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​THE RESOURCE

Connect with us. 

What Does Your Website Say About You?

3/15/2019

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Examples of what you should do on your website:
Tell visitors what you do and how you can help them. If they come to your site and have no idea what services you provide, they’re going to go to the next site in their Google search. Be clear and concise. And in order for visitors to find you, your web developer must have search engine optimization (SEO) including header tags (H1) in place. Otherwsie, your prospects will never find you or read about you.
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User-friendly navigation menus. Nothing is worse than going to a site and finding the menus don’t have what you expect them to. Make it easy for your visitors to find what they’re looking for.
 
Provide useful information with less fluff and include relevant images. Pictures of cars on your wesbite when you offer Senior Healthcare Solutions will give visitors the impression that you sell auto insurance.
 
Responsive design. That means your site is mobile and tablet friendly. Nothing is worse than going to a website that looks like it’s from 1987. Be current with your design and layout. Otherwise? Take the site down, it’s doing you a great disservice.
 
Active links are crucial! No one wants to hit the dreaded 404 page because a page has been removed or had its name changed. 
Social media icons and contact information should be visible and quickly accessible. If a visitor can’t find your contact information quickly, they become frustrated. And if your social icons don’t link to your social profiles, what is the point of having them?
 
A secure sight. Why is it important? Because most sites are encrypted these days, and if your clients are going to be visiting your site and giving you personal information, they want to know your site is secure.
 
Quick load times are imperative. If your site takes too long to load, visitors will bounce (leave).
 
'About' page with profile pictures. We’re in a fast-paced world of scrolling and visuals. Visitors want to know more about you and what you look like. Let them know who you are and why they should work with you.

Site Checklist:

✓ TELL VISITORS WHAT YOU DO
✓ EASY NAVIGATION
✓ RESPONSIVE DESIGN
✓ SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
✓ CLEAR, CONCISE, INFORMATIVE
✓ RELEVANT IMAGES
✓ ACTIVE LINKS
✓ WORKING SOCIAL MEDIA ICONS
✓ CONTACT INFORMATION
✓ SECURE SITE (https)
✓ QUICK LOAD TIME
✓ ABOUT US PAGE WITH PICS
By Carolyn Portanova
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You Only Get One Time to Make a First Impression

2/25/2019

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"Before a prospect for life insurance, annuities, disability insurance or other products or services meets you in person, they might visit your website or explore your social media or call your office . A poor first impression on any of these fronts can degrade your credibility and spook the prospect."

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"Though giving advice today on first impressions may seem cliché, it is perhaps MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER. Customer choice is at an all-time high. Prospects can easily click to the next search result and collect a stack of proposals before making a decision. In this ultra-competitive landscape, advisors cannot afford to botch the first impression.

"The classic wisdom of looking and behaving at your best still applies, but we have to extend that philosophy into every possible first-touch moment." Read the full article...

Source: Think Advisor , February 8, 2019, Marykay Long
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Are you in need of help with your online presence? If so, we're here to assist. Don't lose prospects because your online presence needs work. Falling short with an online presence will only inhibit your ability to gain more clients. As your FMO, we want you to succeed and that means helping you with your branding and marketing. Reaching as many potential clients as possible in today's fast paced world of scrolling takes the right tools and the right knowledge. We can help you build your online presence, and we urge you to take advantage of our services.

If you don't have a website, a social media presence or even a Google listing, we need to rectify that. Simple steps that ensure you're found online need to be implemented. Referrals are fantastic, but new clients that come by way of the internet are just waiting to fall into your lap.

​Visit our Marketing Resources page to learn more, and get in touch with us today.
By Carolyn Portanova
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The Importance of Having an Online Presence in 2017

12/21/2016

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If you’re looking for ways to find new clients in 2017, hopefully you have a game plan already put into place. And if not? Have you considered these options?

Do you have a website? If not, are you building one for 2017? 
Creating a website does not have to be daunting and expensive. Just having a landing page with your contact information can often times be enough initially. There are so many options for creating a web presence. It’s endless and you can have one in a matter of hours. WordPress, Squarespace, Weebly and Wix are all options that allow customers to build sites on their own without hiring a web designer. IXN Tech is a company we personally recommend for building insurance websites.

Do you have a Facebook page at the very least? 
Not your personal Facebook profile, but an actual business page to let the world know you’re online, where they can come to your page and find relevant industry news, updates and contact information. Building a Facebook page is something everyone should absolutely do, and it can be accomplished in a matter of minutes. If you have a personal online presence, then it only makes sense to have one for your business and your brand as well.

Have you run ads on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter?
If you’ve never thought about running a Facebook ad or an ad on LinkedIn to find potential clients, what are you waiting for? You can run ads and target specific demographics to alert your potential client base that you’re on social media, and you’re keeping up with the times (and looking to grow your business). Both sites, as well as Twitter, have step-by-step directions on how to go about running an ad. You decide your budget and you decide how long you want your ads to run.
Take the time to research your advertising options on the social networks mentioned, and build that Facebook page today. In a matter of minutes you can have an online presence and you can use your personal contacts and existing clients to help spread the word about your business profile. No one will know you’re out there, if you don’t tell them.
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If you don’t have an online presence, you’re missing out on an enormous opportunity. More and more small businesses are understanding the need for a digital presence, and although it may seem overwhelming and overly crowded out there on the Interweb, it’s absolutely necessary for your business to expand.
By Carolyn Portanova
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More people are connecting via LinkedIn than ever. Have you set up a LinkedIn profile? Below are 10 steps to get you up and networking.

4/7/2016

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LinkedIn is one of the most powerful networking social media platforms out there. Most people today are using some form of social media to network and grow their connections and business. If you're not currently using LinkedIn to prospect for clients, grow your connections and expand your network you're missing a valuable opportunity. LinkedIn has so many resources for insurance agents and in the steps below, we'll show you how to create an account and get you networking in no time.

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Step 1:  Create an account and upload a professional photo of yourself.
Step 2:  Construct a summary ​about yourself. This is a short bio based on your past work history.
Step 3:  Add your work experience and history, chronologically.
Step 4:  Add a header image to your profile.
Step 5:  Add any honors, patents, publications or awards you have received.
Step 6:  Begin sending out connection requests with a personalized message.
Step 7:  Join groups and organizations that reflect your interests and your profession.
Step 8:  Post articles, and updates regularly.
Step 9:  Endorse others in your network for their skills and congratulate them on accomplishments.
Step 10:  ENGAGE and INTERACT with others on LinkedIn.

You can connect with us on LinkedIn by clicking here. ​​

​By 
Carolyn Portanova
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    Author

    Carolyn Portanova is the Director of Marketing at The Brokerage Resource and has been with the firm since 2012. 

    She oversees all marketing and communications for The Brokerage Resource.

    Additionally, she works closely with the firm's independent insurance agents to teach them how to promote their own brands and in turn, grow their businesses.

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