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T H U R S D A Y , N O V E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 5 Trusted Choice® Experiences Surge in Web Traffic | Restaurant Coverage Available | Holiday Greeting Cards | The Big "I" On the Little Screen | Disaster Planning Resource Available | Keep IA Coming! | Fund Contributions Top $300,000 | Industry News T R U S T E D C H O I C E ®
Trusted Choice® Experiences Surge in Web Traffic Compared to all of 2004, the number of visitors to the Trusted Choice® Web site approximately doubled in the first 10 months of 2005. Visitors have viewed more than three times the number of pages. In all of 2004, www.TrustedChoice.com experienced 1,018,045 unique visitors and 15,208,383 page views. In 2005, as of Oct. 31, there have been 1,879,250 unique visitors and 43,755,613 page views. An Internet advertising campaign in June and July on www.homestore.com partially contributed to the increased traffic and page views, says Jeff Myers, Trusted Choice® executive director. During this online campaign, more than 65,000 consumers clicked on the Trusted Choice® banner ad linked directly to www.TrustedChoice.comand 13,000 consumers clicked on the Agency Locator. "Through increased national, Big ‘I’ state association and local-agency advertising activities, more consumers are becoming knowledgeable about the Trusted Choice® brand and the Web site," Myers says. "They are using the online Trusted Choice® resources to learn about insurance coverage issues and to find a trusted insurance advisor." All Trusted Choice® ads direct consumers to the Web site where they can research numerous insurance topics and find a Trusted Choice® agency using the Agency Locator. The Web site also provides participating agencies tools and resources to help them get the most out of the brand program. Many agencies use the tag-able ads (television, radio and print), the "Zoom In On Branding" guidebook, the public relations resources and other helpful marketing materials. The Internet is a marketing, research and sales tool that helps agencies reach consumers making important business and personal insurance and financial decisions. The success of www.TrustedChoice.com illustrates that a well-developed agency Web site co-branded with the Trusted Choice® logo serves as an online showcase for your agency’s products and services. It is also a cost-effective advertising tool that appeals to a growing segment of your target market—affluent consumers who are well-practiced Internet users. Click here to learn more about how to integrate Trusted Choice® into your agency Web site. For more information, contact Jeff Myers at jeff.myers@iiaba.net or Stacy Heatherington at stacy.heatherington@iiaba.net; 800- 221-7917. T O P B I G " I " M A R K E T S
Restaurant Coverage Available Big "I" Markets has partnered with Prohost to add a fine dining restaurant program to the BIM product line up. The restaurant program focuses on restaurants with an average dinner entrée price of $15 or higher. It is available in most states (check Big "I" Markets for states that may be restricted) and offers unique coverage enhancements designed specifically for restaurants including food-borne contamination, food spoilage and equipment breakdown. Liquor liability is included and umbrellas and workers’ compensation coverage are also available. Both single location and multi-location/multi-state restaurant accounts are eligible, including upscale chains. Also available in some states is a family-style program designed for casual sit-down restaurants of varying types. It is NOT designed for fast food franchises. Liquor liability is included in most states. Workers’ compensation is available via mono-line markets to accompany this program. It is currently available in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wisconsin and will expand into other states. Territory exceptions also will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Learn more about this exciting new product and registered to access it with no fees, no volume commitments and competitive commissions at www.bigimarkets.com. T O P B I G " I " A D V A N T A G E
Holiday Greeting Cards It’s November already, and the holiday season is just around the corner. Let clients know you’re thinking about them by sending personalized holiday cards. Printed and shipped to your office from IIABA’s endorsed printer, The Mines Press, personalized cards are available at a discounted rate in more than 500 designs with many elegant business appreciation messages. Act now, and cross one more thing off your holiday to-do list! For fastest service, order online hereor contact the Mines Press at 800-447-6788. T O P I I A B A N E W S
The Big "I" On the Little Screen The broadcast media continues to turn to the Big "I" in the aftermath of this season’s hurricanes. Last Thursday, Big "I" CEO Bob Rusbuldt appeared live nationally on CNBC’s "On the Money" in a panel discussion on the economy and extreme weather. Other panelists included a renowned meteorologist and a science journalist from Discovery magazine. In addition, Big "I" Vice President of Education and Research Madelyn Flannagan and member agent Mike McCartin of Joseph W. McCartin Insurance in College Park, Md., were featured in a half-hour radio segment last Sunday on flood insurance. The program, "Of Consuming Interest," aired on CBS’s WTOP-AM/FM, the leading radio news station in the Washington, D.C .area. Segments from this interview are available on www.wtopnews.com and may also be syndicated to other news radio stations across the country throughout the week. For more information on these or other broadcast media interviews, contact Sue Nester at susan.nester@iiaba.net; 703-706-5448. T O P B E S T P R A C T I C E S
Disaster Planning Resource Available Do you have a disaster plan in place? Have you communicated it to your staff? Do they know what to do and where to turn if disaster puts your business in crisis? The Crisis Tool Group, which specializes in assisting organizations from local to multi-nationals in developing comprehensive, effective disaster plans, collaborated with the Big "I" to develop the "Best Practices of Crisis Management – A Step-by-Step Business Recovery Planner." The Best Practices guide can help you develop your agency disaster plan. It includes a manual with complete step-by-step instructions on how to put the plan together while covering all the bases. All of the material can also be found on the accompanying CD. Just load the CD and let it walk you through creating and printing an action plan unique to your agency’s needs that you can share throughout your agency and with your business associates. To order a copy today, click herefor an order form. Want to learn even more about this critical planning tool and how to make it work in your agency? Attend the 2006 Big "I" National Legislative Conference & Convention, which will include a full day of Risk Management and Preparedness Plan Training on April 29, 2006. Join us there to develop or fine tune your agency disaster plan. If you would like to know more about all of the innovative concepts that the Best Practices program can offer your agency, click here. For more information, contact Madelyn Flannagan at ;madelyn.flannagan@iiaba.net800-221-7917. T O P I A M A G A Z I N E
Keep IA Coming! Want to have the latest industry news and trends, management information, specialty lines access and government affairs coverage at your fingertips? To improve the profitability and efficiency of your agency, renew your subscription to Independent Agent magazine. And the best part—it’s free! Take action now. Keep your IA magazine coming, delivered straight to your home or office each month. To validate your subscription online, go to IAmagazine.com and click on "Update Your Subscription." Use the six-digit ID printed on your magazine mailing label and follow the directions. While you’re visiting IAmagazine.com, don’t forget to check out the Premier Insurance Directory (PID). PID is the ultimate monthly guide for insurance products and services, including specialty lines, and the information is searchable by category online. Direct IA subscription questions to Jill Cosgrove at jill.cosgrove@iiaba.net; 800-221-7917. T O P K A T R I N A R E L I E F F U N D
Fund Contributions Top $300,000 Zurich is the latest carrier to contribute to the Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund. With the generous support of carriers, company partners, individuals, and state associations, the fund has collected more than $300,000 to date. Its goal is to assist those whose lives were tragically altered by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. All donations will help insurance industry colleagues, including independent agents, brokers, their employees and families in the impacted areas. The Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund is now accepting applications for grants from affected agents. To download an application, click here. To read the Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund distribution guidelines, click here. Make checks payable to "Big ‘I’ Katrina Relief Fund" and mail to: Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund
c/o InsurBanc
10 Executive Drive
Farmington, CT 06032 If you prefer to contribute via credit card, please click here.
All funds contributed to the Big "I" Katrina Relief Fund are tax deductible as charitable contributions. T O P
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