The recent news that LinkedIn was purchased by Microsoft has the majority of the business community talking. But chances are, this will go largely unnoticed by the broker community, since nearly one-third of brokers do not use the platform. In a single-state analysis we conducted with nearly 600 active insurance brokers, we found that a lack of broker LinkedIn profiles isn't the only shocking metric. Just 33 percent of brokers in the analysis had a Twitter account, while almost 20 percent lacked a company website altogether.  

An established online and social media presence works to not only promote a business' brand, services, and products, but also works to engage clients and expand outreach. However, there are a few crucial reasons these metrics should shock anyone in the broker industry: 

It's an expectation

Social media outlets, like Twitter, have now been accessible to the global community for a decade. They've lasted longer than almost 67 percent of all small businesses that have started in America under sole ownership. The internet has broken barriers to communication, resource accessibility, and information transparency, and continues to grow and innovate at a seemingly exponential rate. For most, this is old news: The status quo that has been decades in the making.