By Jonel Thames Leake, CPCU, ASLI, AAI, CPIW, DAE, CLP
What if I told you that you can make a big difference in getting the word out about IAIP and that it wouldn’t cost you anything but a very little time? Would you be IN?
Are you on LinkedIn? If you are, are you following IAIP? Have you listed your participation in IAIP on your LinkedIn profile? If the answer to one or both of these questions is no, I hope you will consider changing them both to a resounding yes.
How do you follow the IAIP page on LinkedIn? When you are logged in, search for the International Association of Insurance Professionals. When you see our logo and name, click on that page. You will see the follow button. Click that and you are done! It really is as easy as that.
While you are on that page, you can find posts that highlight what IAIP is up to. To provide even more help, check out what is posted and repost it to your page. That is also very easy to do. All you need to do is go into the post, scroll down to where the like and comment buttons are and click the repost button. You can repost it on your page with or without a comment. For example, if the post is about a CLP class that you are taking, you could repost it and say “This is open to members and non-members. I hope to see you there!“. Your non-IAIP insurance friends might just be intrigued enough to sign up or ask for more information. Even if you don’t add any comment, reposting helps get the word out about what IAIP is doing.
Did you know that Betsy Blimline, our marketing guru, created a cheat sheet giving directions on how to add IAIP to your LinkedIn profile? This reference will give you step by step directions to list your participation as either “Experience” or as a “Volunteer”. Adding IAIP in either of these ways is another easy and no-cost way to increase IAIP’s visibility and grow your professional reputation.
I know that many people might be thinking that they are not active on LinkedIn because they are retired or not looking for a job. LinkedIn is for everyone! It is a great way to see emerging trends in the industry, advertise openings at your company and see what your friends and colleagues are up to. In fact, I know someone who sold his house on LinkedIn. You don’t know what you are missing.
So, the next time you have a few minutes to spare, log into LinkedIn and help IAIP spread the word. It is a small investment of your time and will have a big payoff for IAIP. We are no longer the best kept secret in the insurance industry but let’s keep spreading the word!
Jonel Thames Leake, CPCU, ASLI, AAI, CPIW, DAE, CLP is currently serving as IAIP’s International Secretary. You can find her on LinkedIn as well as other forms of social media.