Why Social Media Can't Stand Alone

In our unending quest to master all of the aspects of social media — so we can, at the very least, keep in touch with our kids and our friends, much less our clients — sometimes the classic approach gets overlooked.

A new study by the Inter-Company Marketing Group helps to remind us that while social media tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are important in attracting and enticing a new generation of clients, you’re still going to have to get some old-fashioned face time if you want to succeed.

According to the study, nine out of 10 insurance marketing and sales executives say that social networking is good for business, but even they rely on Web searches and personal contacts, especially when establishing a background on a potential client.

Keep in mind that your prospects are probably conducting similar searches as they think about doing business with you, highlighting the absolute importance of developing solid referrals.
Despite the proliferation of instant communication and the broad connections possible through social media, those surveyed said they still rely on search engines and personal references when trying to research a peer or a company they’d like to work with.

“Technology is adding opportunities for contact, but person-to-person communication is still vitally important,” said David Burke, ICMG president and vice president of agent services with Universal American Corp.