MassAgent Op-Ed: Our Experience as Speakers at #Agent2021

Yesterday’s tools are no longer enough for growing business in today’s world. There is a gap between where consumers are spending their time and where marketers are spending their dollars.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

Mass. Insurance News, MA Insurance News, G&N Insurance, Massagents, Mass. insurance agency G&N, Agent 2021 Conference — *Matt Naimoli & Zack Gould, Co-Founders of G&N Insurance*

On January 24, VaynerExperience held a one-day intensive conference in Miami, Florida to help four industries with the above issue. Over 1000 insurance agents, realtors, travel agents and auto dealers converged on the Hard Rock stadium to learn from industry leaders on how to leverage the power of social media to grow business. Keynote speakers consisted of Gary Vaynerchuk, Andy Frisella, Tom Ferry, and Ryan Serhant. Breakout sessions consisted of industry experts speaking on how to use social media tools and tactics to enhance business in their respective industries.

As co-founders of one of the nation’s fastest growing agencies, Zack was asked to speak on how we at G&N use mobile and social to change the way we communicate our brand and value to our referral partners and customers alike. Matt was asked to speak on how the use of social has enhanced our brand and culture, shifting the company from “recruiting” to “attracting” a new age of insurance agents.

This event was particularly exciting because not only were we both asked to present but we had the opportunity to connect with influential technicians from Facebook, Vaynermedia, Curaytor, and many other forward thinking professional marketers outside the insurance industry to learn what’s working for them. The event had tremendous energy with a sharp focus on growth and innovation.

Here are the main themes and lessons from the value-packed conference:

Opportunity: It’s never been easier or cheaper to broadcast your brand. Learn how to use these social tools and once you’ve gained traction, don’t be afraid to go all in and add fuel to the fire.

Authenticity: With so much noise, it’s essential to find your unique voice and be authentic. Instagram and Facebook are effective and affordable platforms for business but they are only effective if you’re willing to be genuine.

Commitment: Consistency and persistence have never been more important in the sea of social media users. Educate yourself, start soon, and don’t stop. The compound effect doesn’t take long to occur but it doesn’t happen overnight.

New Seats: Don’t be afraid to hire for new positions in traditionally conservative industries. Building out media departments should be the focus of every business. Those who do it faster and better than others will win.

Content Criteria: If your content is not informative, inspiring, or entertaining, don’t bother posting it. It must meet at least one of these filters in order to be effective.

Platform Strategy: Whether it’s Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, LinkedIn or a dozen other platforms, the audience is different on each. Your content strategy should align with the platform.

Being transparent, providing real value, and caring about your people, customers, and partnerships are paramount. Our main takeaway is that these core principles of business haven’t changed but social media has offered those willing to learn and execute a means to broadcast their brand to their intended audience like never before. Garnering social attention and leveraging that attention to expand the reach of a value proposition should be the focus of every marketing department.

We publish a weekly VLOG called #BobbleOn, highlighting our entrepreneurial journey and thriving partnership. Fortunately, we were able to film the entire Agent2021 event from behind the scenes. Over the coming weeks we will be pushing out this content so like our Facebook page and tune in to learn more about what Agent2021 was all about!