Community visibility
Your agency has influence
With so many choices in the insurance marketplace, a positive reputation is critical to any independent agency’s success. Giving back locally speaks volumes and boosts your reputation because, like you, your policyholders care about the communities in which they live and work. And they want to know how you’re contributing to the greater good.
But it’s important to be sincere about your efforts. Don’t show up to a single volunteer event, post a few pictures to your social media and expect the referrals to roll in. It’s all about showing up consistently for your community and those who need help. When you’ve truly put in the work to understand an issue and racked up volunteer hours helping those in need, spreading the word will become second nature. Here are some tips for combining action with outreach and talking about your charitable giving.
Capturing and creating content
Sometimes it’s not good enough to tell people; you must show them. But you don’t have to be a professional photographer or video editing master to make good content that elevates the cause while expressing your agency’s personality.
Plan for photos Photos are fantastic ways to interact with your network through social media, newsletters and your website. Before going to a volunteer event, plan for the type of photos you want to capture. These may include:
The team
The impact
The work
Video gets attention Video is the best way to capture and keep attention on social media. It’s also a fun way to promote your cause. And there are many ways to do it including posting live social media events, interviews, human-interest pieces or whatever else you can dream up, so get creative and put the power of video to work for you. Consider the following videos to start out:
In the moment
Interview style
After the fact
More tips
Designate someone to be the photographer This ensures you get the photos you need. They don’t need a professional-level camera — virtually any smartphone will do. Just be sure they take a variety of candid and posed shots in both landscape and vertical orientations, so you have plenty of different options to use.
The Insurance Source in Waterbury, Connecticut volunteers with their Rotary to provide new sneakers to local students.
Get participation waivers and image releases Prior to using images on social media or in other materials, make sure you have consent from the people in the images. When kids are shown, you’ll need to get their parent’s approval.
The Richards Group presented a Make More Happen check to their partner nonprofit and used this photo in social media and local media outreach to promote the Rotary mission and programs.
Create a photo op For projects that don’t have a hands-on activity, work with a local print shop to create an oversized check to present to the nonprofit. It makes for a great photo to go with your story.
Create a welcome kit
For the Make More Happen stories, we ask the winning agents to introduce us to the nonprofit they are nominating by answering a few short questions about their volunteer work:
- What is your history of involvement with the nonprofit?
- What do you do to support them throughout the year?
- Describe a memorable experience volunteering with this nonprofit.
- Do you hold any special roles with the nonprofit?
- How does this nonprofit impact you and your community?
Similarly, these questions can help you craft a piece for your welcome kit to introduce your clients to causes and organizations the agency supports (don’t forget to include a photo.) Your story doesn’t need to be complex; it just needs to come from the heart.
Newsletters
Your agency newsletter is a fantastic place to highlight a nonprofit or cause, especially when there is a way for others to get involved alongside the agency. If you’re sending an e-newsletter, be sure to track click rates on this type of content over time.
In the office
With so many working from home, it’s easy to forget about the power of the storefront. But anyone coming by your office should be able to see the good work your team is doing in the community, so have some photos or other material about your philanthropy efforts ready to view.
Social media
There are endless possibilities when it comes to social media. Wherever your agency is active, add photos of your volunteers in action, share posts from your nonprofit partners, celebrate milestones and even host virtual events and fundraisers to support the cause.
Business associations
If you’re a member of a Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, church or other community organization, ask them to publish news about a large donation, event or opportunity to volunteer in their newsletter and social media.
An important part of sharing your efforts is inviting others to join the cause. This expands the circle and allows even more great things to happen. And who better to share it with than your current clients? Once they see your enthusiasm and the results of the good work you’re doing, many will likely want to join in, so give them the chance to be part of the team too.