Pekin Insurance Social


Social Media Campaign

Works // 05.29.2017 // Pekin Insurance Social

THE STORY

Pekin Insurance boosts Facebook followers by 49.6% and engagement by 147.4%

Pekin Insurance is a long-time client of McD. Over the years, we have helped them share their story so they can help others build dreams, and sometimes, rebuild lives. They've come along way since they opened their doors in 1921. Today, Pekin Insurance is one of the nation’s most successful insurance providers, with combined assets of $2 billion, more than 800 employees, 1,500 agencies, and 8,500 independent agents. And while they've built a powerful brand and reputation for strong customer service, they knew there was room to do more. 

THE CHALLENGE

Create an 80/20 post mix that drives engagement higher

Pekin Insurance came to McD Digital to help create targeted social media campaigns that would expand their brand awareness and engagement on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. This included increasing their following, brand lift, and overall engagement rate. But we knew that pushing products all the time wouldn't help us reach our end goal. We needed to have the right mix... with 80% of our post content being about something that tells customers Pekin Insurance gets them where they are at in life and 20% being about the products themselves.

Some of the S.M.A.R.T. goals we set out to accomplish for all social media platforms include: 

  • Increase following and create a social media community.
  • Increase customer engagement by adding value, utility and entertainment.
  • Grow mind share for consumer and business insurance.
  • Boost the Pekin Insurance brand by establishing a social fan base of current and potential customers, employees and influencers.
  • Increase employee engagement through social recognition of their hard work and community involvement.
  • Reduce turnover and improve staff quality – boost the Pekin Insurance employment brand.
  • Enhance customer satisfaction through greater transparency.
  • Improve the effectiveness of new product launches and service enhancements through online testing and feedback. Social media is a perfect sounding board for quantitative data.
  • Share a mix of blog posts, inspirational quotes, and engaging content related to your brand – follow the 80/20 Rule.
  • Increase engagement with agents


THE SOLUTIONS

Authentic stories help social media engagement skyrocket across all platforms

McD started our social media push for Pekin Insurance by developing two campaigns specifically for social media in 2016 and 2017.  Both campaigns featured authentic videos and photos and were adapted to multiple platforms.

Campaign 1: Go to Your Happy Place
Goal: Increase Engagement - Reactions (Like, Love, Ha-Ha, Wow, Sad, Angry, Hearts)
This campaign came to existence because we got Bobby McFerrin's song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” stuck in our heads. McD wanted to reassure Pekin Insurance customers that they don’t have to worry about details of auto, life, or homeowner’s policies. Pekin Insurance has them covered.  For consumers, insurance is buying peace of mind so they’re free to focus their “happy place” instead. Employees, agent and customers of Pekin Insurance submitted photos and videos of their happy places - vacation spots, their home/children/pets, a workshop or garden, hiking trails and more - that were shared throughout the campaign with #MyHappyPlace.

 

Campaign 2: “We Know… Because We’re There.”
Goal: Increase Engagement -  Reactions (Like, Love, Ha-Ha, Wow, Sad, Angry, Hearts)
Let’s be honest—anyone that lives in a community can tell you stories about the area.  Whether it’s the “blizzard of ‘78” or the fact that Pekin is “the Marigold Capital of the World,” there are certain things that an individual only knows if he or she LIVES in that area.  McD wanted to spotlight Pekin Insurance’s connections to the communities Pekin Insurance agents live and work in by focusing on seemingly random stories, tales and trivia of the towns and cities in which a Pekin Insurance sign hangs outside of an insurance agent’s office. 

For this, we started with a list of the locations of all of the Pekin Insurance agents.  Next, we looked for unusual features, festivals, stories that have occurred ONLY since Pekin Insurance has been in business. (Nothing prior to 1921.) Each post was TAGGED with the relevant insurance agency in that community, illustrating that Pekin Insurance agents are found where YOU live. They’re in the towns and cities in which future policyholders live.  They’re a part of those communities and they understand the needs of individuals in those markets because “we’re there.”  This helps create a sense of local coverage and not a representation by a faceless company so many miles away.  This campaign also had the side benefit of providing a social media shout-out to individual agents. After all—who doesn’t love a little social recognition?

Clever animations and life hack videos create additional buzz 

Videos and animation often perform better than just text/photo posts. Keeping our goal of an 80/20 post mix in mind, McD created a mix of animations that recognized key holidays, inspired and further told the Pekin Insurance brand story. We also developed life hack videos/posts and recipes/cooking videos that were well shared and received many reactions from followers. In the year that McD actively ran these social media campaigns, engagement and followers skyrocketed. Facebook followers grew by 3,046 for a total of 9,263 followers. Page impressions increased by 204.1% for a total of 2 million+ impressions. Engagement increased by 147% receiving a total of  12,270 reactions, 814 comments and 7,138 shares. And videos were viewed over 110,000 times. Instagram and LinkedIn also had similar success. Instagram followers grew by 425.7% and engagement went up 2,550%. LinkedIn gained 476 new follows (a 17.1% jump) and engagement went up 150.6%.

Services Used

Social
Creative
Video

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Let us help you take your marketing strategy to the next level with McD Marketing. Contact Randy McDaniels at rmcdaniels@mcdmarketing.com or call (309) 346-7412 for more information.

Pekin Insurance Social Media

Year: 2016-2017

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