I spent an insane amount of time and energy the last week pouring over insurance agency social media pages, primarily on Facebook. And all I can say is we can do better folks.
I’m not going to publicly shame any companies. That’s not fair at all. But as a marketer I can spot the companies using the same social media management shops who use the same templates for all their clients, but with brand colors. Or even worse that companies that are just posting anything just to check off a box that it’s been done.
And let’s be real, the stuff they’re posting isn’t bad, and for the most part, your customers and prospects that follow your agency won’t ever see those other facebook pages. But it’s got no heart or soul.
I am going to showcase one agency that I found that’s doing a PHENOMENAL job at creating engaging content on Facebook. ECI Agency out of Piedmont, OK.
What kind of content to avoid at all costs on social media
Like I said earlier I’m not going to publicly shame anyone. But I will walk through what I’ve seen on the vast majority of agency social media accounts. Nothing but self promotion, all about the agency content. Absolutely nothing of value (humor is valuable content), nothing that would make a person stop scrolling, all ask, no giving.
Nobody likes when I say these things, but it’s true. Companies often create content that the team likes, with no regard to what will actually drive engagement or what people want to see in their feed. And when you can drive engagement with organic social media, you are going to drive revenue.
Examples of content to create on social media
Now that I’ve told you what not to do, let’s talk about the 5 types of content you should be creating on social media. Before you continue, do NOT just go copy what they’re doing. These are meant for inspiration, not for you to steal.
Community Content – This is easy, find out what cool things are going on in your community, especially focusing on charities, or local high school sports. I think every independent insurance agency should be gathering this type of information. And sharing it!
Elevate Your Team Content – Celebrate your team, everyone loves recognition. You can start with professional things like work anniversaries, designations, exceeding goals, or a new team member joining the company. And if your team is okay with it add in personal things like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, births and adoptions.
Humor/Memes – Not everyone likes memes, I get it, but that’s what drives the internet. If you’re not comfortable with memes, you can create funny one-liners on a cute background for FREE in canva. These are the posts that I see the most engagement from.
Inspirational Content – Personally I’m not a huge fan of the woowoo/inspirational stuff, but, something I’m pretty sure most of you have read or heard me say, just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it. ECI seems to get quite a bit of engagement and shares on this kind of content. So I am putting this in the bucket of content to create.
Holiday Content – These are low hanging fruit, but even the agencies with the lowest engaging content seemed to have decent engagement around holidays. They don’t even have to be the big ones, I saw one post for National Pizza day get 68 likes and 21 comments. That might not seem like a lot, but some agencies can barely muster 5 likes and most of those are from the staff.
How often to post this type of content.
Honestly, I would say one post a day is fine. When I’ve had to manage social media accounts in the past I would batch create them, and then schedule them using buffer. It’s a freemium product, and if you’re just posting to instagram and facebook, you can schedule out a month of content at a time without any extra cost.
If once a day seems too daunting, try 3 times a week. There’s no magic formula, but the more often you post, the more likely your followers will see your content. And the more people that see it the more likely they are to engage or even better, share your content!
Need some help? I built a customGPT for that.
Insurance agencies need to approach social media with more heart and soul. By creating authentic and engaging content, you can connect with your customers and drive revenue. I’ve highlighted some of the most effective types of content to share, from community-focused posts to humor and memes, and everything in between. Don’t fall into the trap of posting anything just to check off a box – take the time to create content that truly resonates with your audience. And always remember, organic social media can be a powerful tool for growing your business. So start implementing these tips today and watch your social media engagement soar!