How to Find Life Insurance Prospects Using Social Media

Editor’s note: This post was originally published on 3/2/16 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehension.

You may be resistant to using social media as a life insurance prospecting tool.

But you shouldn’t be. Yes, there may be a learning curve to using it, but if you ignore it, you’ll be missing out on a ton of life insurance prospects.

It takes a little time to learn a new “marketing tool,” but the payoff to learning how to find life insurance prospects on social media has the potential to be big.

Here’s why:

Younger generations, like Millennials – and likely every generation that comes after them – feel comfortable with computers and technology. They don’t want to receive marketing postcards in the mail or get a call from a telemarketer.

Ignoring how a huge chunk of the population is doing “business” is a great way to miss out on significant sales.

You’ve got to be online if you want to stay in business as your older clients become a much smaller segment.

So back to social media. Now that you know you need to be on a platform, which one should you choose to work with?

Here’s a rundown of some of the more popular social media platforms.

1. Facebook

The largest social media platform, the tool is primarily used by families and friends who want to connect with each other. Generally speaking, these people also know each other in the real world; however, Facebook users also “follow” organizations, brands, and news sites. The platform’s users reach across all demographic groups, and 70 percent of them check the site every day. Due to the social media site’s conversational nature, this is not the place to give a sales pitch. Instead, offer help, build community, listen, engage in conversations and share stories and posts that keep you in contact with other users.

2. Twitter

In this social media space, users want to find out what’s trending, know the conversations that are taking place, or see what newsmakers, celebrities or companies are up to. Communication on this platform is short (messages can’t be longer than 144 characters) and the 18-49 age group uses the tool prevalently; however, all demographics are drawn to the site. Since consumers use Twitter for real-time news, retweeting or commenting on news, holding or participating in trending and non-trending conversations, your business will do well on this platform if you listen, establish contact with users, offer engaging and informative posts, link to relevant news or curated content, and establish your expertise.

3. LinkedIn

A primarily professional site, LinkedIn’s demographics skew toward college graduates and higher income brackets. Users are looking to maintain professional contacts and boost their careers. Forty percent of users check the site weekly, but only 13 percent check it daily. On this platform, you can project a professional brand, generate leads from business owners, promote industry news or publish your own content, network and get professional support.

4. Pinterest and Instagram 

Pinterest and Instagram are popular social media sites too; however, the platforms are highly visual with very little focus on words/content. As such, without effective images, your efforts on these sites may flounder. With a little creativity and focus on curating images, you can get to know your prospects in a unique way, and engage users with authoritative but fun and creative industry information.

How to find life insurance prospects using social media

The sky's the limit with social media. As a life insurance prospecting idea, it has a lot of potential for attracting prospects, and positioning yourself as an invested partner in their lives and an authority on the subject of insurance.

So what are you waiting for? Try one of the platforms out. See what your competition is doing, and then do social media marketing even better.