The Fetch: Firemarks, Networks, and the YouTube Goldmine
A clip from an episode of the UK's "Antiques Roadshow", copyright BBC
Stat Retrievers
MarshBerry reports that over 70% of independent agents nationwide are members of a network or cluster. We think the number may be even higher in most states.
Do Tricks, Get Treats
YouTube is still a content goldmine. From impacts of their quarter billion U.S. audience size to the content citations for AI search and SEO - your brand needs to be here. Even if you are just sharing reels as "Shorts", make this a priority as you plan for 2027.
Meat on the Bone: Firemarks
Imagine your house catches on fire, but the fire department can't help put it out because you don't have a sign on it.
In the 1750s, this might have been the case.
"Firemarks" were used to signify that their property was insured.1 In the style that English companies had been doing for decades, American companies began issuing their firemarks to insureds around - but primarily after - the Revolutionary War.
Policyholders nailed them to the exteriors of their homes and businesses as a sign of responsibility for their properties and as a warning to arsonists that their losses would be made good by insurance companies and that the arsonists would be pursued by the insurance companies.
But for the American companies, these were also marketing devices. They've continued to develop in that aspect over the last 275 years, and now serve as signs of an agent's "appointment" with a carrier in most cases. You'll most often find them hanging on walls in the offices of independent insurance agencies.
A staple of branding in the industry, is there a "next evolution" for firemarks in our industry? What's the oldest firemark you have on display at your agency?
What's in the Bowl?
AI Off the Leash
Cara unifies insurance agencies' servicing, sales, communication, and knowledge workflows into one AI-powered system. Is it the "one solution" that insurance agents need? It is certainly among those leading the way.
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