NU Online News Service, Oct. 8, 12:20 p.m. EDT

Encharter Insurance is the recipient of the inaugural Excellence in Social Media Award given by the Alexandria, Va.-based National Association of Professional Insurance Agents.

The award was presented early this week during a meeting of the national PIA board of directors in Traverse City, Mich.

The award is given to honor a PIA member insurance agency for excellence in the use of social media in a business setting.

Encharter Insurance is an independent insurance agency with locations in Amherst, Reading and Lexington, Mass., and Watertown, Conn. The agency specializes in both personal insurance and commercial insurance.

The agency can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

PIA National President-elect Tom Adderhold said in a statement that the agency is a leader in the use of social media. "One of the reasons Encharter has been successful in the use of social media is they realize it's not something totally new--it's just a new way for agencies to do what agencies always do.

"Encharter Insurance uses its social media strategy to increase new business sales by increasing brand awareness and by communicating with prospects and clients," Mr. Adderhold added. "It's really that simple."