1. Social media marketing goes mainstream. Corporate use of social media has reached a tipping point and will continue to grow inside organizations, especially in customer service. Social ad spending has grown from $2.52 billion in 2009 to $4.26 billion projected in 2011.
2. Gone mobile. The evolution and adoption smartphones has taken the market to a very mobile environment.  Over 30% of cell phones are smartphones and that category is growing.  While email remains the dominate use of smartphones, the explosion of mobile apps creates a tremendous opportunity for mobile marketing.  The ability to search on the go is providing a huge marketing opportunity for those willing to participate.
3. Online retail is gaining traction. Online retailers continue to take market share from the traditional brick-and-mortar retail stores. While still a small percentage of total retail revenue, it is projected to grow from $166 billion to $235 billion in 2013. Social media will continue to expand its influence due to its ability to target and appeal to consumers early, often and in a cost effective manner throughout the decision making phase.
4. Intergration is a reality. Social media marketing is no longer a nice afterthought or “toy” to play with. The new paradigm is a total marketing plan that incorporates social media, mobile, email and traditional methods (TV, print, radio, etc…). All of these methods will mesh together to present a new comprehensive marketing environment.
5. Measuring the results. As the dollars invested in social media marketing increase, tracking, measuring and analyzing results will be required.  Better social media metrics will be developed to justify the financial investment based on ROI,

As you begin your marketing initiatives for 2012, keep these trends in mind and incorporate online, social media and mobile device marketing campaigns in your plan.

New AgencyIQ Features

Happy New Year 2012! A new year brings new OPPORTUNITIES…. and AgencyIQ has rolled out New Features that will have a positive impact on your marketing in 2012. The best news is….. they’re FREE!

*Upgraded Email Certificate – promotes improved deliverablity and open ratios for emails to your prospects and clients….FREE!

*Newsletters - send a monthly Newsletter to up to 2,000 recepients per month….FREE!

*Mirrored Emails - receive emails to any email address outside of AgencyIQ… great for mobile applications or remote use and keeps a record of all of your correspondence…FREE!

ALL of these New Features are fully integrated into the AgencyIQ workflow platform and create a fully robust Marketing System for your agency!

Check out these new features in our “Lunch-n-Learn” webinars on Wednesdays from 12:00-1:00pm CST. You can also learn more about Newsletters by clicking on the following link Webinar Schedule

AgencyIQ is excited to bring these Powerful, New Tools to you for 2012….
Let us help you Grow with our AgencyIQ Marketing System!

• Deliver on promises – sounds simple, but by following through with a commitment, you show your integrity, that the customer is important, and that you have their best interests in mind.
• Exceed expectations – don’t do the minimum! Take the extra step to put an exclamation at the end of their customer experience.  Make them think “WOW!” when they walk out the door.
• Make the Customer #1 – don’t sacrifice a long term relationship for a short term profit gain. Do what is right for the customer and keep the door open to additional business opportunities.  There is a great deal of truth in the old adage “the customer is always right”.
• Nurture your staff – they are the face of your company! Keeping a loyal, happy, empowered, long tenured staff is one of the single best steps to keeping lifelong customers. Treat your staff as well as you expect them to treat the customers….
• Choose the right lifelong customers – I know this seems crazy, but some customers are just not worth keeping around.  Knowing the cost to keeping a customer long term is essential. If you are putting more resources into keeping the customer around than you can ever hope to recover in revenue, it’s necessary to cut them loose.  Re-invest those resources into customers that a good fit for your business.

Monitoring your customer’s experience with your company and listening to what they say will help keep you on track in your efforts.  Informal surveys, personal observation and simple conversations with clients will provide invaluable clues to how good a job you are doing.  Southwest Airlines and Chick-fil-A are doing something right!!

AgencyIQ Newsletters

AgencyIQ has rolled out another powerful tool to engage your prospects and clients while building your brand. Newsletters are the perfect compliment to an on-going drip email campaign. With AgencyIQ, you now have the ability to coordinate your drip email efforts with the “POP” of a well timed Newsletter.

Newsletters are a great way to:
*Cross-sell
*Send reminders to review coverages
*Provide emergency contact info in case of a disaster
*Seasonal and Holiday greetings
*Build your Brand and Relationships

As an AgencyIQ subscriber, you have the ability to send a Newsletter to 2,000 receipents per month….. FREE! Additional mailings are available, contact us for rates.

We want to help you with implementing your Newsletter campaigns, so visit our webinar schedule and register online!  Our Webinar Schedule will  feature a series of Sessions devoted to Newsletters!

Increase Your Exposure

AgencyIQ has recently UPGRADED our email delivery performance by partnering with SendGrid. This new partnership will dramaticaly increase email deliverability and open ratios for emails sent through AgencyIQ. Without boring you with a lot of technical details, simply put, this higher certification rating will result in more emails getting through filters and security because of our “good email citizenship” rating with this certificiation platform.

So what does this mean for you and your agency?
(MORE DELIVERIES + MORE OPENS)+MORE CLIENTS = $$

The best news is that all of this happens behind the scenes, so you don’t have to do anything different…AND… IT’S FREE! By being a subscriber to the AgencyIQ system, you are the beneficiary of our constant, on-going efforts to bring you the most up-to-date, innovative technology and workflow tools to help you grow your business!

Contact us today at AgencyIQ

• Know their emotional motivation – which of the 4 major emotions is driving your customer’s need? Glad, Sad, Mad and Fear are powerful motivators, knowing where your customer is coming from will help you tailor your approach to showcase the value of your product and service.
• Create a Unique Brand/Image – in the movies, they used “hooks” to get your attention and keep you interested.  Think of all the classic lines, unique names, theme music and character names that are iconic in our culture. Bogart, Grant, Taylor, Bergman, Hitchcock are still relevant names in our society. Find your unique brand or tag line and use it to set yourself apart from your competition.
• Customize your message to the Audience – “Toy Story” appeals to a much different audience than “Star Wars” or “True Grit”. Know your audience and target your approach to appeal to their sensibilities. Some people prefer “formal” instead of “informal” approaches. Don’t expect a “one size fits all” approach to yield the level of success you want to achieve.
• Cover the Details – ever watch a movie and catch the lack of continuity between scenes? My youngest son loves to catch those inconsistencies in a movie and point them out to me. You know what I’m talking about; the clock in the background shows 10:00am in one frame, they pan away and come back to the clock within a few additional frames and now it shows 5:30pm! Make sure you have your facts straight and details covered. This builds confidence and loyalty with your customer.
• Edit – that age old adage “less is more” is very true! Cover the relevant facts and shut up. Let the customer talk, they will tell you a lot if you give them a chance. Truly listen to what they are saying and you will gain invaluable insights into their motivations and needs.
• Tell Good Stories – the customer has to feel like you relate; that you share common experiences, can empathize with their needs and help them with their situation.  Showing you can offer relevance, value and put their interests first, will help build long term relationships.

• Know your Customers – Who are your chosen customers? What are their needs and expectations? How well are you meeting those needs
• Empower Your Front-line Staff – train your staff to handle customer issues themselves. Allow them to act independently and with flexibility. Nothing kills customer service quicker than “I have to check with my manager”.
• Organization/Importance – Customer service must be a priority for Senior Management! Develop an organizational mentality that facilitates a smooth flow to resolve customer issues and places a priority on a positive, successful resolution to customer issues.
• Turn Problems into Opportunities – if handled quickly, fairly and effectively, you can turn a customer with a complaint into an advocate for your brand!
• Learn from Your Mistakes AND Your Successes – View mistakes by your staff as learning opportunities! Be willing to change procedures or practices based on customer and staff feedback.  Review your successes and incorporate those practices and principles into areas that may need improvement.
• Anticipate the Future – Technology changes constantly! Don’t fall into the trap of “if it’s not broke don’t fix it”. The business landscape is piled high with the corpses of businesses that failed to recognize and embrace change. Webchat, email, text messaging, Facebook, Twitter are just a few of the high tech avenues to communicate with customers. Don’t let your customers disappear into the technology dimension without you!

Contact AgencyIQ today for a FREE 15 Day Trial and let us help you provide a GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE for your prospective and existing clients!

Let’s take a look at the Auto Dialer features:

• Automatically dials new Internet leads imported into the AgencyIQ system
• Makes multiple attempts to auto connect within the First 48 Hours
• You determine the number that shows on Caller ID
• Follow Me Calling – offers the ability to call from any number
• Pre-Recorded Messages
  • Customizable/personalized message feature
  • Multiple message options
• Automatically integrates with the AgencyIQ system
• Click to Call – click on any phone number inside the AgencyIQ system and connect automatically
• Click to Dial Queue Calling
  • Automates follow up calls from inside the AgencyIQ system
  • Reduces time between calls for more contacts per hour
• Call Activity Reports
• Pay As You Go – you set your budget
  • Pay per minute = $.08/min
• No Contracts
• No Set Up Fees

We have informative webinars for you to see the dialer yourself!  Sign up online to attend this FREE webinar.

As you can see, the Auto Dialer not only provides speed to contact, it is also fully integrated with all the tools inside AgencyIQ.  We’d love to show you more features for the new Auto Dialer system. Visit us at agencyiq.net to see additional information and sign up to attend one of our special webinars focusing on the Auto Dialer.

Spam filters are programmed to search for and reject emails with these “key” words in the body of your text. It’s important to remember that the use of 1 or 2 or these words will not automatically reject your email and send it to the “Junk” email file. But, use of more than that will certainly trigger a rigorous scrubbing of your message by spam filters.  Be creative and use alternative words to convey the same message and use this as an opportunity to set yourself apart from the competition when approaching a potential client.

So, get creative, dust off the cover of that old Thesaurus and get your message to your Clients!

Use these tips below as a guide to success:

1. Be Authentic – people usually know when they are being given “the treatment” and they also recognize when someone genuinely has their best interests in mind. Be upfront and honest, it pays tremendous dividends.
2. Don’t Rush – you are building for a long-term relationship, and that takes time to earn your customer’s trust. Let your actions over a period of time speak for your intentions.
3. Build a Partnership Relationship – get to know your customer and what they need or what their goals are long term. By understanding their needs and goals, you can then tailor your efforts to “assisting” them meet those goals. Making the transition from “just another” company to being perceived as someone with a personal investment with them is HUGE!
4. Acknowledge Loyalty – if your business permits loyalty programs, discounts, special offers, then get moving! If not, then identify a means of recognizing their loyalty by hosting special events or sending cards of appreciation on anniversaries, birthdays and holidays. If you’re sending a card, at a minimum, personally sign your name…. nothing is worse than a personalized “stamped” signature!

By thinking about how you would like to be treated if you were in the customer’s place, you will be well on your way to building a strong customer following, who will be one of your most effective marketing tools!