Search CompleteMarkets

How to Find Stuff on the Internet: II
If you have your own Web site, one of the most important things you can do to generate traffic is to submit it to the top dozen or so search engines. When you do this (every search engine has instructions), you'll be asked to supply key words that users might enter to find your site. These key words can also be entered into the HTML code of your Web page. The objective is to try to think of terms that users might enter into a search engine to find what you're offering. So, if you're selling Nonstandard Auto insurance, you would supply key words and phrases that most consumers might use — not the jargon used in our industry. It's unlikely that someone with a substandard driving record would enter “Nonstandard Auto insurance” in a search engine. They'd probably use such terms as “car insurance,” “cheap car insurance,” “insurance for bad drivers,” “SR22,” and so forth. So, in designing your Web pages and submitting them to search engines, you have to think of what a consumer might be looking for. Conversely, when you're searching for something, it helps to think of how that information might be displayed on a site that has the information you want. You can't rely on the site having figured out what you're looking for. This requires some creative thought and experimentation. It also helps to know a few tips, tricks, and techniques. The first step is to pick the right search engine. I'm a big fan of Google and use it 95% of the time. Although other search engines are better for some types of searches, in this article, we'll use Google. The next step is to study the “help” section of the search engine you're using. Most engines have a help section or tutorial, together with an advanced search feature and/or a preferences setting. Although it helps to study the unique characteristics of each search engine, most engines use a language or syntax that's just about universal. For example, if you want to find an exact phrase, enclose it in quotation marks. So, you might look for “iiaba's virtual university,” rather than those words without the quotation marks. One of the nice things about Google is that it will first look for the entire phrase (even without parentheses), then the individual words. Not all search engines do this. Also, note that I used all lower case letters. Unless you're positive that a Web page will include the words you're looking for in capital letters, a good rule of thumb is to always use lower case. With all major search engines, you can also use connectors like “and” and “or.” In addition, you can also use symbols such as “+” and “-” in your search. To illustrate this, let's try to find something using the Google search engine. Click on the Google link to open another browser window and go back and forth between this article and Google by toggling on the buttons at the bottom of your Windows task bar below. Your assignment is to answer this question: How tall was George Washington? Of course, the first thing, you could do is look for george washington. Go ahead — try it. When I did, Google found about 2,250,000 Web sites with “george washington.” I scanned down the first dozen or so and none of the abstracts for each Web page mentioned anything about Washington's height. Clearly, I wasn't specific enough in my search criteria. One other thing about search engines: If you try to go to all 2,250,000 Web sites, you can't. Even if a search engine says that it found a million Web sites, it won't list more than a few hundred of them. Go ahead and try if you like. I'll wait. The next step is to refine your search. When I searched Google for “george washington,” it also included listings for George Washington University. Using the minus (-) sign, you can search for all Web pages that include “george washington.” but not George Washington University. Enter the following phrase in the search field: “george washington” –university Now you'll see that only 411,000 pages are found (since a search engine database changes daily, the numbers will probably be different for you), so we're narrowing down our options. Still, 411,000 is a ton of Web pages. So, let's refine our search even more by looking for the following: “george washington” -university +height With this convention, Google should list any page with the phrase “george washington” and the word “height,” but not the word “university.” Bingo! The first Web page I found says “George Washington's height and weight.” However, when I go there, it's just a message board where people are discussing this issue. Just because you find information on the Net, doesn't mean that it's accurate. The listings I got also included the height of the George Washington Bridge, a statue, and some other stuff. So, let's try: “george washington” -university +tall Now I'm down to 17,800 Web pages and I see several that mention his height. Unfortunately, they don't all agree; some say he was 6' 0” and others say he was as tall as 6' 4”. Now you're on your own to discover which is correct. When this happens, I usually go with the “name brand” site. For example, if www.britannica.com says he's 6' 3” tall and www.bubbasushistoryemporium.com says he's 7' 8” tall, I'll go with Britannica. You can see that creativity helps in choosing the right words search engine lingo (pluses and minuses) to find what you're looking for. Now that I've provided a few tips, let's put your new knowledge to work. Here's a Web “scavenger hunt ” to illustrate how to search for stuff on the Internet: How tall was President George Washington? What is the capital of Nigeria? Protoceratops was about the size of: elephant, horse, pig, or ostrich? Who is Shorty LeFeuw? On what date did president Abraham Lincoln die? What is the name of the largest asteroid in the Solar System? How tall (to the nearest 1,000 feet) is Mount Everest? In what year will Halley's Comet return? Bill Wilson is a “big, BIG fan” of what rock band? What's the secret of life? You'll note that these have nothing to do with insurance. That's for two reasons. First, I wanted to select things that most people are unlikely to know and would have to use a search engine to find. Second, these are the same questions I used with my Cub Scout den, so let's see how you do compared to six 10-year-olds!

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Maximize Your Internet Presence!
In an earlier article, I introduced the concept of Internet presence. To refresh your memory, here’s what I said: For past last two years, I’ve talked about the social Web and how agencies should experiment with these new communication tools. More and more people are using social Web tools not only to stay in touch with the people in their lives, but also to do their jobs more efficiently, effectively – and with a broader reach. Experiments that some agencies have implemented during the past few years are evolving into best practices, as it becomes obvious that these conversational tools belong everywhere. Agencies are also realizing that creating a Web presence involves far more than just using social tools. Enhancing an agency’s overall Internet presence is becoming far more important than just being on Facebook and having a LinkedIn profile. A few agencies are starting to learn about local search and are claiming their Google and Facebook places. They’re rethinking their Web site strategy to include multiple sites, an agency blog, and a YouTube channel, as well audio, and video. Agencies are beginning to use search engine marketing and pay-for-click advertising to bring buyers to their new sales Web sites. Increasing Your Internet Presence This article will explain “Internet presence” in more detail and discuss some initial steps you can take in order to maximize your organization’s Internet presence. In the past, being visible on an Internet search results page required a decent Web site and some basic knowledge about search engine optimization. An agency site should remain the cornerstone of your Internet presence; however, it’s no longer nearly enough. In today’s interconnected world, being visible to prospects searching for insurance information requires a far broader Internet presence than a Web site. Here’s a list of some areas that every organization should begin to explore in order to expand and become “findable” on the Internet. Agency Web site(s): As just mentioned, an agency Web site is a cornerstone of your strategy. However, having a single site is no longer enough. You need to start thinking about creating multiple agency sites. You should transform your existing Website into a customer service portal specifically designed for current clients. All of your prospecting and marketing Web site activity needs to be on separate site(s) designed for the type(s) of business or line(s) of coverage you’re marketing. I envision an agency having 5, 10, 20, or more different niche Web sites, all linked together providing significant search engine optimization benefits. Search findability (SEO): Implement all standard search engine optimization practices for every Internet presence you maintain. Agency blog: Every agency needs an active blog as part of their existing Web presence or at a separate Website location. I know what some of you are thinking: How can I write a blog? When will I have the time? I can assure you that creating and maintaining a blog is far easier than you think. I just received an agency e-mail newsletter that included lots of good information. However, like most people, I didn’t have time to read the entire newsletter in one sitting, so I’ll miss out on some of the benefits included in the information. The agency could have reposted each article in the newsletter as a blog post. Blog posts allow your clients to consume the information in an easier and timelier format. Blogs also help increase your findability on search engines. Search engines like fresh and constantly updated content and they reward you with a higher possibility of showing up on a search engine results page. A blog allows you to maximize your search engine presence easily Local search: Insurance search terms are among the top three most expensive paid terms on Google. Most organizations can’t compete with the advertising budgets of the Progressives and GEICOs of this world. However, any organization can compete when it maximizes its local search presence. Every agency with a physical location needs to claim its Google Place and Facebook Place. The process is easy, and free. For Google, just go to http://places.google.com/business to begin the process of claiming your listing. Facebook: This is an important first step. Also, make Facebook advertising become a vital part of your advertising. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is Facebook for business. Successful producers know that the core of their success depends on being able to network effectively. LinkedIn provides a platform that allows you to network with other business owners, in the same way that you do with Rotary or Chamber meetings. As with working with for traditional face-to-face networking, you can implement best practices to help a producer connect with and build relationships with business owners in order to meet them face to face. Every person in your agency should have a LinkedIn profile. Twitter: I don’t care what people are having for lunch either – but Twitter has become much more than a narcissistic listing of the details of your lives. For me, it’s another research tool. If someone I trust tweets information about an article they found helpful, I’m more likely to read that article. Search engines also have begun indexing tweets in real time. Tweets will help increase your Internet presence. YouTube: Video is big - really big! Users are adding 35 hours of new video to YouTube.com every minute! YouTube is a great site to help you build your video presence. In late January, 2011, Anson Thompson (The Thompson Group, Parker City, IN) created a two-minute video about how to prepare for the snow and ice storm that was predicted to race across the Midwest. He recommended specific coverages that every Personal and Commercial Lines client should make sure they have. He said the agency would go on emergency status, and gave an 800 number that clients could call at any time to ask questions or for help. He ended by asking, “If you don’t work with our agency, is your current insurance provider doing this for you?” Very powerful. Mobile: “There’s an app for that” is a phrase everyone is hearing more and more. Add to this the dramatic increase in tablet platforms such as the Apple iPad and the Motorola Xoom. Mobile is big and will just get bigger. Your agency needs a customized app. Text: The average teenager sends more than 4,000 text messages a month. A growing percentage of your clients and prospects use text to communicate—not just with friends – but with everyone. What are you doing to make text a communication option for your clients? Ratings and reviews: This option makes most agency owners nervous. “What if someone gives us a bad review?” is a question I hear often. A negative review gives you an opportunity to learn about a problem, take steps to try to correct it, and then let others know how you handled the issue. A negative review is your opportunity to shine. If you receive a lot of negative reviews, you have other problems that management must address. Either way, it’s better to know. The reality is that today’s consumer has a voice as never before. Do you even know if someone has already reviewed your agency? Agencies have always asked for ratings and reviews – they’re called testimonials. Make sure to publish your testimonials on various Web platforms – such as Google Places, your Facebook page, and ratings and review sites like Yelp.com. Feeling overwhelmed? Spend 15 to 30 minutes each day on maximizing your Internet presence. Decide what is the most important for your agency and simply begin. It’s more important for you to start than to worry about making everything perfect. Sure, you’ll make mistakes. Some items won’t work well for you. That’s OK. Learn and keep moving forward. Keep in mind that maximizing your Internet presence is not a project to complete; it’s a process you need to build into your marketing, sales, and customer service strategies.