Social media can be a powerful tool for insurance agents when done right.

Keith Hickerson, Partner, Strategy, lead an inspirational conversation on social media at the State Farm 2010 Women’s Symposium in San Francisco on June 24 on behalf of The American College. More than 300 State Farm agents from all over America participated in the session.

“State Farm is  forward-thinking, and they are ahead of many companies in the insurance industry when it comes to social media,” says Keith. “About half of the agents in the room had used social media to grow their businesses. By the end of the session many others were ready to go home and get started with Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.”

Taking the first step in social media is fairly straightforward, but long-term success requires engaging people in a conversation.

“There’s a tendency to spout corporate messages via Facebook and Twitter,” Keith says, “but that turns people off. You have to say things that are relevant to your clients and friends.”

The symposium audience gave Keith a warm welcome, but the speaker just before him was tough to follow: Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx, had the crowd rolling with tales of international communications snafus.

“Sara is impressive,” Keith says. “It was an honor to be on the lineup with her, and bringing in an entrepreneur of her caliber demonstrates how committed State Farm is to educating their agents and empowering them to succeed.”