Social Selling for Brokers: Turning Posts Into Pipeline

Quick look: Social media can be a powerful tool for brokers if you know where to start. With the right approach and a bit of support, brokers can use social media and digital marketing strategies to generate new leads and turn their posts into pipeline.

The social media landscape can be overwhelming, especially for busy brokers who need to focus on revenue generation and growing their book of business. However, social selling, or using social media to develop relationships during the sales process, can help brokers build brand awareness, amplify marketing initiatives, position themselves as trusted advisers, and expand their online footprint in search engines. Social media can also allow them to reach new prospects, educate and interact with current clients, and engage with other key groups, such as their local community, other brokers, targeted verticals, and potential new partners.

Social selling’s impact by the numbers

It’s not just a theory that social selling works—the numbers reinforce its effect. According to HubSpot, social media is the third most effective sales channel.

Additionally, data focused on social selling on LinkedIn shows that:

• 78% of businesses that use social selling outperform organizations that don’t
• Social selling leaders are 51% more likely to reach their quotas
• Top social sellers create 45% more opportunities than peers with lower Social Selling Index (SSI), a social selling measurement tool used to quantify the value of social selling efforts

Social media for brokers: 10 helpful tips

Ample opportunity awaits brokers on social media. Whether you’re new to online networking or want to brush up on your skills, here are 10 simple tactics to kick your social media success into high gear.

1. Have a strategy

Don’t post simply for the sake of posting. Make sure you have established goals and a clear understanding of your audience, which platforms you will use, what you will post and how often, and methods to track, measure, and adjust your efforts.

2. Don’t neglect your pages

Your social media profiles shouldn’t collect dust. A retweet here and there, a LinkedIn post with no commentary, and a random Facebook update won’t cut it. Haphazardly attempting social selling strategies typically isn’t successful. Instead, it requires commitment—in addition to consistently sharing content, make sure your profile is updated with your title, expertise, current photo, and accurate contact information.

3. Find your voice

Your social media presence is often the first way prospective clients learn about you. Your audience will know if you’re too formal, casual, or rehearsed. Strategically developing your authentic brand voice and tone is vital to connecting with your contacts.

4. Post the right content and messaging

Focus on sharing engaging and meaningful content that resonates with your target audience. This could include resources like blogs, case studies, eBooks, videos, best practices, industry news, and free tips. Trending and seasonal topics such as Open Enrollment or regulatory and compliance changes are great ways for brokers to stay relevant during specific time periods and attract and engage followers.

5. Put the “social” in social media

Social media is about engaging. Your interactions shouldn’t be one-sided or passive. Make sure to follow, like, repost, comment, and respond to questions or comments—and always remember the 80/20 rule: 80% of your content should be about other people, organizations, and trends (not yourself).

6. Use the right channels

Identifying the best channels and platforms to reach your target audience is critical for social selling. LinkedIn is a must for businesses, Facebook is great for local or specialized groups, and X (formerly Twitter) is ideal for short takes and immediacy. For multimedia, YouTube is excellent for sharing informative, longer-length video content, Instagram is effective for sharing photos and short-form videos, and TikTok is the place for creative, unique videos.

7. Leverage your partnerships

Partnerships and trade organizations are powerful resources for brokers to utilize for content and tools. For example, the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals (NABIP) has social media best practices available to their broker members. Your professional employer organization (PEO) partner likely also has a resource center of content you can share with your followers.

8. Invest in advertising and paid search

Advertising can be an ideal way for brokers to share resources, grow their brand, and generate leads. Each social media platform offers its own paid advertising solution to help you market to your target audience and pinpoint specific demographics, including location, industry, title, and job level.

9. Avoid the hard sell

When creating social media content, a good rule of thumb is to think about what you like to see on your own social feeds. You wouldn’t follow someone who floods their pages with pushy sales messages, and your audience likely feels the same. While your underlying goal should be driving revenue, don’t sell too hard—instead, focus on the soft sell and share useful content that resonates with your followers.

10. Follow industry thought leaders

Knowledge is power, and one effective way to keep up with the ever-changing employee benefits, human resources (HR), and brokerage markets is to follow, watch, and learn from some of the best, both within your community and other industries.

A partner to fuel your social selling success

Social selling can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. With a well-rounded strategy and the commitment to regularly engage, brokers can establish themselves as thought leaders and trusted advisors online and gain a unique edge over their competition.

The right PEO, like ExtensisHR, can support you in this endeavor. In addition to a broker-specific resource library full of blogs, case studies, eBooks, and more, ExtensisHR is proud to uphold a broker-friendly philosophy. Our complete range of HR solutions—including employee benefits, recruiting, risk and compliance, and more—is designed to help you expand your offerings, differentiate yourself, acquire new, long-term clients, and earn competitive commissions.

Ready to explore how partnering with ExtensisHR can help you stand out and sell better? Contact us today to learn more.