5/02/2019 |
Linda Dodson, NetVU’s new executive director, is no stranger to NetVU. She’s had extensive experience in the independent agency channel and has worked for several major carriers. She’s been active in many industry groups, including ACORD, Agents Council for Technology (ACT), National Association of Professionals Insurance Agents and Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America.
We recently sat down with Linda to ask a few questions as she joins our NetVU family.
My immediate goal is to listen. I want to hear everyone’s ideas about what we can do better to engage and support our members’ business goals. I met with the majority of Vertafore leadership last week to uncover their thoughts on NetVU and am also soliciting feedback from the board, staff and partners. I encourage NetVU’s stakeholders to reach out to me.
We need a vision that drives us to become better and stronger for our members and partners. We need to focus on the member’s business needs first and then help them understand the tools and the ROI of these tools. We also need to think of new ways to deliver education that supports millennials and encourages them to be active within the industry. We need to evolve as a community. That’s why I’m big on feedback. I want to get as many ideas as possible to help us become the organization we need to be.
My approach has always been to put the end user or customer first, and that’s something that Vertafore is passionate about, too. I’ve already had some incredible conversations with Vertafore about how we might offer additional educational programs focused on the consumer. There are a lot of tools in the Vertafore lineup that can do that, but I’m not sure members are aware of them or why they need them. We also have NetVU partners who can help members improve the end-user experience. We need to help them get their message out in a way that is digestible to members.
I think there are still a lot of firms that don’t know about NetVU; they don’t realize that they automatically have a membership if they use a Vertafore product. So, we need to increase that awareness, perhaps by strengthening our networking and outreach. And that includes MGAs, carriers and other partners. We’re a nonprofit whose sole job is to help our members and partners grow and connect. We need to make sure more people know that. We also need to reengage the thought leaders and decision-makers at the agency, aggregator, MGA and wholesaler levels, so we can better understand their needs for their businesses and teams.
This has been a huge topic of conversation for us and Vertafore. We see opportunities to re-imagine how we engage to help our members. Vertafore is a huge proponent of NetVU’s independence and knows that’s an important selling point for its prospects. Vertafore also understands that we are the advocates for our members and can advocate in areas where they can’t. But we both also recognize this: Collaborating more closely to identify opportunities and to create educational and networking opportunities for our members and partners is a win-win.
I want to know what people think about NetVU. We’ll have a conversation area in NetVU Neighborhood, and that’s where you’ll find me. When she can, Cassidy Smirnow, chief customer officer at Vertafore, will join me. Please stop by to talk. I truly believe Accelerate is a world-class event. You see so many people sharing ideas and helping each other. It’s amazing. I hope to see everyone there!
You can contact Linda at [email protected].
While you’re at Accelerate, powered by NetVU, this month in Cincinnati, you’ll want to make the most out of your time. How can NetVU help make your experience unforgettable? Head over to the NetVU Community and join in the Accelerate conversation!
Also, longtime NetVU member Cheryl Huff shares her best tips to maximize the Accelerate experience. She’s been to 26 NetVU conferences and knows her stuff. Read on to get her insider tips.
Let’s say you have some pre-existing online content, and think it would be quick and easy to reuse it. Filling your site with this content — known as duplicate content — will not bring success in your online marketing efforts.
Content that appears online in more than one place is considered duplicate content. Location is not defined by domain but by URL. Even if your content appears multiple times on the same website — say, on your homepage and on your site’s blog — it will still be considered duplicate content and could affect your ranking.
How does it really affect your ranking? You may have heard that Google’s algorithm does not have a penalty for duplicate content. This is true. However, this doesn’t mean that duplicate content is a smart marketing strategy.
Search engines like Google do not want to show multiple versions of the same content. They will try to choose which version is the “best” result, but it’s not easy to know which version should rank for query results and be included in their indices, or if they should split link metrics between multiple pages.
If you take copy from a pre-existing source, only the originating source will receive credit for the content from search engines. This will cost you the opportunity for new traffic and keyword rankings. At best, you will lower your visibility on search engines, and worst case will give the impression that you are a spam site, which does come with penalties.
Duplicate content may be faster, but it won’t bring you the best results. Make it a priority to add unique content to your site and observe the difference it makes in your metrics. Time and time again, we see sites tremendously benefit from utilizing original copy. It makes a marked difference immediately seen in leads, traffic, and value.
Neilson Marketing Services is a proud Partner of NetVU and will be at booth 104 during Accelerate, powered by NetVU.
Our friends at ACT, the Agents Council for Technology, recently sat down with two industry newcomers to gain insight into their views on industry involvement. Read on to gain perspective and inspiration!
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What's the best way to set up two executives for commission payment on a policy?
— Dawn Mathews IMA Financial Group Inc. Wichita, KS
What are the pros and cons of downloading commercial?
— Alane Gadell Strawn & Co. Insurance McDonough, GA
How long should I give the divorced spouse of my client to respond before kicking her off the policy?
— Cathy Hall Forest Agency Inc Forest Park, IL