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So you’ve set up your LinkedIn profile, now what?. How to use LinkedIn in the Insurance Industry Presented by Ashley Scott, Senior Regional Manager, OneAmerica/AUL Employee Benefits. Quick Overview. Why LinkedIn in the Insurance Industry? Profile Completeness Connections Groups
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So you’ve set up your LinkedIn profile, now what? How to use LinkedIn in the Insurance Industry Presented by Ashley Scott, Senior Regional Manager, OneAmerica/AUL Employee Benefits
Quick Overview • Why LinkedIn in the Insurance Industry? • Profile Completeness • Connections • Groups • Insurance & Human Resource Related • Recommendations • The Insurance Industry and LinkedIn • Prospecting • Client Communication and Management • Making Time for LinkedIn
Why LinkedIn? • Twitter vs. Facebook vs. LinkedIn • World’s largest professional network – 280+ million members, in over 200 countries. 2 members per second. • As of June 2011- 33.9 Million Unique Users—500k increase from May (IPO) – now almost 300m! • Dec., 2013, LinkedIn is the #9 most visited website world wide, according to comscore. • Why?-professional network, online resume/professional profile, hiring/find jobs, get help with business problems and prospect to grow your business!
Why LinkedIn? • People like to do business with people their friends know and trust • LinkedIn has a fairly high Google page rank meaning LinkedIn profiles rise to the top of search results • It’s free!
Why LinkedIn in Insurance? • Ability to be a resource to clients and potential clients • Through groups, posts etc. • Through access to LinkedIn Today: http://www.linkedin.com/today/insurance • Information from Industry Blogs, journals, newspapers, magazines • Ability to also “follow” these sources • Page links to your page and your connections and all of their posts • Details newsworthy outside industry sources (i.e. marketwatch for stocks of insurance companies you may work with or recommend to clients)
Profile Completeness • Your LinkedIn profile isyour “online resume” or executive biography • Concise • Professional • Tailored • Proofread • Convincing • Should include all schools you’ve attended and companies for which you’ve worked • Professional Headline – catchy/creative vs. simple title • Appears in searches • Brand it • Summary/Specialties • Keyword importance
Profile Completeness • Current Professional Picture • A picture is worth a thousand words • Enhances networking abilities • Helps create a positive impression • You can control who sees your profile photo
Customized Public Profile • Branding yourself • Improves visibility when you’re “googled” • When blogging or emailing, use in your signature or closing • http://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyscott1
The Power of Connections • Classmates, colleagues and friends • Power of LinkedIn is gaining access to your connections’ connections • LinkedIn will verify how you know the person (colleague, classmate, friends, other, “I don’t know”) and may ask for their email address • It’s possible to filter your invitations to only people who know your email • Premium Subscription
Direct Connections • People who have accepted an invitation to join your network are “direct connections” • They’re one degree away from you • Can contact first degree connections directly by clicking “send e-email” • All of your direct connections’ connections are two degrees away from you. Their connections are three degrees away.
Connections • Who should you connect to? Competitors? • Should you keeping your connections private? • Business card rolodex • Name top right corner settings privacy controls select who can see your connections • Select “only you” or “your connections” • Why should you build connections? • Connection Statistics • Using your connections to prospect • Searching connections • Searching companies and using your connections to find a backdoor into your targets
Groups • Which should you join? • Industry and interest specific • Mine your contacts and see what groups they belong to (competitors, clients and prospects) • Posting questions • Answering questions
Insurance & HR Related Groups • Participating in groups provides: • Opportunities to grow your knowledge base on particular topics ie. healthcare reform and to share your knowledge within the industry • Opportunities to connect with others in your field in other parts of the country and world ie. you obtain a new client in New York, could post a question for contacts in that state that do DBL • Opportunities to connect with potential clients.
The Insurance Industry & LinkedIn • Live Links to LinkedIn Insurance Groups: • Benefits and Health and Welfare Professionals • Employee Benefit News • Examples of groups you can join on LinkedIn:
The Insurance Industry & LinkedIn • Examples of Posts: • We're looking for a new online enrollment/communication vendor. The Vitamin Shoppe currently employs approximately 4000 benefit eligible associates. Can anyone recommend a vendor? • In light of the revenue impact of healthcare reform, what are you doing to move up market to pursue larger clients? What are you doing to migrate your practice to become more fee based? • Do you agree that employers are likely to drop health insurance? Why? • Can anyone recommend a Third Party Administrator of FMLA? Preferably a TPA who has experience with the hospitality industry.
Recommendations • Are a professional endorsement • Should be specific and detailed • Should add business or professional value • “Pay it forward” approach • Should be from peers, managers, and clients • Should you ask for a recommendation?
Do you have time for all of this? • Yes! • Time is in the set up • Ongoing- all you need is 30 minutes • Collect business cards throughout the week • Share an article with a group you belong to
Questions? Contact Information: Ashley Scott, Oneamerica Ashley.Scott@oneamerica.com (o) 404-495-2124 (c) 404-808-1917