Here is our latest website redesign, just launched for Synergy Solutions Group of Virginia.
The new SSG website was recently launched with rotating home page images creating a professional, modern feel that is easy to navigate. The site is mobile-responsive, clean and concise, and provides a one-stop resource for potential and current clients.
Visit the new SSG site at http://synergysolutionsgroupofvirginia.com/.
As employee benefit agencies, we know it can be hard to figure out the best way to leverage social media for your company, so we’ve made it easy. Follow these four steps to get more out of LinkedIn today!
Want to learn more? Go in depth with our post 5 Ways to Optimize LinkedIn for Your Benefit Agency.
Does your About page grab potential clients’ attention or does it leave them yawning? We’re sharing tips on tone, content and format for creating an engaging About page that will make people want to work with your agency today!
Tone
When a potential client reads your About page they should feel like they are meeting you face-to-face for the first time. You have the chance to make a good impression by adopting a conversational and human tone while still communicating what makes your services unique and superior. An easy way to do this is embrace the use of “I” and “we” rather than writing from a formal, third person perspective. Your tone should be authentic and relatable while remaining professional.
Content
What should you talk about? Focus on telling your story with simplicity rather than filling an About page with industry jargon or fluffy descriptions. People want to know where you came from, what you can do for them and why you are a credible choice. Show that you understand your potential client’s challenges and use examples of things you’ve done in the past to let them know you can solve their problems.
Finally, always include a call to action. What do you want them to do next? Your goal with your About page should be to motivate potential clients to contact you about your services. Place contact information visibly on the page. Include several ways to get in touch including a contact form, email, phone number and physical address.
Format
Your About page offers a glimpse into who you are as a company – your history, the principles by which you do business and the people who make up your team. It is your first chance to establish trust with a client by showing who the people behind the brand are. Don’t be afraid to move away from the traditional corporate About page format and get a little creative with what makes your company unique. Include images of your team that put a face to the name. We like what Brio Benefits has done to showcase their team by incorporating a corporate portrait and a funny, personable candid photo along with each employee bio. To view their About page, click here.
Think your About page needs a revamp? Contact us today and we’ll get you started!
LinkedIn is fast proving to be the foremost social media site for B2B marketing. Employee benefit agencies that rely on cultivating relationships in order to market a product or service may find utilizing more fast-moving social platforms like Twitter or Instagram challenging, but LinkedIn provides a space for professionals to interact with one another, share original industry content and create brand awareness for their company that results in leads and network growth. We’ve put together a list of five simple ways you can start optimizing LinkedIn for your business today:
Even if you don’t plan on doing much posting of your own on a personal profile, this step is imperative because right now LinkedIn requires that you have a personal account in order to make a company page. Your profile should contain a professional photo of yourself, your name, job title and ideally your work and educational experience as well as any relevant accomplishments or projects.
Now that you’ve created your personal page, you are able to set up a page that specifically provides information about your company to LinkedIn users. This page should contain your company name, logo, a link to your website, and a short description of your business that includes relevant keywords that are specific to what you do. Keywords can be in the form of phrases such as “Maryland insurance broker” but should shy away from staying as vague as “insurance company.” This helps your page receive a higher ranking in search engine results. Finally, ask employees who have personal LinkedIn profiles to list your company in their work experience, helping ensure that you can be found easily when people search for your business.
Sharing content ensures more opportunity for people to visit your company page and then hopefully website to follow up! Posts can be a mix of your original content and outside articles, videos or podcasts that are relevant to your industry. Recent studies show that the best time to post on LinkedIn is Tuesday through Thursday between 7-9am, noon and between 5-6pm. In addition, data revealed that posts made on Tuesday between 10-11am have the most clicks and shares. For best engagement results, companies should make it a priority to post on their LinkedIn page once a week, but no more than once a day.
LinkedIn Groups provide a place for professionals to connect with peers working in their field or with similar interests where they can share helpful content, reviews, ask questions, post job openings and make new connections. You are able to either search for groups to join or create your own group based on your topic of choice where you can invite people to become members. These groups are useful for connecting with prospects and establishing your company as an industry expert.
By utilizing not only your company page but also your personal profile, you can enrich your business’s success by connecting with prospects and clients. Start slow by inviting 3-5 people to connect with you per week. Follow up with a thank you message and a quick introduction when they accept your invitation. Did you write a blog for your company or on an industry topic? Post it to you profile. As you continue to share content, consider submitting it to LinkedIn Pulse’s editors to have your blog post featured. This translates to much more visibility for your company! Finally, don’t be afraid to engage with others. If you see content you like, write a comment or send a quick message to the author. Other LinkedIn members are interested in the same thing you are – building mutually beneficial relationships!
Generating brand awareness for your company on social media is becoming more and more important in our highly digitalized economy. LinkedIn offers the perfect space for your company using a B2B marketing model that is based largely on relationships to thrive and establish yourself as an industry expert while expanding your network of prospects and future business connections.
In the world of employee benefits, we know that relationships are key. Particularly for independent firms, a new client is more likely to be obtained through a game of golf with a current client who knows local business owners than by a YouTube video explaining an online enrollment process. However, companies that do this type of B2B marketing can highly benefit from a robust social media presence, and we’re here to tell you how with three simple points:
Most professionals today have accounts on LinkedIn if not Facebook and Twitter. These three big social media channels offer a unique opportunity to nurture current business relationships and foster new ones. Becoming a part of industry groups on social media helps your business see who else is in your field with whom you could build partnerships or share services and keep up with what your current clients are doing both in business and in the community. With private messaging, industry groups and platforms for public sharing, it’s easy to make initial and continuing points of contact with both current and prospective clients. Don’t stop at just a business page – drive engagement by posting, sharing and connecting through your personal account and encourage your employees to do so as well – this adds an extra relational aspect to your brand which shows you personally care about your clients.
One of the biggest things social media can do for your brand is add credibility as an industry expert through the content you post, thus giving you more opportunity to develop relationships with a larger pool of people. Start by creating a blog post a few times a month that educates about a unique service you offer or explains an aspect of employee benefits that is often confusing to clients. The key is to offer content that is engaging, educational and gives value to the reader – this should not be a sales pitch – quality content will bring a reader back for more. Share this post on your company and personal LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter accounts and encourage employees to do the same. Reply to comments and shares with a personal note of thanks or a follow up question to foster engagement!
We know it’s important to create original content, but what does that look like? Start with a blog. Write succinct posts about topics relevant to your industry, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box a little bit. We all know employee benefits topics can get boring, but what about doing a profile on an employee who has benefited from a client’s wellness program that your firm set up? People want to hear her story. As you get more comfortable, explore other mediums. Share photos from company workshops or community events where you were participants or make a short video explaining a commonly misunderstood aspect of employee benefits packages. And don’t worry – if you don’t know where to start with creating content, there are companies to which you can outsource that will help you find the perfect way to share your story as an employee benefits broker.
Social media is increasingly becoming a vital tool in how we do business in today’s economy. By understanding and implementing these three concepts about how to use social media in the employee benefits field, you can expand your relational reach, establish your business as an industry expert and offer diverse creative content that sets your brand apart and generates client loyalty.
Here is our latest website redesign, just launched for Group Insurance Associates.
The Group Insurance Associates website was recently launched with unique animated videos custom-made for GIA embedded throughout the site. We also embedded an HR360 login widget, link to a custom EBC demo, and UBA news feed. The site is mobile-responsive, easy to navigate, clean and concise, providing a one-stop resource for potential and current clients.
Visit the new GIA site at http://gianow.com.
There is some debate out there as to whether blogging is still relevant in today’s social media marketing environment.
Regardless if you are a small business, or a multinational company, blogging is integral to your online content marketing strategy.
Here are 4 reasons you need to blog:
1. Drive traffic to your website
2. Increase your SEO/ SERP
3. Position your brand as an industry leader
4. Develop better customer relationships
Drive traffic to your website:
Your blog gives you the opportunity to create relevant content for your customers. Use this as a marketing tactic to drive traffic back to your website.
Make the blog on your website the foundation for all of your social media platforms.
Your business might be on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, or anywhere else. Post links – with relevant visuals – of your blog articles to your social sites. Give your social followers a reason to click through to your website.
Additionally, post inbound links directly in your blog articles, to drive traffic to specific landing pages of your website.
Increase your SEO/ SERP:
Blogs increase your SEO. Fresh content is still a key to beating out your competitors in the search engine results page.
Use keywords in your articles. List out the keywords, topics, and categories you want your business to be found with. Use these words, and related expressions when writing your posts.
Of course, whether you actively seek these out or not, blogging regularly about your business, industry, product or customer lifestyle will naturally increase your search keywords. Being intent about your words will only increase results.
Keywords and topics on your website are a significant way in which Google (and other search engines) find your site for these searched words.
Position your brand as an industry leader:
Well written articles demonstrate your company as an industry leader. By posting topics which resonate with your market and show your knowledge, you are marketing your skills for your business, service or product too.
If you are a retailer, for example, write blog posts about your products. Your customers will get to know you as the knowledge source for the products they want.
If you are in B2B, post articulate, well researched articles about your service. Become the hub, or the place to be, for your industry.
You are building trust, too. The more you can show that you are well-versed in your field, the more likely your consumer will trust you to supply what they need.
Your customers additionally benefit from the learning you provide them.
Develop better customer relationships:
Blogs provide another source to deepen the connection with your customer. By connecting directly on your website, your clients are able to get to know your business or product from the comfort of your online home base.
Use this. Again, build trust by being a source of information. Consumers like to be informed, and appreciate that you are the one teaching them.
Additionally, just as on your other social sites, respond to comments and interact with your consumer. If they have questions about a product you are writing about, respond to them directly on your website. Unlike many social sites, a blog is generally searchable on your site for some time. Your website comments last longer than on a Twitter response or Facebook post. Other customers will see your interactions too.
Source: Wishpond
Written by: Krista Bunskoek, PR and Content Marketer @ Wishpond