Find some boards to serve on. A lot of times, agents and other businesspeople will avoid service on boards for fear of being viewed as too political and losing business. And that’s a valid concern. There’s certainly a risk involved in making statements that could be viewed as controversial, offensive or that could alienate the portion of your customer base that doesn’t agree.
But service on a board doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be so politically outspoken that you alienate customers. It simply means that you get involved in an effort in your community—regarding recycling or building a bike trail, maybe. Something most, if not all, people in the community could get behind.
Sponsor a charity / event / kids’ sports team, etc. And in the same vein of events almost everyone can get behind, sponsoring something like a run to cure cancer or a Little League Team or even a local benefit concert can get your agency’s name out into the public eye in all the right ways.
Get to know local officials. Much like service on a board, a lot of people blanch at the idea of hanging out with politicians. Often, and understandably so, many folks’ first thoughts go directly to bribery, graft and scandal. And it’s hard to know which ones are involved in such things and which aren’t.
But that doesn’t mean your interactions with local officials in your town, your county and your state have to go in those directions. There are polite, effective, and best of all, legal, ways to discuss your business, your goals, your industry and local events with the members of your city council, your county commission, state legislature and so on.
Simply arrange a visit to his or her office, attend a committee meeting or go to a dinner where such officials might be attending. Introduce yourself. If you’ve done some of the other things that build visibility and promote your insurance marketing, they might even know who you are!
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