject line: Primary Agent submission.
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