The Big “I” National Young Agents Committee (YAC) partnered with Trusted Choice to create a special bonus series of content related to the hard market on Agency Nation Radio. This week’s episode features Allyson Hearring-Padilla, an agent at Blank’s Insurance Agency in Olney, Illinois, and was hosted by Taylor Hendrickson, a member of the National Young Agents Committee and Young Agents Council Director at the Florida Association of Independent Agents. The discussion focused on marketing strategies in today’s marketplace, winning over a client and growing a business, and using resources available by the Big “I.”

“We use a lot of Trusted Choice marketing. We always have, since that’s been developed, makes my life a lot easier. I don’t have to create things. I can utilize what’s been offered to us as Big ‘I’ members. And so, we utilize that quite a bit. That’s helped more so in our personal lines department with actually just getting our name out there, and showing the different that we can make with our clients, through the independent agency channel,” Hearring-Padilla said.

Some of the Trusted Choice® resources that agencies can utilize to help with their marketing efforts include the Monthly Social Media Calendar, Social Jazz: Social Media Automation Tool, Marketing Reimbursement Plan, Digital Review, In Your Corner Campaign, and much more.

When talking about the reimbursement plan, Hearring-Padilla mentioned that years ago her agency used the program to partner with their local fire department. They co-branded a trailer that would visit schools and educate students about fire safety. It provided an education to young people and helped expand the agency’s brand in the community.

Marketing and communications have a huge impact on the relationships clients have with their agencies. Many carriers have had major changes with coverages and premiums, and it is important for agencies to keep the line of communication with clients open. In addition to regular day-to-day conversations staying proactive and communicating changes ahead of time has been a game changer in the current marketplace.

Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success, and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we've got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit iamagazine.com/podcasts.