Expanding Your Business with Facebook: A Primer for Agents

“We haven’t received any negative feedback,” he said. “If you phrase it properly, it’s almost impossible to get any negative feedback. Now, if I just contacted my former friend from high school and said, ‘Do you want life insurance?’ they might be taken aback. But if you do it the way we do it, where you go and get in touch with them, you’re establishing a relationship first. No one has a problem with that.”

Leveen also believes that using the personal information that people share on Facebook will make it easier to effectively communicate with her prospects. Many users post their political affiliations, religious beliefs, or leisure activities on their profile pages.

“I met with [a client] and gave a proposal, and because of her Facebook profile, I know a lot about her,” Leveen said. “We have less in common than I thought we would have, and the fact that we’re friends on Facebook is going to make it easier for me to get a straight answer from her.”

In other words, using the knowledge you can gain from a client’s profile, you can tailor your presentation to fit their individual needs, preventing yourself from making a mistake that could cost you the sale.

User beware
Although Facebook presents many opportunities, there are several things that you should be aware of. Linda Taylor, president of Taylor Marketing and Management, gives seminars on how agents can use social networking to their advantage. She said the key to success is learning how to use the site before you connect with other users.

“There is a great danger in improperly using social media,” she said. “One of the problems when agents get into Facebook is that they need to spend some time learning how to use it. You need to know how to block people, how to make sure you don’t have autoresponders enabled so anyone can be your friend … how to approve anything anybody posts on your wall.”

Taylor thinks Facebook can be a great tool, as long as producers recognize it for what it is and don’t end up being distracted – it’s essentially a brochure, she said, no different from any other marketing tool.

She adds that because Facebook caters to a certain demographic, it might not be the best option for some more specialized agents.

“If you are serving a marketplace that is young and aggressive, you probably need to be on one or more social networks,” Taylor said. “But if you’re chasing a mom-and-pop business or 65-year-olds, Facebook is probably not where you want to be. Don’t go there if nobody else is there that you want to talk to.”

When used correctly, Facebook can be an excellent way to reach out to prospects and current clients alike. Taylor said there are several reasons why every agent should consider Facebook.

“One, it’s free,” she said. “Number two, it’s consistent, once you know how to use it, meaning that everyone’s profile looks the same. You’ll always know where to go to get the information you need. And three, it’s designed to be a reach-out vehicle from the get-go. It’s designed to make someone know you, like you, trust you.”

Leveen said she thinks Facebook is well worth the time investment.

“I went on it for business, and I’m staying on it for business, but also because it’s an awful lot of fun,” she said. “It’s only going to cost a few extra minutes a day, and I’m happy to trade a few TV minutes for Facebook minutes.”

Heather Strickland is the associate editor for the Agent’s Sales Journal. She can be reached at 800-933-9449 ext. 225 or [email protected].