We start with two beliefs.

First, we believe that insurance is still a relationship business based on emotional connections - trust, confidence, and respect. And, we believe that independent agents are as good as anyone in the business at building and keeping those relationships.

Second, we believe an agency blog is a powerful relationship-building tool. A blog gives agents an opportunity to show readers how they think, how they treat customers, and, in turn, the respect policyholders have for the way the agency does business.

Armed with our two beliefs, we took a quick spin around the Internet to see what agents are blogging about. We found blog posts about exposures, and risk, and products, and coverage options, and community events, and price deals.

Worthwhile subjects? Probably. Subjects that are emotional hooks, that are going to cause a reader to comment, or better yet, pick up the phone? Not likely.

A better agency blog…

Day-to-day, agents solve problems, help buyers make good decisions, explain complexities, and stand by their customers when they are most needed. Regularly, independent agents go beyond the call of duty to protect the interests of their policyholders.

But do agents ever tell those stores? Not to our knowledge.

Maybe it feels too much like tooting your own horn. Maybe agents don't think it's a big deal because that's the job, right? That's what you are supposed to do.

But it is a big deal. Those stories are the emotional hooks that draw people in. They show (not tell) readers what you do, and how you do it. Those stories are the foundation for long-term business relationships. And, in our opinion, those stories should be showing up in agency blogs - regularly.

We can't think of a better response to an agency blog than, "...wow, the call center sure doesn't treat me like that."

One of the primary goals of Internet marketing is to attract visitors to your agency web site, sometimes referred to as in-bound marketing. QR (quick reference) codes are a relatively easy, inexpensive way to support that effort.

QR codes are two-dimensional barcodes that can be scanned and interpreted using the camera on a mobile device and a code-reading app. Once scanned, the code is read into a browser and the viewer is taken directly to the web address embedded in the code.

Although they can be used in other ways, QR codes work best in print. Agents using print ads, brochures, and hard-copy newsletters should consider including QR codes. For example, if an agency newsletter article describes a new program, include a QR code that will take the reader directly to the program's web page on the agency site. The codes can be used the same way in print ads and brochures.

QR codes are relatively easy to build using code-generating sites like Qurify, Kaywa, and Delivr. Once converted, you can download the QR image file and use it in print, attach it to your e-mail signature, upload it as a social media profile photo, or post it elsewhere online. Some QR conversion sites can also encode maps, text, phone numbers or RSS feeds.

In the September issue of OTB, we talked about the growing number of mobile device users. QR codes are an easy way to attract that audience.

Here's an emerging trend that independent agents and the carriers they represent need to be aware of.

Corporate America is on a hiring binge looking for people to manage the company's presence on social media (SM) sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, andTwitter. Among those on the hiring list are some big insurers, like USAA.

With titles and salaries, SM experts are responsible for promoting the company's name, products, and services on social network sites - and they are in demand. The number of social media jobs on Monster has surged 75% over the last year. Plus, there are third-party contractors popping up offering to evaluate, plan, design, and manage your social media marketing for you.

With 800 million users on Facebook and 200 million on Twitter, 2011 appears to be the year that many companies, large and small, realized the importance of social media marketing, and started taking the steps to leverage this growing sales channel.

So, what exactly do social media marketers do? In the larger context, they set the stage for sales, like all good marketing. Day-to-day, here are a few tasks we've been able to glean from the job descriptions:

• Develop social media marketing strategies and plans
• Design and implement social media campaigns
• Scan the Internet for any mention of the company's name
• Intervene when negative comments are found
• Develop and promote customer and user groups
• Develop and produce online videos
• Blog
• Produce podcasts
• Chat in forums
• Tweet

The unknown today is whether or not SM marketing is going to have an impact on the independent agency system. If it does, meeting the challenges and finding the opportunities are likely going to take a collaborative effort - agents, agent associations, and carriers.

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