Like it or not, social media sites are here to stay. LinkedIn, BranchOut, Plaxo and others offer venues for insurance professionals to build Internet business cards, brand identity and strategic alliances. Social media sites allow agents to conduct pre-approach research to learn about prospects and their industries. Sales and personal marketing challenges are discussed in open forums. Insurance and risk management expertise can be built and recommendations gleaned to help attract qualified prospects. Social media sites are powerful tools when used wisely.

Why LinkedIn?

I chose LinkedIn over other social media sites for several reasons. LinkedIn intuitively appeals to me. Plaxo matches LinkedIn in many ways, but with less reach. Facebook emphasizes social over business and tends to be a time drain. Although still emerging, BranchOut appears to be a job search site without the depth of information matching LinkedIn (Read our Agency Technology column for more on BranchOut). Twitter is a time killing, work avoiding diversion. LinkedIn was it for me.