Genuine vs. the Algorithm

Marketing should supplement and promote genuine value not disguise the lack of.

Right now it seems that way, but somewhere in my reading and listening, I again heard what I already have known for a while now; You do not need to adapt to AI, and similar data ideas, but the agents/brokers/companies that do will survive and thrive and those that don’t, won’t.

So combine that with the following things stuck in my head from various reading and listening;

  • Sending out a birthday card is awesome and there are services that do this
  • Who is killing it on YouTube?
  • You must contact your customers 24-36 times

On Birthdays; Mrs. B is the mother of a childhood friend of my wife.  Each year a birthday card shows up for our children and I’m not even sure that she has met our children.  Handwritten.  Maybe she uses an electronic calendar, maybe she doesn’t, but it is real, handwritten ink and genuine.

Has Facebook ruined the birthday greeting?  I mean they remind you about the birthday and they even tell you what to say to the person.  I suppose technically the person “said” happy birthday to you.  Maybe you were even overwhelmed by the “love and the messages…..” But how many of those people took the 5-30 second to personalize it?  You can say the same thing about changing jobs or posting an update on Linkedin.  And yes, if automation is becoming more and more a part of what we do, those that use it better will stand out.  So, sure, a physical birthday card from your insurance agent showing up at your home is nice, sort of.  If you did it merely to keep in touch as part of a formula, is it?

  • Is it really just a self-serving act following a desperate formula to combat an already “noisy” world?
  • Is this just one touch of a formula?

Sure, you are combining data with a pseudo genuine act.  But, you are using what is considered an important, almost sacred, milestone and demeaning it into a marketing activity.

Killing it on YouTube

Cool.  Excited for you.  Especially if it is a goal you set for yourself and now you are accomplishing it.  On the other hand, what aren’t you doing?  Certainly, all that time recording, editing, posting and sharing takes away from other activities.  But, hey you are feeding an algorithm, good for you.

So, I’m confused.  You are recording a video to bring value to others?  Cool, in theory, your video will get to more people.  So the next question, and you need to choose one;  The person that calls you because they watched a video or the person who called you because an existing customer told you about them.  Choose one.

I have no doubt, just like this post, there is value in being found online.  But are you doing the right mix of activities to be found and activities to be valuable?  Be honest, the information you are writing or recording, likely already exists.  Sure, there are new ideas, but not when it comes to talking about the basics of auto and home insurance.  So, you want them in your voice, fine.  But what if you did something new?  What if you were really honest, I mean honest enough it likely annoys some of your partner companies?

Where is the person “killing it” in flood insurance?

Where is the agent who has an amazing internship program?

Is there an agent “killing it” with AMS360(or whatever management system you use)?

Need more ideas, consider these places to be of value immediately that will have positive results but may not simply feed an algorithm;

  • What is your plan for flood insurance?   HUGE changes have begun and will continue.
  • IOT, aka The Internet of Things. Have you tested any devices in your home?  How can they help your people?
  • Telematics; an app vs. a plug in?  Thoughts?  Are your encouraging use of this?
  • What have you done to help your carriers today?  Hint, they don’t need, and many don’t even seem to want, another policyholder?
  • Using PayPal in your agency?  Have you seen them on a carrier yet?  I’ve only seen one.  Why?

 

Just keep in touch

In the last week, a customer left, no news there, but I have donated to a fundraiser they did and do sort of know them. Yesterday, another customer came in with a gift for me and one of our team.  Actually very tasty olive oil.  The first one checks more “boxes” that most companies look for and spent at least twice as much with us.  The second spends half the amount of money and doesn’t “fit” common profiles of what a company wants.  Below was written May 2014 and has only been updated thanks to Grammarly.

Really, everything a company or a salesperson does seems to be geared towards a sale.  So many places online pitch social media success or “how to drive business  with social…”  Why must everything be about growing your business?  How about strengthening the business?  How about increasing profits?  How about simply using your strengths?  Use social to do all the things that your massive competitors cannot do?  How about realizing that before you spend money to advertise on social or run a contest or promote a post that there are a dozen or so free things that you can do that many of your larger counterparts cannot do.

So I come at this from the side of a developing insurance brokerage.  We tend to work with a pretty select clientele.  There is no advertising done.  So some thoughts;

  1. Before you spend any money, take some time and effort to get to know the people you already have in place.  Seriously, before you head out and get more customers or spend money solidify what you have in place.  Have you LinkedIn with everyone?  Have you shared a Facebook Page with them?  Looked for them on Twitter?
  2. How about recommendations?  Both LinkedIn and Facebook provide excellent opportunities for all these people you already know to say(type) nice things about you.  Just ask.  Start with the ones you think you know best.  While you are at it go and recommend the places you know and the people you have worked with.
  3. How about charity?  In my world, I doubt Geico will ever donate to a local charity and seriously why would your business simply donate to any charity or take out an advertisement in some sort of program just for the heck of it.  Support those that support you.
  4. We know large companies are very good at spamming.  In fairness, small companies can be as well.  Try and ignore the urge.  Seriously, double down on your efforts to keep up with existing customers.
  5. Do the things they do not or cannot; share the posts your friends and customers put up.
  6. Can your large counterparts refer their own customers to each other? Yes, Do they? NO, You can do this.  Connect the web of people you have around you and try and strengthen the weak ties.
  7. Instead of talking about rates be a resource.  Help make logical decisions,  Make an effort to bring them business instead of just taking their money
  8. Cracks me up when I see some sort of “canned” blog article appear on various sites.  I am also thoroughly amused by useless articles on Yahoo Finance and other sites.  Its like they have ten or so articles and simply make an effort to put out useless tips once a week.

Just embrace the fact that you are small and enjoy the heck out of it.  Why wouldn’t you?

Took weeks of jabs and then a wonderful right hook

And actually the right hook was delivered by Seth Godin.  Having read Thank You Economy and Crush It I knew I would enjoy Gary’s latest but for some reason I kept delaying.  See I am attempting to consume all I can on-line but like a few other authors who bring great value to me it was time for me to do a little something in return.  Actually three copies were bought; 1 for me, 1 for Holly and 1 for a new potential partner.  With my copy read and highlighted it will now go to a potential new hire so I can speed up there learning curve.  So the review;

Genuine is an asset especially when you are simply a genuine person as opposed to trying.  This book is overflowing with actual examples of how things work and can work better.  It is  much more of a playbook or written plan for what to do then what to avoid.  Fortunately there are actual examples, this is ridiculous by the way.  Never seen a book that actual shows examples of right and wrong.  Oddly, even when being negative he always gives the answer on how to fix it.  PLEASE this is not just some “idiots guide to …” this is a book for the brand new all the way to the established people in business to use for improving the bottom line.  This may be a social media playbook for many but the reality is it is a guide to doing business (period). Well worth the investment, only my mother has a better ROI.

I give away most of the books I read so below are the lines/paragraphs I highlighted:

XX; The incredible brand awareness and bottom-line profits achievable through social media marketing require hustle, heart, sincerity, constant engagement, long term commitment and most of all artful strategic storytelling.

9.  …a big announcement praising themselves, as though being last in line is something to be proud of:…..It’s embarrassing.  It pisses me off. (It also makes me perversely happy because their cluelessness has a definite upside for my clients, my friends , and for me.

10 Ignoring platforms that have gained a critical mass is a great way to look slow and out-of-touch.  Do not cling to nostalgia.  Do not put your principles above the reality of the market.  Do not be a snob.

12.  Native Story- telling doesn’t require you to alter your identity to suit a given platform: your identity remains the same no matter what.  I’ll behave one way when I’m giving a presentation to a client in Washington, D.C., another way while I’m standing on the train platform waiting to head home, and yet another way when I’m watching football with my friends that night.  But I’m always the same guy.

13. Once start-ups grow enough to join the ranks of corporate america, they often become overly cautious and start sticking to the safest, narrowest lane they can find.

16. Content for the sake of content is pointless

27 Jab at people, all the time, every day.  Talk about what they are talking about.

27. Social marketing is now a 24-7 job

35 The point is to give and give and give, for no other reason than to entertain your customers and make them feel like you get them

39 From now on, the difference between your content and your ads on facebook will be…nothing

40 Create content that no one cares about and Facebook will make it as difficult as possible for you put more of it out on its site.

80 Cone palace logo in the bottom of the picture or at the top left.  Have I beaten that horse to death yet?  INCLUDE YOUR LOGO IN YOUR PICTURE

82. Questions to ask when creating facebook micro-content

85 Twitter primarily rewards people who listen and give, not those who ask and take

85 Twitter is the cocktail party of the Internet- a place where listening well has tremendous benefits

86 Make a statement, stake out a position, establish a voice- this is how you successfully jab your twitter followers

116 Does the voice sound authentic

124 * High quality content; There’s a reason why real estate agents and chefs don’t photograph their own properties or food-no one would want it

152 It’s all of those things, but to get the most out of it, brands should approach it as a brandable, unique, micro-content exhibition space and sparring ring

152 It represents the perfect opportunity for brands to experiment with new creative storytelling forms,

154 Tumblr has always been more of a publishing platform than a consumption platform, but people do consume there just at an incredibly rapid rate.

178 Effort is the great equalizier

178 What matters is the effort you put into your work.  And never has effort counted more than it does tody

178 Budgets should have no effect on the amount of effort, heart, and sincerity that can go into your conversations with your customers

179 The real connection, and the loyalty, happens when they believe that you care about them both as a customer and as an individual.

179 Bigger businesses will be able to jump in on more conversations than others, but volume alone won’t raise a brands engagement levels- the quality of the conversation will

180 Effort.  It matters more than most people want to admit.

185 – about social media, about business, and about how they really are now one and the same