Appendix D: Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

The team opted to share some of our early research finds that we documented in an Annotated Bibliography. The citations, abstract, and team comments helped us share relevant findings and keep one another updated on the best resources we found during the first few weeks of our team's formation. Annotated Bibliographies are common in academic research and help team members develop an understanding of citation and annotation strategies that are often required in undergraduate capstone projects and graduate thesis projects.

Chinen-Moore, J. (2020). Social Media Strategies for Small Businesses (Order No. 28002405). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Closed Collection; ProQuest One Academic. (2420559389). https://library.indianapolis.iu.edu/cgi-bin/proxy.pl?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/social-media-strategies-small-businesses/docview/2420559389/se-2

ABSTRACT: Small business owners can use social media to reach and engage with their customers. By communicating online, they can build strong relationships and understand how their business is doing. Social media helps them see what their clients are happy with and what needs improvement. This makes it easier to fix problems quickly and keep customers satisfied. Using these tools, business owners can create a more personal connection with their audience, leading to better customer loyalty and increased success. Social media also offers a cost-effective way to market their products and services, reaching a larger audience without spending a lot of money. Overall, social media is a valuable resource for small businesses to grow and succeed in today's digital world.

TEAM NOTES: To attract a younger audience, Brooks Insurance can use social media to build strong relationships and understand their needs. By engaging online, they can quickly address issues and keep customers satisfied. Social media helps create a personal connection, leading to better loyalty. It is also a cost-effective way to market products and reach a larger audience. Overall, social media is a valuable tool for connecting with and retaining younger customers.

Clark, D. (2024, September 19). How to use social media for insurance industry 2024. Social Champ. https://www.socialchamp.io/blog/social-media-for-insurance/

ABSTRACT: This article heavily focuses on social media marketing and social media management tools. When marketing insurance on social media, you must first: define your goal, identify your target audience, and create a content strategy. One way to create engaging content is to use storytelling from other customers’ experiences. This can create an emotional connection with your client. When planning to create content it is important to plan it around a calendar to maintain engaging content.

TEAM NOTES: This article stood out to me because it brings up the aspect of having to create a calendar. This was an issue that came up in our team meeting. This article gives some tips on how to keep up with a calendar. It also includes tactics on how to market insurance.

Deel, Isaac. (2023). Social media marketing strategies for small businesses: a comprehensive guide to success and growth. Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 786. https://dc.etsu.edu/honors/78

ABSTRACT: In America, 91% of American adults use social media daily. Without a social media presence, small businesses automatically lose to their competitors of other businesses who have social media presence. The way to boost the business is through customer and media engagement. A business can sell or create wonderful products, but if there is a disconnect between the customers and the media presented, then social media presence does the business no good. Here are ways to increase customer engagement: engage with the customers, create relatable content, and be consistent with the content. Businesses can engage with their clients or customers by being quick and intentional by responding to their questions in the comments as well as direct message and post engaging content that asks for client feedback.

TEAM NOTES: We can use some of these statistics found in the thesis that we can use in creating customer engagement: “The content plan that worked best for Green Llama on Facebook and Instagram was 2-3 reels per week, 1-2 posts in per week, and 1-2 stories each day. Over a three-month period, this plan increased organic reach on both platforms by over 368.9 % and total followers by 50%.”

Edlam, L. A., Jr. (2024). Social media presence and innovation in minority-owned small- and medium-sized enterprises (Order No. 31336381). https://library.indianapolis.iu.edu/cgi-bin/proxy.pl?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/social-media-presence-innovation-minority-owned/docview/3075798643/se-2

ABSTRACT: Owners and managers of small and medium-sized businesses should use social media to grow their market presence. Social media platforms offer a terrific way to connect with customers, promote products, and share updates. By using these tools, businesses can reach a larger audience without spending a lot of money. Engaging with customers online helps build trust and loyalty, which can lead to more sales and positive reviews. Additionally, businesses can gather feedback and understand customer needs better, allowing them to improve their services. In today's digital age, being active on social media is essential for staying competitive and successful.

TEAM NOTES: For Brooks Insurance, using social media can attract younger clients by connecting with them, promoting services, and sharing updates affordably. Engaging online builds trust and loyalty, leading to more sales and positive reviews. It also helps gather feedback to improve services. Being active on social media is essential for staying competitive and successful today.

Goodall, M. (2019). Social Media Bundle: (Social Media Platforms Overview Best Practice Guide). (). New York: Centaur Media USA Inc. (A member of Centaur Plc Group). https://library.indianapolis.iu.edu/cgi-bin/proxy.pl?url=https://www.proquest.com/reports/social-media-bundle/docview/2307478129/se-2

ABSTRACT: Small businesses can gain a lot from using social media platforms. To do this well, it is important to focus on customers and be ready to spend time and money. Making sure content looks good on mobile devices and includes pictures and sounds is key. Quick adaptation to new types of ads is necessary, but always keeping an eye on quality and context is crucial. Social media is becoming more like a TV station, offering a fantastic way to reach and talk to more people. By following these tips, a small business can connect better with its audience and grow its brand.

TEAM NOTES: To attract younger clients, Brooks insurance can use social media to create engaging, mobile-friendly content with visuals and sounds. Quickly adapting to new ad formats while maintaining quality helps reach a larger audience. This approach builds better connections and grows the brand.

Laehn, T. (2018). How social media can connect advisers with clients. Employee Benefit Adviser (Online), https://library.indianapolis.iu.edu/cgi-bin/proxy.pl?url=https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/how-social-media-can-connect-advisers-with/docview/2056412386/se-2

ABSTRACT: After the introduction, this article is broken up into three parts: Micro-Targeting, Localizing, and Scaling. Each section demonstrates a strategy used in social media to connect with clients. The first section focuses on narrowing down the range of customers. The second section focuses on connecting with customers on a local level. The third section focuses on scaling micro-targeted, localized ads on behalf of any number of advisers.

TEAM NOTES: This article is beneficial because it gives us aspects to think about when we are forming recommendations. It is important to understand what works well when it comes to advertising in social media. Understanding the tactics also helps us to know what to avoid when forming our recommendations.

Lutkenhaus, R., McLarnon-Silk, C., & Walker, F. (2023). Norms-Shifting on Social Media: A Review of Strategies to Shift Norms among Adolescents and Young Adults Online. Review of Communication Research, 11, 127-127–149. https://library.indianapolis.iu.edu/cgi-bin/proxy.pl url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/norms-shifting-on-social-media-review-strategies/docview/2816546837/se-2

ABSTRACT: Small businesses can really benefit from using social media. It is important to focus on your customers and be ready to spend some time and money. Make sure your content looks good on mobile devices and includes pictures and sounds. Be quick to adapt to new types of ads but keep your quality high. Social media is becoming like a TV station, offering a fantastic way to reach and engage with more people. By following these tips, a small business can connect better with its audience and grow its brand.

TEAM NOTES: To attract a younger audience to Brooks insurance, using social media is key. Younger generations spend a lot of time on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. By creating engaging content that looks good on mobile devices and includes images and sounds, insurance companies can capture their attention. Adapting quickly to new ad formats and trends on these platforms can also help. For instance, using influencers or creating relatable content can make the brand more appealing. Social media allows for direct interaction with potential young customers, making it easier to build trust and show the benefits of insurance in a way that resonates with them.

National Association of Insurance Commissioners. (2024, July). Only about 1 in 4 gen Z adults can define “deductible” and “co-pay.” NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners). Retrieved from https://content.naic.org/article/only-about-1-4-gen-z-adults-can-define-deductible-and-co-pay

ABSTRACT: Individuals born in the Generation Z era know little about their insurance and the importance of insurance terms. Of the individuals born in this era, a poll found that 54% feel anxious when dealing with their insurance needs, 34% were going to wait as long as possible before buying life insurance, and approximately 25% correctly identified terms such as copay and deductible. The survey was conducted online with 1,003 individuals between the ages of 18-25, with a margin of error of +/- 3. There is a large gap between Gen Z individuals who know the importance of their insurance, and those who have little-to-no knowledge at all.

TEAM NOTES: This topic is important because it shows a need for information given to the newer generations. It shows that social media needs to include information about insurance and needs to deliver in a way that is palatable, and retainable. This shows the “why” of why social media integration of insurance is important.

Newberry, C. (2024, June 6). 2024 guide to Insurance Social Media Marketing [6 tried tactics]. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. https://blog.hootsuite.com/insurance-social-media/

ABSTRACT: This article is broken up into three main sections: how is social media used in insurance, best social media channels for insurance companies and agents, and cheat sheet: 6 insurance social media post ideas. A few ways insurance is used in social media is to build trust and credibility and to improve customer service. Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn work best for insurance companies. When considering tactics, it is important to make sure that they are compliant with the brand.

TEAM NOTES: What stood out to me the most in the article were the tried tactics. This stood out to me because it can give us an idea of what works. The tactic that stood out the most to me was the educational approach to insurance in social media. We have established that many people do not understand the insurance terms so the educational posts could help with that.

So, K. (2024, June 28). 12 social media best practices for small business owners in 2023. America’s SBDC. https://americassbdc.org/12-social-media-best-practices-for-small-business-owners-in-2023/

ABSTRACT: Businesses must know what age groups they are targeting to know which social media platforms to use to promote their business. Business needs to learn when to post media to reach the maximum number of viewers. There are scheduling tools created to optimize the time of the business producer, and some examples of these scheduling tools are Hootsuite, CoSchedule, Tailwind, and Canva Content Planner. Customer polls are some of the best ways to get feedback on what the audience would like to see, therefore learning the best ways to engage the customers. Continual reevaluation of customer interests is important to keep the clients engaged in the material.

TEAM NOTES: The 12 steps listed in the article provide practical ways to promote social media presence and how to do that effectively.

Sury, K., Arief, M., & Asyik, N. F. (2024). Analyzing the effects of social media, customer-to-customer interactions, and traditional marketing on customer decision-making through brand preference: insights from Greater Jakarta's Insurance Market. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 13(4), 49-63. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v13i4.3401

ABSTRACT: This study examines customers' decision-making process regarding insurance specifically when it comes to social media advertising opposed to traditional marketing tactics. The study showed that although social media has an excess number of users it can be tricky to market insurance there because the users do not understand the insurance terms. The study also showed the importance for customer-to-customer interactions when it comes to decision making regarding insurance.

TEAM NOTES: This article stood out to me because during our meeting the challenge of customers understanding insurance terms came up. This article can be beneficial because it brings light to the fact that many people do not understand the terms, but it also recognizes that many people see the insurance ads in social media but do not understand them. It could be beneficial to focus on promoting customer-to-customer on social media rather than using many insurance terms.

Yodhhewawhe, K. (2023). Small Business Management Decision-Making: A Case Study on Effective Social Media Marketing Strategies to Improve Performance and Increase Customer-Base (Order No. 30631453). Available from ProQuest One Academic. (3040262511). Retrieved from https://library.indianapolis.iu.edu/cgi-bin/proxy.pl?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/small-business-management-decision-making-case/docview/3040262511/se-2

ABSTRACT: The majority of small businesses feel unequipped or lost within the management and creation of social media content and platforms: 63% feel incompetent, 32% felt they needed training and 11% felt totally lost. Lack of time and management for social poses to be a main issue because in the sample 87.3% of the business owners were also the managers. Less than ½ of the small businesses sampled had a marketing unit. WOM articulates and integrates some of the best marketing strategies for small businesses: credibility through transparency, value for the customers, innovation drives new clients, and meets a customers need.

TEAM NOTES: Great quotes to show the need for social media within the insurance world.