Social Media #3

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 Stop winging community events and start planning them strategically.

Every fourth quarter, same thing happens.

Agents sit down to plan their community marketing and freeze.

Questions flood in: How much should they budget? What events should they choose? How do they make everyone happy - employees, community members, networking groups, schools, churches, youth sports?

Paralysis.

So they retreat to what feels safer. Internet leads, cold calling, traditional advertising.

Then when community events pop up throughout the year? They either don't have money budgeted or they wing it with no plan.

Here's what that costs them beyond just money: the ability to focus on execution and outcomes.

When you budget and plan in advance, you can focus on having fun, networking, showing the community your positive side.

Instead of being unprepared.

Stressed.

I learned this the hard way through 25+ years of helping agents with car shows, sponsorships, teaching in schools.

Two types of community activities work:

→ Cornerstone Events: Your major investments (2-4 per year like car shows, festivals)
→ Keystone Activities: Smaller touchpoints that complement the big events

Strategic seasonal planning makes the difference.

First quarter works great for school sports and teaching Insurance 101. Second quarter fits spring youth sports and graduations. Third quarter brings summer festivals, new school year events. Fourth quarter means football and holidays.

Plus planning and budgeting ahead.

But here's something agents often overlook...

Community events work best as both external marketing AND internal team building.

Look at your agency's culture. If nobody on staff is into classic cars, car shows are a bad choice. But if staff have kids in sports and school activities, focus there.

Annual planning becomes crucial here. Each quarter becomes an opportunity to get staff involved and excited to work on "their" event.

When your heart's into it, your head puts in the extra effort.

One big event per quarter plus teaching Insurance 101 keeps an agency in the community's mind year-round. You reach large numbers of people.

Leads and phone calls can't have that kind of impact.

You can serve and grow at the same time.

What's your experience with community marketing planning? Like and share if you think more agents need a real system for this. 

 The agents who succeed at community marketing track three things most agents ignore completely.

While most agents are counting leads and measuring ROI the traditional way, the successful ones are tracking relationship depth, community reputation score, and something I call 'reference velocity.'

These metrics tell the real story of community marketing success.

After 25 years working with captive and independent agencies, here's what separates the winners:

→ Relationship depth
How many people in your community know your name AND what you stand for. Not just recognition... trust.

→ Community reputation score
Are you the agent who shows up consistently, or just another sponsor check? There's a big difference.

→ Reference velocity
How fast does your name get mentioned when someone needs insurance?

Most agents I work with track event attendance. Lead generation. Basic stuff.

The successful ones?

They track relationship building.

I've watched hundreds of agents invest in car shows, festivals, school programs. The ones who thrive aren't measuring immediate returns.

They're building something that lasts.

A reputation that generates referrals months after the event ends.

Makes sense, right?

We built Agents in the Community specifically to help agents move beyond random community investments. To create strategic relationship building that actually works.

What community marketing metric do you track that others might be missing?

Like & share if you believe relationships beat transactions every time 👍 

 The missing piece in your prospect conversations isn't what you think.

Most agents walk into meetings with a checklist.

Age, family size, current coverage...

But here's what 25 years taught me.

People don't share with strangers.
They share with neighbors.

When you start asking questions, you're interviewing.
When you start with connection, you're building community.

Next meeting?

Try this:
→ Ask about their favorite local events
→ Share what you love about the area
→ Find common ground first
→ Let them guide the conversation

The coverage details work themselves out.

Community connection comes first.

I've watched agents transform their practices just by changing this one thing. Starting with "What do you love about living here?" instead of "Tell me about your current policy."

Makes all the difference.

Your prospects want to share their story.
They're just waiting for someone who cares about more than their premium.

What's your go-to conversation starter? Drop it below 👇

Like & share if you believe relationships beat checklists every time. 

 The top-performing agencies I've worked with all made the same shift three years ago.
They stopped guessing and started following a proven system that turns community events into predictable lead generation.

I've been in insurance for 25 years.

Worked with hundreds of agencies.

And here's what separates the winners from everyone else...

The agencies that struggle? They show up to random events. Car shows, festivals, whatever someone mentions. Set up a table, hand out branded pens, cross their fingers.

Sound familiar?

The ones crushing it do this instead:

→ Plan their community calendar 6 months to a year out
→ Choose events based on where their ideal clients actually go
→ Track every conversation, every follow-up, every result
→ Treat it like a business investment... not a hobby

I've watched agencies transform their entire lead pipeline once they stopped treating community marketing like guesswork.

Same time investment.
Same budget.
Completely different results.

The difference? Having a real process for planning, executing, and evaluating their community marketing efforts.

Most agencies are still figuring it out as they go. There's nothing wrong with that... but there's a more effective way.

That's exactly why I created Agents in the Community.

What's been your experience with community events? Share if you've seen this shift happening too. 

 From empty pages to packed community events in 90 days.

I've watched agents go from having zero marketing content to confidently sponsoring car shows, teaching in schools, and building genuine community connections.

The transformation happens when you stop trying to figure it out alone.

You know the feeling, right? Staring at blank calendars wondering what events to sponsor. Throwing money at random community activities with no real plan.

Feeling guilty about not being more involved locally.

Here's what I've learned after 25+ years working with agencies...

Community marketing for insurance agents needs a specific system. Not some generic business advice that doesn't understand our industry.

The agents who succeed follow six steps:

→ What community events actually align with your goals
→ Why certain activities build trust (while others just drain budgets)

Then there's the who, when, where and how.

But here's the thing.

When agents finally have a clear plan, they stop second-guessing every decision. They start showing up confidently in their communities.

That confidence? People notice.

I've seen agents go from avoiding community events to becoming the go-to person at car shows and school presentations.

All because they had a system designed specifically for insurance agents.

Not borrowed from some marketing guru who's never sold a policy.

What do you think? Like and share if you believe every agent deserves a real system for community marketing. 

 The highest-performing community-focused agents I work with spend valuable time each month reviewing what content connected and what flopped.

This simple habit separates the agents booking lots of new new clients monthly from those struggling to get even 1.

Most agents?

They post randomly. A car show photo here, safety tip there... maybe throw up a community event picture.

No system. No tracking.

Zero learning.

But here's what the successful ones track:

→ Which posts generated actual conversations (not just likes)
→ Community event content that brought people through their door
→ Educational posts that led to quote requests

They treat content like coaches study game film.

Makes sense, right?

They know their home and auto posts get 3x more engagement on Tuesday mornings. They discovered their "local business spotlight" series brings in new referrals every month.

Consistently.

They learned insurance basics posts generate the most saves and shares in their community.

The difference isn't talent or luck.

It's measurement.

When you know what works in your specific area, you do more of it. When you track what flops... you stop wasting time on content that goes nowhere.

Your community marketing needs the same systematic approach as your sales process.

After 25 years working with agencies, I see this pattern over and over. The agents who measure and adjust their community content always outperform those who wing it.

What's one piece of content that consistently works for your agency?

Like and share if you believe systematic beats random every single time ↗️ 

 From writing sponsorship checks to writing new policies.

Six months ago, Sarah was another agent throwing money at community events and hoping for the best.

Today, she has a systematic approach that generated 89 leads from her last three events and closed 23 new policies.

The change wasn't her budget or her market.

Sarah stopped treating community events like charitable donations. Started treating them like business investments.

She used to write checks to local festivals, show up with a table and some brochures... then hope people would remember her name.

Now?

She picks events based on where her ideal clients actually spend time. Builds relationships with event organizers weeks before the event. Has a follow-up system that turns conversations into appointments.

The difference is having a plan.

Sarah tracks every dollar she invests in community events. She knows which events generate leads, which demographics respond best, and exactly how to turn a handshake into a policy.

Your community deserves better than random sponsorship checks.

And your agency deserves a system that actually works.

Like if you're ready to stop hoping and start planning your community marketing. Share if you know an agent who needs to see this 👍 

 You can serve your community and grow your business simultaneously.

Most agents think it's either-or.

After 25 years watching agents at community events, the pattern is obvious.

Car shows. Festivals. Sponsorships.

Same approach everywhere:
Show up. Hand out brochures. Hope something sticks.

No plan. No follow-up. No measurement.

Then they wonder why "community marketing doesn't work."

But some agents get different results.

What's the difference?

They treat community marketing like a business system, not a charity expense.

→ Plan which events match their target market
→ Set goals beyond "brand awareness"
→ Capture leads systematically
→ Follow up within 24 hours with different approaches for hot leads vs. nurture prospects

The systematic agents see 28% higher retention from community-sourced customers.

Makes sense.

When someone meets you at their kid's baseball game, they don't shop their renewal with your competitor.

Here's what really excites me about this...

These agents aren't just building bigger books of business. They're teaching Insurance 101 in high schools, supporting youth sports, strengthening their communities.

Give first.

Serve genuinely.

Then receive better retention, stronger networks, sustainable growth.

Everyone wins when the system serves everyone involved.

Like and share if you believe agents can do well while doing good 👍

What's worked in your community marketing efforts? 

  An independent agent I know went from throwing money at every community event to doubling her referrals in 18 months.

Same market. Same agency.

Totally different approach.

She stopped treating community marketing like a charity checkbook and started treating it like a business system.

Before: Saying yes to every sponsorship request that crossed her desk.

After: Only investing in events where she could build real relationships.

The shift wasn't about spending more money.

It was about having an actual plan.

Most agents I talk to are still doing the scatter-shot approach... Car show sponsorship here, festival booth there, youth league donation somewhere else.

No tracking. No follow-up system. No real strategy.

Then they wonder why their "marketing budget" feels like an expense instead of an investment.

The agents who actually grow through community involvement understand something simple:

You need the what, why, who, when, where and how figured out before you write the first check.

Not after.

That's the whole foundation of what we built with Agents in the Community - a real framework for planning and measuring your community investments.

Because your time and money deserve better than hope and prayer marketing.

Agree? Hit like and share if you're ready to stop winging your community marketing approach. 

 Six months ago, Sarah was writing sponsorship checks and crossing her fingers. Now she can tell you exactly which community investments bring in clients and which ones don't.

The difference was having a real system.

Most agents I work with are stuck in the same cycle.

→ Write a check for the local car show
→ Show up with a booth and some pens
→ Hope something good happens
→ Repeat next year because... why not?

But here's what I've learned after 25 years working with agencies.

The agents who actually grow through community marketing?

They track everything.

Cost per conversation. Follow-up rates. Which events generate actual policies versus which ones just make you feel good about "supporting the community."

Take this example: Agent spends $500 on little league sponsorship, gets 12 genuine prospect conversations. Same agent drops $2,000 on festival booth... gets two conversations, zero policies.

Guess which one gets the budget next year?

Community marketing works when you treat it like actual marketing.

Not charity.
Not hope.
Strategy.

Most agents are winging their community investments. There's a better way to serve your community AND grow your business.

What's been your best community marketing ROI? Like and share if you think agents need better systems for this stuff 👇 

 The agents getting real results from community marketing all do this one thing.

After working with hundreds of agents and agencies, I noticed a pattern among the ones actually growing through community involvement.

They stopped treating it like charity and started treating it like marketing with a plan.

Look, most agents I work with have huge hearts. They sponsor the little league team, show up at every car show, write checks for school fundraisers.

Love that about our industry.

But here's what kills me...

They're throwing money and time at community events with zero strategy. No budgets, no follow-up system, no way to track what's actually working.

Then they scratch their heads wondering why all that community goodwill isn't turning into new policies.

The agents who figured this out? They treat community marketing like any other marketing investment:

→ Clear budgets and event calendars
→ They pick events where their ideal clients actually hang out
→ Real systems for capturing contacts and following up
→ They measure ROI on every single community dollar spent

Don't get me wrong... your heart should still be in it.

But why not serve your community AND grow your business at the same time?

When you finally have a real process for planning and executing community marketing, both things happen naturally.

You become more valuable to your community. Your agency grows.

Win-win.

Like and share if you believe agents can serve AND grow their communities profitably 👊

What's your biggest community marketing challenge? 

  From random sponsorships to systematic community growth.

Most agents I work with are doing community marketing backwards.

They get a call about sponsoring the little league team. Write a check. Put up a banner.

Then wonder if it was worth it.

After 25 years working with agents, I see this pattern everywhere.

Random sponsorships.
No plan.
No way to measure results.

Here's what actually works:

Map out your community first. Who are you trying to reach? Where do they spend time?

Then build your calendar around THOSE events.

The car show where young families go? Perfect for auto insurance conversations.

The business chamber mixer? That's your commercial opportunity.

The high school career fair? Future clients - or even future employees - learning about insurance for the first time.

Each event should connect to your bigger picture.

One agent I know sponsors the same three events every year. Same budget as agents doing ten random things.

But she tracks every relationship. Follows up consistently. Builds on each conversation.

Her community marketing actually... works.

Because she has a system.

Your community deserves more than random check-writing. And so does your business.

Like and share if you believe community marketing should be strategic, not scattered. ↗️