NAILBA Perspectives - May/June 2015 - (Page 26)

XXX nailba's agency successor networking group Get Integrated D Have you been identified as the next sitting principal of your agency? The ASNG Planning Team works diligently to reach out to others in the industry who have transition experience and are willing to share what they learned in the process. Contact Rachel Marineau, NAILBA's Manager of Meetings and Education, at 703.383.3069 or rmarineau@nailba.org for more information on the Agency Successor Networking Group (ASNG). 26 perspectives MAY/JUNE 2015 igital and social media are rising trends that cannot be ignored. The fact is that younger generations, Millennials and Gen X-ers, are constantly engaged through their mobile devices. If you expect to reach them effectively, you've got to be in front of them digitally as well as face-to-face. For the past two months, ASNG members have been hearing and learning from Amy McIlwain on the importance of digital marketing and the best strategies to implement within their agencies. Amy's start up business, Financial Social Media, grew over the last several years and recently became a part of Moore Communications Group. A speaker at the last two NAILBA Annual Meetings, as well as having served as a social media expert on ABC, NBC, and FOX, Amy McIlwain still focuses heavily on the financial services industry as the Vice President of Social and Digital Strategy at Moore Communications Group. She has authored two books and is currently working on her third, Contentology, which explores the science of inbound content marketing. McIlwain has been a wonderful source of information and direction as these up and coming leaders learn about being on the cutting edge of this significant business trend. Increasing an agency's visibility and presence in the digital world can be overwhelming. There are a lot of terms thrown around that can be misleading and intimidating: search engine optimization, pay per click, landing pages, email automation, inbound marketing, content marketing, the list goes on. With social media in the mix the lines get blurred. Where do you start? McIlwain encourages an integrated approach. And the first place an agency needs to work on is their website. A static, basic webpage is hardly effective. If the goal and desire is to increase traffic and sales, the website must be interesting and informative. You have to engage people and drive them to take action by providing regular information and interaction. A few ways to do this is to provide white papers or the top five facts on crucial information, then change it up regularly, and keep it fresh. Once this is in place, you can then begin outreach and marketing using digital marketing and social media. There are a variety of ways to drive traffic to your website. The internet provides unlimited areas to reach out to and share information with current clients and new agents. There are groups you can plug into through LinkedIn as valuable resources. Taking advantage of the opportunities social media sites provide is one of the best ways to humanize your brand. The possibilities are nearly endless but it's up to you to implement a plan and put it into practice. The ASNG has begun to scratch the surface here within their agencies. Over the next few teleconferences they will be learning how to increase their digital presence by taking additional steps to drive people to their websites. They will discover how to hone their marketing efforts to target specific individuals or interests and fine tune other aspects of their digital marketing strategies to help build their businesses. Are you a member of the ASNG? What business topics would you like to delve into more and expand your knowledge base? What areas need to be explored more deeply? How can NAILBA provide more hands-on learning to help you improve your agency? Email Rachel Marineau at rmarineau@nailba.org with your suggestions.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NAILBA Perspectives - May/June 2015

NAILBA Perspectives - May/June 2015
Contents
Chairman’s Corner
CEO Insights
Basic Staff Training: Onboarding Should be Longer than One Day
NAILBA Charitable Foundation
Member Profiles
Mooers Award Nominations
Get Schooled! Ongoing employee Education and Producer Training are Key to a Brokerage Agency’s Success
Agency Successor Networking Group
Life Happens
Reading Ahead
Government Affairs
Calendar of Events
Index of Advertisers

NAILBA Perspectives - May/June 2015