Do you know how powerful Instagram is?

Most people have already heard of the little app called Instagram; who has conquered the world. It doesn’t matter if you’re tech savvy, knowledgeable about the latest and greatest apps, or barely able to check your email. We can all agree that someone we know is always on Instagram. If you look around today, it’s rare to see someone glued to their phone, completely unaware of what’s going on around them. It’s really interesting how many people use their phone while they’re in the middle of a conversation, sometimes more focused on the phone than the conversation they’re having with the person right in front of them. Has this ever happened to you, or maybe you even did it yourself?

It is a different world than we live in now; unlike 10 – 20 years ago. Back then, smartphones weren’t that smart, apps weren’t that prevalent, and people weren’t totally fascinated with their phones and more importantly, the apps they use on them. These days, you can use apps like Instagram to chat with friends, whether it’s tagging them in something you saw, sending them a video message, replying to a story they posted, or even seeing something that reminded you of them. You can also get stuck exploring different cities, watching the daily life of your favorite actor, or your favorite comedian doing a live broadcast or some sports highlights from last night’s game. None of this existed 15 years ago, back then people maybe turned to TV for entertainment, but now people spend more time on their phones than ever and Instagram is where they spend most of their time. Whether you have a business or want to build your personal brand… Instagram is definitely one of the platforms you need to use, here’s why.

Did you know that on Instagram you have access to more than 800 million users every month? Instagram is rapidly rising to the top of all social media platforms and with a whopping 800 million users, it has become one of the best platforms to reach your target audience. While Twitter has hovered around 350 million users for a few years, Instagram has surpassed that and will hit 1 billion users in the next year or two. As the old saying goes, “Meet your customers and people where they are.” And right now, they’re on Instagram, and Instagram is on their phone, which makes it even more powerful. Take a look, you can always find someone by looking at their phone and more importantly using Instagram.

Instagram makes it easy for you to network. The networking capabilities and vast reach that Instagram has given us, on a global scale, is unmatched. Smart people like you know to take advantage of every opportunity to grow and expand your network. Instagram allows you to connect with people based on their interests, location, hash tags, and mutual friends and contacts. The best part is that you can build your network all over the world from your smartphone. Now this gives you a good reason for all the time you spend on Instagram.

Instagram maximizes your reach and engagement. Instagram has 58 times more reach and follower engagement than Facebook, and 120 times more reach than Twitter. Therefore, building your Instagram audience is vital to your success now and even more so in the near future. If you’re not building your target audience (people who are interested in your business or personal brand), it’s almost like not having a cell phone or email for people to contact you. It’s like a fisherman who doesn’t have a fishing rod or a fishing net, a barber who doesn’t have a hair clipper, we’re sure you got the point. Start building your audience today so you can quickly start gaining momentum and exposure, preparing for the future with a strong foundation to build on.

Instagram is fun and easy to use. For those of you who are familiar with Instagram, you already know how fun and easy it is to use. Whether you have a personal or business account, you probably already understand how powerful Instagram can be. People can explore different cities, countries and continents right from their phone and also watch and make live videos for their audience. You can join someone in a live video interview style. and the possibilities are endless with new features being added frequently. Instagram allows you to basically have your TV network without the cost of the TV network. Even better, you can get live feedback from your audience with comments and engagement right as you talk to them, that’s more powerful than TV.

People love photos now and always have and always will. For those who have never used Instagram before, it can be an amazing way to connect with people and build a highly focused, targeted audience. You can create a local, national or international audience according to your preferences; brand, profession or passion. There is an old saying: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Start using Instagram today and let your images speak thousands of words for you. People have always loved images for generations, so you know Instagram will be here for a long time.

Using Instagram you can create meaningful connections. Most people already know that Instagram has been growing by leaps and bounds. Especially in recent years, now the time is perfect for you. Everyone knows someone who is always on their phone checking their Instagram, and more importantly, Instagram grabs people’s attention. It has become one of the most powerful platforms that people and businesses can use to connect with others. Can you imagine connecting with new people and potential customers every day just by using Instagram? What if you could develop a rich and meaningful connection with your audience? At the same time create and develop your own brand and presence in the minds of people around the world. Not to mention keeping up with friends and family as well, Instagram really lets you do it all and more.

The goal of most religious organizations is to provide spiritual and family guidance to their members. In support of this goal, these organizations are supported through the contributions of their members. Religious organizations can now look to new technologies to help them achieve both goals. One of these technologies is audio conferencing. Here are five new apps that use audio conferencing that can bring spiritual and family guidance to your organization’s members, as well as increase new contributions to your coffers.

Administrative calls. Religious organizations are made up of a formal structure of hierarchical levels within the denomination, starting from the local church or parish, continuing to the state, regional, or diocesan level, and then to the national headquarters and finally to the world headquarters or the Vatican. as in the Roman Catholic religion. Each religious denomination has constant communication needs up and down their respective hierarchies. Audio conferencing can be used to provide instant meetings without having to travel, saving time and money.

Mark a sermon. One of the most popular apps for audio conferencing is the Dial A Sermon app. Local churches and parishes would like their sermons to be heard by as many members and guests as possible. At any one time, there are several members who are homebound, sick, or out of town and unable to attend church. Consequently, these members cannot hear the sermon. With voice conferencing, the pulpit microphone can be connected to a phone line and the conference bridge can be dialed in, allowing the pastor to deliver the sermon over the bridge, in addition to members who are present in the church . Now homebound and out-of-town members can call the bridge using their home or mobile phone and listen to the entire worship service. Each sermon or worship service can be recorded and stored for members, who were unable to hear the service live, to play back later.

prayer line Another popular conferencing app for faith-based organizations is Prayer Line. With this application, a scheduled date and time (usually in the evening) for the prayer service is published using the conference bridge. The Prayer Line schedule is then posted in all church print and online publications. A phone number with an access code is posted with instructions for members to dial in a specific date and time to pray along with a pastor or priest for each occasion. The parish priest or priest would lead the participating members in the prayer session, which usually lasts an hour.

Fundraising appeals. Conference calls can also be used to collect contributions from members. Whether a church is raising money for a member of a parishioner’s family, is in crisis, overseas mission work, or a capital campaign for a building expansion, conference calls can be used to get the word out. appeal to many members at the same time. An operator from the conference service provider can be used to conduct a question and answer session with members on the call to answer all of their questions and concerns. The appeal call can also be recorded and played back later by members who missed the original call.

affinity programs. Affinity programs can be developed to promote the use of telephone conferencing services throughout the religious organization in order to reduce the cost of conferencing by increasing the volume of minutes. With conferencing services, the more you use, the less expensive your costs will be. So when negotiating your price with a conference service provider, ask about affinity programs and what discounts are available through higher volume.

There you have it, the five conference apps that faith-based organizations can use to get the message out to members and raise additional funds for special projects.

Going on an interview gives you a real chance to impress a hiring manager. There is no guarantee what you will be asked, but it would be nice to know that there are a number of questions that come up over and over again.

While we unfortunately can’t read minds, it’s important that you have powerful answers to these questions to help you make a big impact. Here are some of the most common interview questions and tips on how to answer them. Consider this your interview question study guide.

• Can you tell me about yourself?

This is usually an initial question. This is simple, many people do not prepare for it, but it is crucial. It is a great opportunity to show your strengths. You can start by replying with an overview of what you are doing now and what you have accomplished so far in your career. You can follow the same structure as your resume, giving some examples of your achievements and skills you have acquired. Don’t go into too much detail – the interviewer will ask you to go into more detail for the areas where they like more information.

• Why should we hire you?

This question seems bold, but you’re lucky the hiring manager asked you. This is where he has the opportunity to tell the hiring manager about his skills and experience that are crucial to the job he is applying for.

Don’t just recount your experience, explain how it could benefit the company.

• What are your greatest strengths?

When answering this question, be precise. Share your true strengths, not the ones you think the employer wants to hear. Be relevant. Choose the strengths you will share that are most specific to the position.

• What do you consider to be your weaknesses?

An interviewer wants to identify your self-awareness and honesty through this question. Think of something you’re having trouble with but are working to improve. For example, maybe you find public speaking difficult, but you recently volunteered to conduct seminars that will help you become more comfortable interacting with a crowd.

• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Be honest and specific about your future goals. Consider that a hiring manager wants to know if you’ve set realistic expectations for yourself and your career, if you have ambition, and if the position you’re applying for is relevant to your goals and growth.

• Why are you leaving your current job?

Definitely keep things positive. You have nothing to gain by being negative about your previous employers. Instead, show things in a way that you’re eager to take on new opportunities and the job you’re applying for now will be a better fit for you than your last position.

• What are you looking for in a new position?

Be specific. You can say the very things this position has to offer.

• How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations?

Choose an answer that shows that you can deal with a stressful situation in a productive and positive way. A better approach is to talk about your stress reduction tactics and share an example of a stressful situation you’ve been through.

• Do you have any questions for us?

An interview isn’t just a chance for an HR manager to get to know you, it’s also your chance to find out if this job is right for you. What do you want to know about the position? The company? In the actual interview, you may have a lot of questions, so it’s best to have common questions ready.

With the influx of different social media tools, there are now so many different ways to target your chosen audience compared to 10 years ago.

When using social media, one strategy is to remember that you can do much more than just provide text-based information, you can post videos, photos, and links to other interesting resources that can add value to your followers.

There are many different ways you can make use of videos, with this and general internet marketing activities such as visual case studies, how-to videos, or customer testimonials.

Photos of you, your staff and maybe even photos of company social events can also be very positive, as users like to see who they are dealing with, it is easier to build relationships with people in the company if they can See who they are and interact with them.

Also, when producing videos, use staff that your customers would see if they walked into your store or office, this helps maintain familiarity with customers and can help build better relationships.

Social media strategies only work if your target audience accesses the medium. To make sure your customers and prospects know you’re on Facebook or Twitter, be sure to tell them. Send a newsletter to your customers and contacts to tell them they can follow you on Twitter, etc. and make sure all printed marketing materials include the URLs of your various social media accounts. Social networks need the social part to work; therefore, you need people to join in order for it to be an effective tool for your company.

Once you have people following you on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+, you need to keep them engaged. One strategy is to have promotions, little things like posting sales through your tweets or putting coupons for friends on your Facebook page keeps people engaged and attracts more to join.

Social media strategies are slightly different from print or person-to-person strategies. You have to remember that you need to update your information and promotions so that more people want to follow you. It only works if there are members in your online community, so you need to market yourself to your audience so they want to be a part of your community.

The best thing about Social Media Marketing is that it is not only a great opportunity, but it is also one of the lowest cost marketing activities available to businesses today.

Clearly, how companies use Social Media Marketing will vary depending on the type of business or target market, but companies that really want to compete in today’s markets need to make sure they are making use of these tools. Simply having a website is no longer enough, you need to promote your business to the online world and engage with your target audience.

The most frustrating thing that can happen to someone trying to research almost any topic online is to run into junk journalism. You visit a website looking for serious information or content only to come across a long-winded, mostly useless article. If you’re lucky, it may contain a sentence or two of useful information. The problem is that you had to read a dozen pointless paragraphs and click through multiple pages to get there.

People experience this kind of thing all the time. I know what I do. So, I’ve learned that when I land in a place like that, it’s time to immediately move on to greener pastures. I mentally ban those sites and after a while I recognize them in the search results. And I’m not alone. Rookies don’t know this and will have to learn from experience just like I did. That’s what keeps these useless, overmonetized sites alive.

Now, don’t get me wrong. These websites obviously make money or they wouldn’t exist. And it may be that the hackers who write for them also make money. The issue is not just how negatively they affect visitors, but what they do to the people who write the content. Writers develop enough bad habits without their writing style being ruined by churning out what amounts to ad sites with virtually no useful information.

A writer is like any other professional. If they start or go in the wrong direction, it’s hard to change course later on. You could be a talented musician who learned to play by ear. That will entertain people at a local talent show or inspire parishioners at a church if religious music is your thing. What it won’t do is get you a job as a serious music professional. For that you have to learn to read music and be able to transfer that information to the instrument of your choice. By the time you dare to do that, your brain is already programmed to play by ear.

Another aspect of junk journalism is the contempt many writers have for spelling. Sure, we all turn off spell check to avoid having to go back and dump or change the words you use instead of the ones we typed. That does not give us permission to write something with misspelled words. I can’t browse any major news site without encountering several misspelled words. If you doubt me, try it yourself. Misspellings not only tell the reader that you don’t really care what you’re writing; It detracts from the theme and causes an unnecessary pause in the material.

Very few writers are disciplined enough to obey all the rules of grammar, and that includes me. I don’t think there is anything wrong with having a ‘natural’ writing style that allows the writer to express his point in his own words. That’s a far cry from being too lazy to spell words correctly or create a simplified document using an increasingly popular ‘phonetic’ spelling.

The fact that our educational system sometimes adopts phonetic spelling doesn’t make it correct, especially if you plan to write professionally. The teacher writes PHONE on the board, then writes PHONE next to it and says it’s okay because it’s pronounced like that. Meanwhile, some trusted brain in the back of the room who has already benefited from years of this kind of education says, “Yeah, it’s spelled that way in Canada, right?” I think I’ve made my point.

Corporate ERP Applications for Small and Medium Businesses: SAP Business One and Microsoft Dynamics GP are serving a similar market for ERP, MRP, and accounting systems. We assume that your organization is facing the dilemma of replacing your small business accounting application (QuickBooks, Peach Tree or similar) with something more scalable for current and future growth, or you are simply trying to recover, redeploy or upgrade the previous version of SB1 (such as 2005 or 2007 to SAP Business One 8.8) or Great Plains (GPA for DOS, Great Plains Dynamics 6.0, 7.5, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0 to the new version 11.0). Let’s try to briefly review and compare these two corporate ERP packages, following the short article genre format:

1.Technical information. Both systems are available on the Microsoft SQL Server DB platform and the Windows Server operating system. Both platforms are open for customization and integrations through software development kits (SAP Business One SDK and Dynamics GP eConnect respectively). Both are open for initial data conversion via integration tools: SAP Business One Data Transfer Workbench (usually for initial data migration, however could be implemented in automated and semi-automated ongoing integration scenarios – see our previous posts ). Dynamics GP also has a friendly integration manager module for the end user (and even for the VBA developer if any modification is desired), where you can design and run (or program) integrations. For both SB1 and GP, you can embed text files (separated by commas or tabs) or connect to your source log database via an ODBC connection. Data repair: In Dynamics GP you can perform very precise data corrections through SQL update statements; however in SAP B1 this is not recommended and SB1 has Early Watch Service to report any direct intervention in the data layer

2. Comparison of main functionality. SAP Business One does not have batch posting (often also known as batch processing), which means that when you add, say Sales Invoice, it is automatically posted all the way to General Ledger. We saw feedback that batch processing functionality adds flexibility (approval cycles, hold processing) and scalability to the corporate ERP system. On the other hand, we did not hear any serious complaints about the automatic posting of SB1 and even companies with more than fifty SAP BO users are working smoothly. Both GP and SB1 should be a good choice for inventory management, light (discrete) manufacturing, or often BOM. SB1 has its own CRM module (Opportunity Management – thick client application, not web based at this time), where Great Plains should guide you through how to buy and implement Microsoft Dynamics CRM (web based). The SAP Business One Professional User or Distribution user license should probably give you more features and functionality in warehouse management, picking and packing, shipping and receiving, MRP planning, light manufacturing, and service contract management. Great Plains has comparable features, however they are not typically included with the purchase of the Business Ready Business Essential user license

3. SB1 and GP plugins and third party extensions. Both corporate ERP apps for small businesses have ISV partner channels, where you can look for add-ons. Dynamics GP, being a more mature ERP solution, offers richer business logic options, directly supported by Microsoft Business Solutions. SAP Business One is younger compared to Great Plains Dynamics. For example, SAP Business One does not have the core functionality of the US Payroll module, while Dynamics GP does. If you have unique and specific business requirements for your future corporate ERP application, they may need to be analyzed separately.

4. Internationalization. Here, SAP Business One has additional advantages as it supports Unicode (16-bit characters: Chinese, Japanese, Korean), plus it is localized in mega-countries like Brazil, Russia, India, China, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Spain. . Microsoft Dynamics GP, in turn, does not support Unicode (current and likely future restriction from Microsoft Dexterity). Dynamics GP is available compared to SB1 in Arabic speaking countries (mostly localized: Jordan, Saudi Arabia, OAE). From the point of view of the internationalization of Corporate ERP, both systems compete in English-speaking countries and in Latin America. If you are a (possibly small) multinational corporation and are implementing SAP Business One in the US headquarters, then SB1 should be the natural choice for you if you are moving to countries like Brazil, China, Germany, Russia, Korea, Japan . If you have Dynamics GP in the US HQ, SB1 should help you expand internationally, especially considering the version 8.8 merger

An estimate is the first step for a house painter towards clear communication with their client about the painting project. Paint work comes in different sizes and shapes. The same goes for paint estimates. Estimates may vary in style depending on the project. A well-written quote can help you win the job and help the client clearly understand the estimate on the scope of a house painting project. Here are some of the things a house painter may want to consider when giving an estimate.

visited website

A good house painter prefers and visits the site before beginning his evaluation. There may be factors that increase the price, such as the poor condition of the walls. You will need more paint if you cover the dark walls. Various decorative walls and different colors will take more time. You can ask the customer if they just want to paint the walls or the ceiling and doors. Also, the house painter will ask customers if they will provide the paint unless they need a specific brand and if the colors should be mixed by size. Asking these questions ahead of time helps them be more precise about estimating costs. If you are new to hiring a house painter, you can ask your family and friends for good recommendations.

Type and amount of paint

The price of paint can range from $20 to $80 per gallon, depending on the brand and its quality. Contractors typically pay up to $45 per gallon, depending on paint supply. The house painter needs some materials for the external coating work, such as primer, masking tape, sticky paper, masking tape, protective plastic, etc. The amounts of materials depend largely on the amount of preparation required. More prep means more caulking and more primer. It also depends on the number of existing windows and the amount of roof and brick if you’re doing outdoor work: mostly that means more paper and plastic masking.

the labor required

It can be difficult to estimate the work because the elements are numerous. Several coats of paint are needed; there may be trees on the way, windows are difficult to paint, such as compact windows, or it is difficult to place ladders to paint the ceiling or ladders and many other things like these. A house painter will consider the labor required to perform a certain task while giving you a quote for the painting project. He knows the skills and experience required to perform a specific house painting task.

A professional house painter knows all about safety. There are common accidents that can cause injuries during a painting project. Hiring a professional painter will keep you away from these potential problems and you will get good results in a reasonable amount. Paints from experienced and professional contractors may not offer the same price as their counterparts, but this ensures that they will offer high-quality paint that will last for years.

Helen Keller said, “It is terrible to see and have no vision.” Ask yourself a question. Do you know what an opportunity looks like? Describe it. Define it. Bottom line… would you know one if he bit you on the butt? They all say they are looking for “one”. Being in the right place at the right time is not enough. As network marketing industry legend Randy Gage says, “It’s about recognizing a magical moment of opportunity and acting accordingly.”

In network marketing and home-based businesses, everyone says they have the “perfect opportunity.” So how do you evaluate? What’s the difference between a golden opportunity and fool’s gold?

The scope of this article is to help you evaluate businesses, determine indicators of success, and outline potential risks. I am a CPA, business owner and consultant. I look at companies from top to bottom, from start to finish. There are some fundamental characteristics that will point you to a good opportunity. A little homework and research can go a long way in making a wise decision.

Nine out of ten business failures are due to a lack of general business management skills and proper planning. Misery loves company and mistakes involving any of these three M’s will put you in the company other than the “nine” out of ten businesses that fail: Money, Management, and Marketing.

Money. It takes a long time for a new business to become profitable. It usually takes much longer than most business plans project. Business projections that seem too good to be true in the early years are probably just that. Even the best product ideas, management, and marketing won’t be enough if you run out of capital before achieving enough momentum, exposure, and market acceptance. You have to look at what will happen if the company has a bad first quarter, a bad second quarter, or even a bad first year. If a company is relying on cash flow to be generated in the first few months and quarters, beware.

management. If you’re looking for a new business, the management of that business should be seasoned veterans, not first-time entrepreneurs, and your five closest friends. Yes. You need the visionaries, but you also need long-term planners, people who have started small and grown big, know the industry, react quickly to change, etc. To be successful, a new company will go through many stages such as introduction, market penetration, exponential growth, expansion, etc. A company can be mortally wounded if it is not equipped to handle each of these stages.

Marketing. Great ideas, innovative products and services die unrealized due to improper marketing. There are two marketing forces: the “push” and the “pull”. The lack of attention to the latter is where the ball most often falls. “Push” is the strategy that “pushes” the product through the marketing pipeline and brings it to consumers. This creates exposure for the consumer. The “pull” is the piece that makes the consumer aware of their need for the product. It tells them what the product will do for them and prompts them to “pull” the product out the other end of the pipeline. A company’s marketing plan must be able to evoke emotions in the final consumer. Emotion that is tied to a need or want that your business can satisfy. Otherwise, all the exposure, fancy packaging, and “opportunity” appeal will be wasted.

People generally fall into two general categories. The optimist who wears rose-colored glasses and the pessimist who wears dark glasses. They can both see. However, you should take off those glasses when looking at various home or network marketing business opportunities and compare them to a set of standards that will guide you to the ones with real potential.

The last thing you have to do is be ready to act! Alfred North Whitehead, a British philosopher, said, “Without adventure, civilization is in full decline.” Take a look at where you are now. Then ask yourself where you will be in five years. Are you on your way to decline? Network marketing is not the network marketing of 15 or 20 years ago. Things have changed and it is an increasingly viable option for those who really want to change their financial situation.

The trick is to find those home based business and network marketing opportunities that have the capital, the management; product and marketing plan to achieve sustainable success. If you’re actively searching and know what to look for, when opportunity knocks on your door, you won’t risk going out to lunch!

When it comes to SEO or search engine optimization, link building is one of the most critical aspects. If done correctly, it helps businesses improve their website traffic. Effective link building strategies can significantly increase your website’s search engine rankings and make your business easily discoverable online, leading to increased visitors, impressions, and of course, revenue. However, if done incorrectly, it can cost you search engine rankings as well as website traffic. Read on to learn about some of the underused tactics you use.

Ask existing business connections to link to your website

One of the most effective ways to generate business contacts is networking. When you have managed to get a large number of contacts, it is time to use them to your advantage. Every connection you make can be a new window of opportunity for your business. You can get exposure and coverage with your help. It’s a good idea to find genuine business connections that have high-quality websites relevant to your business and have them link to you. Linking is a great way to show that the content on your website can be supported by other trusted sources. Such links should be easy to find, but you have to remember to return something to them.

Contests or social media campaigns

Social media helps drive SEO efforts. So if you are not making use of this powerful tool, you should. Social networking websites can be used to build links through interesting campaigns or contests to retain the attention of your followers. If you continue to attract rewards that are just as beneficial to businesses as they are to customers, you can expect to gain valuable backlinks as well as new followers.

Image link building

Images are a great way to create links to your website. Many business owners are not aware that this is an exceptional link building technique. In case you have original images on your website, you can make them available for reuse. This way, other people can make use of them and put them on their own websites. For this tactic to be successful, you need to make sure that whoever is using your images is attributing it to you. So every time someone uses those images, they will have to link back to your website. However, this is only possible with original images such as photos of your workspace or logo.

Create a blog on your website

Guest blogging is a very popular link building tactic and almost everyone is implementing this strategy. However, online businesses are terribly underutilizing blogs as a way to get links. Blogs are a wonderful place to generate both internal and external links. By using your blog posts, you can link to the internal pages of your websites which can be helpful with the internal linking architecture of your website. So create a blog section on your website and you can generate a lot of backlinks from other websites. Make sure published blogs are interesting, informative, and offer value to readers. By partnering with a link building agency, you will even have the support of content writers who will make sure you get natural, organic backlinks.

Contrary to popular belief, the importance of link building has not diminished. Link building tactics have simply changed. However, it remains an important tool in search engine optimization and you can’t expect to be successful without it. If you want to know more about link building and how it can benefit your online business, contact a professional agency without hesitation. Be sure to ask them what tactics they’ll use and ask for a no-obligation quote.

A strong social media presence can be a challenge for B2B (business to business) insurance agencies. Many B2B companies struggle to display their professionalism and build an audience through social media marketing. Consider the following tips to ensure your agency maximizes its social media marketing efforts.

Create your persona online

Your presence on social networks must have a well-defined personality. Informative, helpful, engaging, timely, and relevant are all characteristics that top B2B social media accounts consider when building their online persona. Decide how your voice will sound online. Will you be formal or informal, speaking to individuals or companies, sounding like a reporter or contributor to an op-ed? Will you share company employee events, create contests, report on industry changes or regulations, or all of the above? Your agency’s goal is to create a relationship and a sense of community with clients and prospects. But first you need to determine your personality on social media.

Create a written strategy that includes the prospect scorecard and buyer persona

When creating your marketing strategy, ask yourself these questions:

• Who is your target audience online and how diverse is this group? Start by creating a prospect dashboard.
• Which social platforms will best target that audience? You may need to look across the different platforms to see which social media platforms are most applicable to your customers and prospects.
• What type of content will that target audience find most useful? Would it be infographics, long articles, technical support information, breaking news commentary, regulatory updates, or some combination of all of these?
• What are your short-term and long-term goals on social media? Perhaps your short-term goal is simply to share content consistently. And your long-term goal includes an ad budget for growth and lead engagement.
• How do your competitors use social networks? You can learn a lot about what to do and what not to do by studying your competitors.

Comment on news and regulations relevant to your target industries

Offering commentary on breaking news and changing industry regulations is a great way to demonstrate your knowledge in your industry and provide your customers with information on how to understand these updates. This can lead to higher levels of engagement and increased exposure to your social media pages. You can use Google alerts and social media alerts to monitor industry keywords and stay on top of dynamically changing events.

Organic Posts vs. Paid Posts

Once your insurance agency consistently posts quality content, you can consider posting and ads. You may want some guidance with this as budget can be quickly spent and multivariate split testing with attractive images and custom charts can dramatically improve your reach and ROI.

Build a respectable fan base

Looking professional and demonstrating a respectable number of followers and level of engagement is half the battle when starting your insurance social media marketing initiative. The main platforms your agency should be leveraging are: LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, probably in that order, although your target markets might affect this. LinkedIn and YouTube can be very valuable for B2B companies. LinkedIn is a good place to start, it’s very much a business-focused platform. Then take advantage of YouTube using videos, recorded webinars, or even simple voice updates in PowerPoint. Try to build your fan base as quickly as possible, to a respectable number. For example, this could be 500 followers on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Although 5,000 or more would be excellent, initially your agency is striving for a baseline of professionalism and credibility.