 Your independent insurance agency customers come from your local community. It’s essential that your agency has a good local web presence to attract local web searchers. Here are a few tips to help with local SEO.
Local SEO - local search engine optimization is the practice of increasing the online visibility of a brick and mortar company that does business face-to-face in their community.
These are just a few tips to help improve your agency’s local search results. Two statistics to keep in mind, per BrightLocal, 92% of online searchers will pick businesses on the first page of local search and 97% of people find out more about a local company through the internet.
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 Google recently changed the name of their ad platform Google AdWords to Google Ads. They have made some changes to the ads interface that makes it easier to dig into the performance of ads. Google ads have gotten bigger and take up more real estate on search results.
PPC (Pay Per Click) continues to grow, but research shows, people who perform Google searches prefer organic search results over the paid ads search results. Organic search results refer to the listings on a search engine results page (SERP) that appear because of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). And SEO is the marketing practice, strategy and tactics focused on increasing organic (non-paid) visibility in search engine results. Here are 3 factors that will help increase the chances of your website showing up on page one of organic search results: 1. Keywords - Keywords are the key words and phrases in your website’s content that make it possible for people to find your website via search engines. Your independent insurance agency’s website should contain keywords and phrases a potential customer would enter as a search term. For example, “affordable car insurance”. These keywords should be included in your agency’s web page title tags, headers and body/content, URL, keyword description tags, meta tags and H1 tags (second title tag of your website). 2. Unique Content - Every page of your website should include quality, well written content. Generic content won’t help your agency’s web pages show up on search engine results pages. Write content that describes what makes your insurance products and services unique. Ask your customers what they were searching for and write new content that pertains to their needs and how your agency can help them with their needs. Before you begin to write your content, write down everything someone might enter as a keyword search term and use the terms in your content. Create valuable content that provides useful and informative information about what each product and service your agency is in the business of selling and what makes your’s stand out from the competition. 3. Blog - Blogging is a very effective way to increase your organic website traffic. A blog is a regularly updated page of your website that is written in a conversational and informal style. Try to keep your blog post focused on one topic or one product or service per post. Don’t try selling your product within the blog but inform your audience about a product or service. Show your readers you’re an authority on the product or service. Use the SEO content acronym, E-A-T. Demonstrate to your readers a high level of Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness in your content. There is no exact formula that will land your agency’s website on page one of organic search results. With quality and regularly updated content you should see your organic rankings improve over time.  Lisa Harkey, AlaCoast Insurance Our latest agent spotlight is on Lisa Harkey, Owner/Agent of Alacoast Insurance with 2 Alabama locations in Mobile and Saraland. We visited Lisa and asked her to share why she enjoys being an insurance agent, provide advice to future insurance agents and tell us a little about herself.
How many years have you been an insurance agent? I started working in insurance when I was 18 years old. After leaving the business for about 10 years to raise my family, I re-entered the field about 11 years ago. I now have close to 25 years of total insurance experience. What is your favorite thing about being an insurance agent? I genuinely LOVE to help people. I take a lot of pride in helping my clients get the best coverage that they can afford. Not everyone has the same sized wallet, but everyone deserves good coverage and that’s what I enjoy helping them find. It always makes my day when I’m able to save someone money and still achieve their needs. What advice would you give someone who wants to be an independent insurance agent? Don’t spread yourself too thin or you’ll run around trying to be the best at everything, but you can’t. Accept that! Find a niche and become laser focused on it. Be prepared to spend day and night in your agency to make sure it’s run properly. Never trust anyone else to take care of your business; you need to be in it everyday to be successful. I’ve spoken with a lot of younger agents that want to step into an agency and start reaping the rewards, be the “manager” and sit back while everyone else does the work, but it doesn’t work that way. You have to put in a lot of sweat equity if you want to be successful. What is one of your guilty pleasures? Traveling. But I never feel guilty about it! What is something about you that would surprise people? Well now, that’s my secret. Where’s your favorite place in the world? That’s a tough question. My absolute favorite place in the world is between Ireland and anywhere in the Rockies. Ireland is such a magical place, almost mystical. You get caught up in the history, legends and lore, it’s like stepping back in time and your imagination can run wild. However, the mountains have always called my name. I feel completely at peace when I’m there. How can Man argue that there is no God when you stand and behold such beauty and majesty? If you could visit anywhere in the world you’ve never been, where would you go? The top of my bucket list is New Zealand. I’ll get there one day! What’s the best meal you’ve ever had? My Mama’s chicken and dumplings with baked sweet potatoes on the side. It’s carb overload! Oh well, I guess that is one more of my guilty pleasures! Thanks, Lisa for sharing with us. To learn more about AlaCoast, visit their website www.alacoastinsurance.com.  When you receive a text do you read it right away? Here are some interesting statistics about text messaging:
As an independent agent and small business, texting is an efficient and effective way to reach your customers. Are you having trouble getting in touch with your customers? With texting you can remind them to make payments, confirm appointments, promote additional services and send personalized messages. Quickly and easily send messages like:
Bulk texting Bulk text messaging refers specifically to the sending of a large number of SMS messages to the mobile phones of a predetermined group of recipients. Send messages to multiple clients at once like:
Consider adding texting to your agency’s marketing strategy. You’ll drive sales, renewals and make a deeper and more personal connection with your customers.  Pedro Curbelo of Insurance Writers of America, Pembroke Pines, Florida. Pedro and Aymee Curbelo are the owners of Insurance Writers of America, a multi-lines insurance agency based in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Initially focused on life and health insurance, they moved their agency into the P&C market in 2017 and have realized astounding growth, quickly expanding to 7 employees and over 20 direct carrier appointments in less than two years. Pedro credits his networking efforts through agent associations and his non-stop promotion via social media (including LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram) for much of the agency's success.
Pedro and Aymee are also committed to helping others and together they formed the Curbelo Family Initiative, a public platform where people can volunteer their time to help the local community. How many years have you been an insurance agent? I started as a risk manager for Tyco Fire & Security in 2004 and created my own risk management/business consulting firm in 2006. With my wife's encouragement and persistence we transitioned the firm into P&C in 2017 What is your favorite thing about being an insurance agent? Providing risk analysis to my wealthiest clients, because when I uncover their extravagant lifestyle and exotic toys my goal goes up a notch! What advice would you give someone who wants to be an independent insurance agent? Grow in knowledge, and let everyone else do whatever they want while you do whatever it takes. Remember - there is no competition but your own limitations!!! What is one of your guilty pleasures? I don't have any - my life's purpose is to give and receive pleasure and that attitude keeps me from feeling guilty! What is something about you that would surprise people? That I grew up in extreme poverty and migrated to the US alone as a teen. Where’s your favorite place in the world? Riding my Harley Davidson through the Blue Ridge Mountains, no GPS, 80's rock playing with my soulmate riding right behind me. If you could visit anywhere in the world you’ve never been, where would you go? I'd ride a Harley from the coast of Malaga, Spain to the coast of Naples, Italy. What’s the best meal you’ve ever had? I'm a foodie, I like it all...but I have a weakness for Cuban Croquetas.  Television Advertising and Young Adults
There are a half dozen or more auto insurance companies currently advertising in heavy rotation on television. Here are 5 I can think of right now (I watch too much TV):
Can you name these carriers? Most young adults won’t have any clue. Why? Because 61% of young adults use streaming services to watch television. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in August 2017, streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and HBO Go have dramatically altered the media habits of Americans, especially young adults. About six-in-ten of those ages 18 to 29 (61%) say the primary way they watch television is with streaming services on the internet, compared with 31% who say they mostly watch via a cable or satellite subscription and 5% who mainly watch with a digital antenna. Tips For Creating Your Independent Insurance Agency’s Mobile-Friendly Website Young adults, millennials and Generation Z (Gen Z), are constantly connected to their mobile devices. As stated above, they are watching streaming services on their mobile devices. They have cut the cord on cable. When these young adults go to shop for insurance products and services on their mobile devices, will they find your website and like what they see? 5 Mobile Website Tips To Keep Young Adults Engaged
 Location Based Keywords & Queries Local - adjective - belonging or relating to a particular area or neighborhood, typically exclusively so. Local Search Optimization To be found on Google search results your independent insurance agency must have a Google My Business page listing. Your listing will display on Google Maps and organic Google search results. Google matches searches based on the best match of relevance, distance and prominence. Google determines local ranking based on what someone is looking for. According to Google, “Algorithms might decide that a business that’s farther away from your location is more likely to have what you’re looking for than a business that’s closer, and therefore rank it higher in local results.” What They’re Looking For Does your insurance agency’s website contain the keywords that potential customers are searching for? Website content plays a crucial part in those Google algorithms. An independent insurance agency’s website should be loaded with descriptive, localized keywords. For example, your website homepage introduction might list all nearby neighborhoods and what you offer in each: “XYZ Agency has all of your insurance needs covered. We’ll work to find you the best coverage at the cheapest rates. We offer car, homeowners, renters, motorcycle, ATV, RV mobile home, condominium, general liability and commercial auto insurance. XYZ agency serves Atlanta, Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Midtown Atlanta, Marietta and surrounding neighborhoods.” Based on your potential customer’s location, if someone in Buckhead did a search on “cheap car insurance buckhead” Google search would pick up on those terms (in bold above). Here’s an actual example of a search result for a Farmers agent in Sandy Springs based on my search for “auto insurance sandy springs”. Notice the search terms Google found on this Farmers agent’s website are bold.  Target The Right Keywords For Your Niche Line of Business Does your independent agency offer a niche line of business? If your agency specializes in a unique insurance product or service, you’re able to differentiate your agency from the competition. Your website content should be loaded with keywords and all of the areas you service for the niche line of business. Here’s a great example of a search on a niche line, wedding insurance , “wedding insurance dunwoody”:  Google returned 301,000 results. The top search included all of the keywords for the search. The Google search result came up at the top because this particular independent insurance agency has a detailed and dedicated page for wedding insurance. It’s loaded with information and keywords Google’s algorithm cultivated and returned.
Google My Business Page Your independent insurance agency has a better chance of appearing on local searches when you have maximized your Google My Business listing. Google states, “Providing and updating business information in Google My Business can help your business’s local ranking on Google and enhance your presence in Search and Maps.” Website Content If your independent insurance agency website is not coming up in Google’s organic search results, it’s time to review your website content. Find areas where you can expand on detailed content, including keywords and geo locations. Add more pages and seperate lines of business detailing what the policies cover for each line. Create a new niche line of business page and include keyword search terms that will help generate search results and drive people to that web page.   Generate Engagement
The numbers don’t lie. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, twitter, Google My business and blog posts that are personal generate more engagement. In January Mark Zuckerberg announced a big change to what you see in your Facebook news feed with a shift to building relationships and bringing friends and family closer together. He said, “you'll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard -- it should encourage meaningful interactions between people.” Facebook Live Video In social media you can’t get more personal than live video. Adam Mosseri, Head of Facebook News Feed said, “Page posts that generate conversation between people will show higher in News Feed. For example, live videos often lead to discussion among viewers on Facebook – in fact, live videos on average get six times as many interactions as regular videos.” In 2017, 100 million hours of videos were watched on Facebook EVERY DAY. Facebook Live is the social network’s live broadcasting feature that’s easily accessed from your mobile Facebook app. Open your Facebook business page, click the camera icon and click “live video” to get started. Before going live, promote the video well in advance to generate interest and ensure you will have an audience. As an independent insurance agent, consider the following:
Be Professional and Be Prepared Before going live, set the scene. Make sure background noise won’t interfere with the audio. Make sure your film set (if you will) is clean and professional. Ensure there isn’t any personal information visible on someone’s desk or computer monitor. Have Fun Once you’ve broadcast your first Facebook Live video, review your engagement and experiment with more live posts. It seems scary at first, but once you broadcast your first live video, you’ll be more confident. And, HAVE SOME FUN!  Don’t Let Your Domain Name Expire
GoDaddy, a popular domain name registrar says, “You can’t have a website without a domain.” They don’t say this, AND without a domain you won’t have a website. Your domain name is your insurance agency’s website address like www.independentinsuranceagency.com When you register your domain name with a domain name registrar like Go Daddy, NameCheap or HostGator you are renting the domain. Domain registrars default the term to one year and usually offer a better deal if you purchase a plan for 2 or more years. When you purchased your domain name you probably incorporated the name of your insurance agency into the website URL. You put your website address on your business cards, brochures, possibly your outdoor signage and more. Your website address is special and is part of your brand. You have to protect and maintain that brand. Held For Ransom It is up to you to renew your domain. If your domain expires there will be a an auto-renew grace period for 0-45 days followed by a 30-day redemption grace period. Once that grace period is up, your domain name will be released to third parties. These third parties may scoop up the domain and possibly hold it for ransom. We recently had a customer let their domain expire. It is now available from a third party for $495. If they had renewed it in time, it would have been less than $15 for another year. Now they have to decide if they want to pay the price or get a new domain. If this customer gets a new domain, they will have to change all of their documentation, marketing materials, update all of their SEO and fall in organic search until their web marketing efforts are cleaned up and reestablished. Set A Reminder AND Watch For Renewal Do you know when your domain name is up for renewal? Log in and check the expiration date. Set up a reminder at least 30 days in advance of the expiration date to go in and renew your domain. Ensure your email address is up-to-date so you won’t miss emails regarding your domain. Don’t fall prey to domain kidnappers!  3 Content Marketing Ideas for August
A little content marketing inspiration for your independent insurance agency’s website blog and social media pages. Safe Driving Tips for Labor Day Weekend Labor Day is September 3rd this year. It’s a busy time for that one final summer getaway. Provide driving tips like:
Back To School August means back to school. Provide safety reminders and tips like:
Teen Drivers Teens are heading back to school and some will no longer be taking the bus.
 Taglines - Reinforcing Your Agency’s Brand
You’ve seen them in advertising for big companies like McDonald’s with “I’m lovin’ it.”, Nike “Just Do It”, and Verizon “Can you hear me now?”. These are all taglines. Taglines are a branding slogan that emphasize the brand and help reinforce a product or service. Taglines should come to you when you say the company’s name. Do you know the tagline for Delta Airlines?* You probably know at least one. Delta has used several taglines over their 89 year history. Your Agency’s Tagline Have you considered creating a tagline for your independent insurance agency? Taglines work for both big companies and small businesses. A tagline is an audible way to grab your potential client’s attention. You want it to be impactful and memorable. Taglines should be short and concise for use on your insurance agency website, business cards, email signature, advertisements, brochures and anywhere you put your agency’s name. Creating A Tagline Your insurance agency’s tagline should be positive and emphasize the benefits of using your agency. Here’s an example, (the beginning) of an insurance related tagline. Can you finish this one? “Like A Good Neighbor…” As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Take some time to craft your tagline. Get input from your employees, customers, family and friends. Analyze your agency’s key benefits and write down keywords and emotions that describe your agency’s purpose and image. For example:
Does your agency already have a tagline? Are you using your tagline on your insurance agency’s website? Is it part of your logo? We’d love for you to share them in the comments section. * "We love to fly and it shows.” “Keep Climbing.” “The World’s Most Trusted Airline.”  Today we're spotlighting one of our Mississippi agents, Ray Hart, owner and agent at A-Plus Insurance in Picayune, Mississippi. We asked Ray a few questions about himself.
How many years have you been an insurance agent? 18 years. What is your favorite thing about being an insurance agent? My favorite thing about being an insurance agent is being an independent insurance agent, allowing me the freedom to choose the best coverage with the most competitive premium. What advice would you give someone who wants to be an independent insurance agent? Be consistent and don't shortcut on coverages, in the end your customers will be grateful. What is one of your guilty pleasures? Eating badly at night while watching TV. What is something about you that would surprise people? I teach Sunday School. Where’s your favorite place in the world? The Smoky Mountains. If you could visit anywhere in the world you’ve never been, where would you go? Greece. What’s the best meal you’ve ever had? My grandmothers BBQ Gizzards. Thanks Ray!  Announcing…
Kay Norton, Business Development Manager We are delighted to welcome Kay Norton to the AccuAgency family. Kay brings 13 years of insurance experience to our Sales team as the new Alabama, Mississippi and north Florida Business Development Manager. Kay worked for 12 years as the Director of a day care center when it closed and she decided to make a career change into the insurance world. She started as a CSR at Millsaps & Associates in Alabama and quickly received her agent's license a few months later. Since then Kay has worked in marketing for two insurance carriers. We're thrilled to have Kay on board with her insurance experience and agency relationships. You may have already had the pleasure of meeting Kay. This announcement is a bit overdue as Kay has been hard at work on the road for several months now and has attended several conventions this summer. Please join us in this belated welcome to the AccuAgency Sales Team! Kay can be reached at (251) 404-9667 or kay@accuagency.com.  Online Reviews - They're A Pretty Big Deal
Statistics show that 92% of consumers read online reviews and use those in their purchase decisions. So in other words, online reviews are a pretty big deal. There are multiple websites to leave online reviews including Google (the big daddy of review websites), Facebook, Angie’s List and Yelp. Reviews of your agency help build your online reputation. Encourage Reviews The simplest and easy way to get your clients to leave a review is to ask. One suggestion, create a postcard that gives them the steps to post a review on Google. Google offers a star rating as well as a write a review section. Star ratings add to your overall rating score. Encourage your clients to write a review about their experience to give your agency’s Google business page an additional online boost. Google Add A Rating or Review Instructions:
Bad Reviews They say one bad apple spoils the bunch and one bad review can drive away business. Monitor your agency’s online reputation or risk, for example, one bad review sitting at the top of your online search results rotting away the road to your online traffic. Help other potential customers by responding to negative reviews with a positive response. If your agency did something wrong, offer to fix the issue. Empathy and caring go a long way. Help instill trust in your agency and respond to all your reviews either positive or negative. Just a thank you for a positive review shows you’re appreciative of a client for taking the time to leave a review. How are you doing? Online reviews are a great way to gauge how your employees, products and services are performing. Reviews help you discover and track what people like and dislike about your agency. Take action when you see a trend of comments that indicate a need for improvement. For example, address issues like poor customer service or no returned phone calls. Consider using social media to announce how your agency has addressed or plans to address ways to improve on what people have negatively said in an online review. Do you have some great reviews? Would you like to encourage people to review your independent insurance agency? Google is offering small businesses free marketing materials to promote online reviews of your agency. Your independent insurance agency must have a Google business page account to take advantage of the free marketing kit. Visit https://smallthanks.withgoogle.com/ to request your free marketing kit by mail.  Shane Stolzer, right, pictured with his wife Nicole. Agent Spotlight - Shane Stolzer, The Stolzer Agency
In our latest agent spotlight we’re featuring Shane Stolzer of the Stolzer Agency in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania. We asked Shane a few questions about his agency, his customers and what he enjoys doing in his free time. How long have you been in Insurance? I’ve worked in insurance for 16 year and opened my own agency in 2014. What is your favorite part of your job? I love helping people and bettering their coverage and I love to offer advice to customers. What advice would you have for someone entering the industry? All the hard work will pay off. Have faith and hang in there. Also, listening to customers is very important in order to help them. What do you like to do in your off time? I love playing golf and try to squeeze in at least 9 holes whenever possible. Among others, I’ve played Marion Golf Club (home of the U.S. Open), Plainfield Country Club and Osprey Point Golf Course. One day I plan to play Pebble Beach and Whistling Straits. Shane is pictured with his wife Nicole. She works in the insurance agency and also runs Stolzer Travel Agency. Visit Shane Stolzer at The Stolzer Agency, 644 Germantown Pike, Unit 3A, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444.  You might be surprised to know a lot of independent insurance agencies still don’t have a website. But why?
They say they don’t have a website or they don't update their old website because it’s too expensive, difficult to build and time consuming, Bottom line, your independent insurance agency must have a website because your potential customers aren’t going to find you without one. There are affordable companies that specialize in building websites for independent insurance agents. It doesn’t have to be difficult to build or time consuming. The turnaround time is minimal but you’ll need to make sure you have the following 7 things to start your website. 1. Domain Name Your domain name is the internet address where users go to access your website. The average price of a domain name is between $10 - $15 per year. Website hosting providers include GoDaddy, Bluehost, iPage, and HostGator. 2. Website Hosting Web hosting services give business owners the support and tools they need to build a website on their own or you can pay to have someone host and build the website for you. 3. Website Builder The website builder or website designer is responsible for creating your website. 4. High Quality Images Related To Your Lines of Business, Services, Your Agency, Your Staff Your website should look professional and include high quality images that are associated with your lines of business, services and agency. 5. Lead Generating Quote Forms Quote forms should be easy to locate on your website and include forms for all the lines of business your agency writes. 6. SEO Optimized Content Your website should be clear and concise and include descriptions of everything you offer. The content must contain keywords to generate organic search results for your agency’s website. 7. Responsive Design Website If a potential client is visiting your website from a mobile phone, desktop computer or tablet, the display and orientation of your pages should accommodate their device and adjust accordingly.  One of the main questions our AccuAgency Business Development Marketing Representatives hear in the field is, “How can I generate more leads?”. In an ongoing effort we try to share various ways for your independent insurance agency to generate more leads. We hope you find this helpful. Both of these lead generating tips require that your agency has a website so don’t read any further if your agency doesn’t. Instead, drop everything right away and contact a company that builds websites for independent insurance agencies. If your current website does not include quote forms, contact your website design company and ask them to add quote forms for all the lines of business you write. If you work with an insurance software company that offers an instant auto quote generator or any type of instant quote generator, contact them about getting the feature added to your website. Here are 2 ways you can generate leads with little effort on the front end (just contact the appropriate parties to get things rolling.) 1. Lead Generating Quote Forms You’ll want to be able to generate a quote for prospects so you’ll need to ask the right questions without driving them away by asking too many personal questions. Be sure to capture their contact information including name, email address and phone number. Those fields should be required. Make sure all quote forms are SSL Secure forms. These forms should use the same encryption and security required by your E&O policy. Taylor all quote forms and fields for each type of insurance and make it clear what type of insurance quote they are requesting. You’re familiar with insurance terms but you’re prospects probably aren’t. Consider using a photo that represents the type of insurance they are requesting a quote for. Once the form is completed and submitted, the form will be sent to the email or emails of the people you have assigned to handling the quote requests. TIP: Respond to leads IMMEDIATELY if at all possible. After just a few minutes the lead will get cold and the prospect will move on. 2. Instant Quote Forms The difference between quote forms and instant quote forms is “instant”. With an instant quote form, your prospects will receive a quoted premium for the coverages they have selected instantly. SAME TIP: Respond to your lead immediately. Consider assigning your staff to handle these leads during off hours and have them follow up right away.  Lead Generating Quote Form Example  Another Day, Another Data Breach...
An article posted last month by businessinsider.com, reported at least 14 retailers were hacked and likely had information stolen from them since January 2017. Many of the data breaches were caused by flaws in payment systems taken advantage of by hackers. The list includes Sears, Kmart, Whole Foods, Sonic, Delta, Best Buy, Panera Bread and more. The article said, “Data breaches are on the rise in both retailers and other businesses...Data breaches are a real danger for both brands and customers, and can affect customer's trust in brands.” Last month I received a Notice of Data Breach from Usinger’s. (They are famous for sausage). Now I can include them in the list of notices I have received from other companies informing me of a data breach. Watching the news it seems like there is another report of a data breach at least once a week. You’re Risking Financial Devastation As an independent insurance agency, you’re collecting a lot of personal and sensitive information from your prospects and clients. It’s critical that you protect your data and your clients’ trust or risk financial devastation if you allow hackers to steal the information as a result of a data breach. With the growing use of wireless connections, hackers can manipulate your network and gain access to your data in various ways. Consider These Security Threats:
Consider These Security Steps:
In order to keep your valued clients' sensitive data safe, it’s essential to implement a security program at your independent insurance agency. Leaving any of these security measures unchecked puts your agency’s financial security at risk.   It’s time for another AccuAgency Employee Spotlight!
Mark Etheredge, Infrastructure Manager You may be wondering, what is an infrastructure manager? An infrastructure manager plans, directs and coordinates the design, installation and connectivity of computer systems and network infrastructure to insure the stable operation of the organization’s IT assets. The role is also responsible for telephone, data center, security systems and other electronic infrastructure. But our infrastructure manager is always stepping in and contributing much more. We asked Mark about working at AccuAgency in addition to a few fun questions. How long have you worked at AccuAgency? 13 years. Also did part-time work more than 30 years ago when the company was first getting started. What do you love about your job? I enjoy working for a smaller company and wearing lots of hats, getting involved in different aspects of the business. What is something about you that would surprise people? I'm a pretty open book, but one thing is I much prefer preparing a meal at home to going out to eat. I enjoy cooking and I like to know exactly what I'm eating and how it is prepared. What is one of your guilty pleasures? Even though sugar is on my 'bad' list, I have to have a sugar fix now and then. What is something you would like to learn to do? How to professionally shoot, edit and produce videos for social media. And fly a drone for even more video footage! What is the best piece of advice you ever got? Trust yourself. Hello Summer! Summer-Inspired Blog Topic Ideas For Your Independent Insurance Agency Website Blog5/1/2018  Summer is soon approaching which means summer break, summer vacations, graduations, college kids returning home and, of course, road trips.
Here are 5 summer related blog topic ideas for your independent insurance agency website blog page.
Keep cool this summer and keep on blogging!  Roger Walker, VP of AccuAgency  In 2015, Microsoft began encouraging companies that use its Silverlight media format on their web pages to dump the tech in favor of newer, HTML5-based media playback systems. Microsoft and others now recommend that web developers handle video and other media playback via a number of new protocols introduced in the ongoing HTML5 standardization effort.
The Microsoft Silverlight plug-in promoted proprietary technology rather than open standards. You had to develop on Windows. For our customers it means the Microsoft Silverlight version of AccuAgency can only be used on Internet Explorer. Last October we released the HTML5 version of AccuAgency that we’re calling AccuAgency5. We’ve posted some blogs about some of the great new features. We’d love to share more about the features and benefits you get with AccuAgency5. Here’s a recent Q&A session we had with Roger Walker, Vice President of AccuAgency, who can tell you even more. What is AccuAgency5? This latest version of AccuAgency uses the latest HTML5 web technologies to deliver the same great AccuAgency experience with increased speed and flexibility. What does this mean for me as an agent? Faster and more flexible means that AccuAgency is designed to run on any modern browser including Chrome and Edge. The system has been optimized to adjust to any size screen and we've tried to streamline the interface to make using AccuAgency as easy as possible. Can I use my preferred browser, tablet, or phone? Yes. Call us to discuss in more detail. While we can't support every option and haven't tested every device and browser out there, the cutting edge technology of AccuAgency5 is designed to work on mobile devices and modern browsers regardless of the type of device. Let us know what your needs are and we will check the compatibility. Will I have to update or change anything? No! Provided your PC is up to date your AccuAgency5 experience should be fairly similar to what you’re currently used to. When you say “fairly” what do you mean? While most things should be in the same place you’re used to finding them, we’ve simplified some of the menus and the dashboard. The Utility, Home, Admin, and Account menus have been reshuffled to allow greater ease of access and use. What are some of the general changes and improvements from Silverlight to HTML5? Overall the new platform is easier to navigate than Silverlight. It’s touch screen friendly for devices that allow users to interact with a computer by using their finger. Users can save login credentials in their browser so they don’t have to login with their username and password every time. In addition to the “under the hood” optimizations, there are a lot of improvements to the user experience. Improved search options, dashboard improvements, drag and drop capabilities, utilization of browser tabs and stored form fields, simplified rate display and bridging, and much more. There are a lot of new features on the horizon too including integrating ability to send and receive text messages, enhanced certificate of insurance management, and more carriers available for quoting and downloads. What management feature are you most excited about? Management Plus and Management Premium customers can drag and drop attachments. It’s a nice time saving feature that agents have been asking for and we’re excited to have. What are agents saying about the new AccuAgency5? Our technical support team is getting a great response. Agents like that it works on multiple browsers and operating systems Modern, popular browsers all support HTML5 (Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera). It’s mobile and responsive. Responsive means AccuAgency5 can detect the user’s screen size and orientation and change the layout to accommodate the device making use of cascading style pages, flexible layouts and flexible images. Any other new features? Yes. When you are ready we will walk you through the improvements so you can be comfortable with them. Remember you can run AccuAgency5 and the current version at the same time. There is no conversion process so you can try it out and switch back and forth until you are comfortable. Who is using AccuAgency5? New customers are getting the latest AccuAgency5 version of AccuAgency. We’re ready to switch our Louisiana customers over now. Our inside Sales team is available to train our current customers so they can start taking advantage of the great new features. Why switch? HTML5 is faster, more flexible and it’s the future. You don’t want to get left behind. HTML5 is here to stay as more and more elements get adopted more and more companies will start to develop in HTML5. Give us a call and get switched over to our new system or for a free trial as soon as today. You’ll discover a world of difference with the many features the new system employs. Plus, it’s the same great price! Contact us to learn more. We think you are going to love it!  Tax season is almost over and you’ve probably filed your business taxes for your independent insurance agency. Could you have done a better job of tracking your business expenses and deductions?
According to the IRS, your business expenses must be ordinary and necessary to be considered a tax deduction. An ordinary expense is an accepted and common expense as an insurance agency. A necessary expense is one that is appropriate as an insurance agency. The 2017 Department of the Treasury IRS Business Expenses Publication 535 discusses common business expenses and explains what is and what is not deductible. Anything used for both home and business must be divided up into percentages. If you have a 3,000 square foot home and your home office is 300 square feet, you can deduct 10% of your mortgage payments and other home expenses including insurance, utilities and repairs. Reference Publication 535 for a checklist of tax deductions for your insurance agency including car allowance, mileage, gasoline, repairs, oil changes, registration fees and tolls. Deduct your Continuing Education expenses including classes, state licenses, renewals and subscriptions insurance related publications. The list goes on detailing deductions for insurance, office space, office supplies and equipment and more. Consider apps to help you organize and track your expenses and receipts. There are smartphone apps that let you scan receipts and organize them for you. These applications make it fast and easy to search and retrieve your receipts. There’s a great free app called Evernote that will track your receipts. For expense reports, try Expensify which automatically creates reports from a photo of a receipt. Shoeboxed lets you scan receipts with your smartphone’s camera and extracts the information where you can then organize and store it. Receipts by Wave scans your receipts and makes them fully searchable. It can link receipts to your bank records automatically. These are just a few suggestions to help you make next year’s tax preparation for your independent insurance agency a little bit easier and hopefully a lot more organized.  5 Ways To Help Save or Generate More Money For Your Insurance Agency
Go Green 1. Printers & Paper
2. Computers
3. Lighting
Generate More Money 4. Curb Appeal What do people see when they drive by your insurance agency? Potholes in the parking lot? Peeling paint? Dirty windows? Old, discolored signage? It only takes a second for a potential client to form an impression. If your independent insurance agency looks run down, you’re probably losing potential customers.
Web Appeal Spruce up your physical space AND spruce up your web presence. It’s important to freshen up your web presence on a regular basis. 5. Your Insurance Agency Website
Have you recently made significant changes to your agency? Share what you’ve done to freshen your agency or your agency’s website.  Tips For Attending Insurance Conventions & Trade Shows
This year AccuAgency is exhibiting at more than a dozen insurance conventions throughout the United States. Convention season is a busy time. Most conventions take place in the Summer but more and more associations are adding shows in late Winter, Spring and early Fall. This year we’re attending conventions beginning this month (March) through October. We love attending. We enjoy speaking with agents to learn what makes their agencies successful and sharing what we do to help independent agents be more efficient, productive and successful in an increasingly competitive market. Trade shows can be hectic. As exhibitors, we arrive early and set up our booth making sure we have all of the documentation to discuss our products and services. We have to make sure we have brochures, business cards, etc. as most trade shows last at least a few hours and most conventions have trade shows at least two days. We have a checklist of to-dos before each convention. We always learn something new after each. We always ask, what can we do to make the next convention better? So here are a few tips we suggest agents consider when attending an insurance convention. Plan Your Day In Advance Are you planning to expand and write new lines of business? Are you looking for new appointments? Most associations post a list of exhibitors on their website convention page. In addition, they link the exhibitor listing to the company’s website. Find out who will be exhibiting and do a little research to familiarize yourself with the companies and service providers you want to meet with at the trade show. Make a list of the top exhibitors and booths you plan to attend. Most associations include a trade show floor map in the convention program. Map out your list on the trade show floor map. Once you have visited your list of companies/vendors, visit the remaining booths. You may discover a company or product that’s a perfect fit for your agency or that can fill a need your agency can benefit from. Attend The Social Events You’ve paid to attend the convention, get everything out of it. The social events like dinners, cocktail parties, pool parties, hostipitality suites and happy hours are great places to meet and talk to other agents, people working in the insurance industry and special guests and speakers. These social events are more relaxed and excellent places to network. Relax & Have Fun Most conventions have free time worked into the schedule. Don’t feel like you have to work the entire time. Get out to the pool or beach. Go shopping or play miniature golf. Go out to dinner. (TIP:Some exhibiting companies are encouraged to take agents out to dinner. Would you like to talk to a company one-on-one? Feel out the company representative and see if they would be interested in taking you out to dinner.)   Agent Spotlight - Deenah Torres, Insurance World of SWFL
In our latest agent spotlight we’re featuring Deenah Torres, owner of Insurance World of SWFL in Fort Myers, Florida. Here’s what she shared about her agency, herself and a nice, unsolicited compliment about AccuAgency. (Thanks, Deenah!) Before opening my own independent agency, I managed a company owned agency for almost 10 years. During that time, I built that agency from a newly acquired acquisition, to a multi-million dollar book of business. But in the end, I wanted more than just a typical 9-5. As a mom of 4, I felt like my kids were growing up in the blink of an eye and I was missing it. Now owning an agency gives me the flexibility to work a schedule that allows me to be there for my kids more, and that’s what I love most about AccuAgency. Because it is web-based, I can access it from anywhere, and still be there to help my clients. Just last week, I quoted two policies while sitting on the bleachers watching my son’s first high-school baseball game. I may have had to apologize to the client for the cheering (lol) but in the end, my son took the W, and my clients were able to get the coverage that fitted their needs, and their budget! How many years have you been an insurance agent? 11 years and counting! What is your favorite thing about being an insurance agent? I love that I can help people get something they have to have at a price that is affordable for them, without sacrificing the level of customer service they receive. What advice would you give someone who wants to be an independent insurance agent? It isn’t easy, but it is what you make it. There are still days that I wonder if I made the right decision, but with perseverance I have built an agency that I am proud of. What is one of your guilty pleasures? Wine. Oh, and WINE! lol What is something about you that would surprise people? I am the third generation of siblings born on the same day, but in different years. So I have a “twin” brother that is exactly 2 years older than me. He said I was the worst birthday present he ever received! haha Where’s your favorite place in the world? Italy! I love the culture there, the food, the history, and the sheer beauty of it! If you could visit anywhere in the world you’ve never been, where would you go? Hmmm, that is a tough one! On my bucket list is Alaska – to see the northern lights and go whale watching, What’s the best meal you’ve ever had? That would definitely be my husband’s steak and lobster! Always marry a man who can cook! ;) |
AuthorVikki Thomas has been working in the insurance industry since 1995. Vikki has worked for several carriers in customer service, quality assurance, underwriting, product management and marketing. Vikki has worked at AccuAgency since 2008. Archives
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