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Social media can be a very powerful tool for insurance agents. Learn how to avoid social media pitfalls by avoiding the 6 most common mistakes new agents make.

In 2021, it’s safe to say that the power of social media has never held more sway over service-based businesses. As clients and customers alike stay locked down and search for solutions from home, they’re increasingly turning to social media to vent their concerns, research potential solutions, and yes — to solicit opinions and reviews to narrow down their ever-growing list of options. All of these components create what should be a “perfect storm” for an ambitious agent, but there are plenty of pitfalls to avoid along the way. 

6 Social Media Mistakes to Avoid

Using the “Wrong” Account

While you want to project an approachable, friendly demeanor, there’s such a thing as too casual, even on social media. Your social media account can have a casual tone at times, but the information, profile picture, and other core information should be strictly business. 

TIP: Don’t try to use an existing personal account as a jumping-off point for pitching services — make a proper business-oriented social media account and start from scratch.  

Inconsistent Posting

If you’re going to do social media, do social media. Make an appointment in your workflow or calendar to update your social media accounts regularly, and make a habit of checking them every day. 

Many agents start out strong, posting often, then fall off a few weeks in and leave huge gaps in their posting schedule. 

TIP: Remember, the behaviors you show on social media give your clients a glimpse into your professional persona — do you want to be seen as someone that can’t commit?

Controversial Subjects

Nothing makes a comment section explode faster than a controversial or “hot take” on something that is intensely debated. That said, this is a case where not all press is good press. 

Every time you take a public personal stance against an A-versus-B topic, you are alienating 50% of the potential clients in the group you’re addressing. 

TIP: Just like etiquette bans discussions of politics or religion at the dinner table, so goes professional conduct on social media.

Turning into a Promo-Bot

It’s no secret: you’re on social media to make sales -- everyone that likes or interacts with your page understands that. However, an endless scroll of nothing but self-promotional content is more likely to elicit a yawn than an appointment. 

TIP: Talk about tangential subjects — an article about an interesting insurance-related news story, unique things that have been protected by insurance policies throughout history, etc. — instead. 

This gives your followers and fans something to engage with — no one wants to talk to an ad!

Trying to Buy Your Way to Fame 

An oft-used trick for countertop tip jars in restaurants is borrowing a few $5 bills from the till and slipping them in before a shift starts. The idea is that customers, seeing money already in the jar, are more likely to add their own. 

Some agents embrace this concept by buying packages of likes and followers from shady internet sellers. These are typically all bots or low-quality accounts that will never manifest a sale.

TIP: Don’t give in to the temptation of paid “likes.” At the very least, you’ll be out good money; but at the worst, you could find your account banned for it!

Yelling Into the Void

Social media is all about connection and networking, and a brand new, passive account doesn’t have much to offer. 

TIP: Follow pertinent accounts before attempting to fill your feed up with your own posts and tweets. 

So how do you attract an audience? Smart moves include following insurance-tangential accounts like the national weather service for home insurance salespeople, the national highway safety commission for vehicle insurance teams, and so on. 

Joining and interacting with membership-based groups, such as an insurance cluster, is also far wiser than endlessly posting to an empty room and hoping for follows.