KIA&B 2015 Volume 20, Issue 1 | Page 12

| TRUSTED CHOICE COMMITTEE | Show me the money Trusted Choice gives us the tools we need to outmarket direct writers KRISTY WILSON Trusted Choice Committee Chair B eing well on our way into 2015 (where did 2014 go?), there is no better time to look at your marketing strategies. In the last issue I told you about all of the resources the Trusted Choice website has for us to use, which can be accessed at www.trustedchoice.com/agent. However, there are a number of marketing options that our very own association has that we can use. Take a look. high school scoreboard show There are 28 stations statewide that participate in this program, which is available from September through March. The association has secured the title sponsorship of the show, which gives Trusted Choice independent agents recognition in the opening credits and throughout the show. The show runs during local high school football and basketball seasons. Your agency can leverage this sponsorship by buying 30- or 60-second radio spots on your local stations in conjunction with the show. NEWS & AG radio The association runs radio spots each week on radio stations across the state. The spots, which air during prime news and farm report times, target decisionmakers in both personal and commercial markets as well as the crop/farm coverage market. Your agency can piggyback on these statewide spots by running your own radio spots in your local market during news and farm report times. 140 community newspapers across the state. This is something that KAIA does without any agent buy in. Watch for the ads in your local papers. online advertising The KAIA has several digital ad campaigns promoting independent agents scheduled to run on Kansas college athletics websites. They are also working on digital ad campaigns targeted at Kansas consumers who visit Top 100 websites like Google, MSN, CNN, Facebook and FoxNews. Your agency can take advantage of these targeted digital ads as well. You can choose your budget and choose the ZIP codes you want to target to ensure that your digital ads are reaching consumers in your local market. advertising co-op Many people may not realize that there is co-op money available to every member agency. The amount you can claim depends on the type of advertising you are doing and the amount of your membership dues. I encourage you to contact Nicole or Stephanie at the KAIA office. They can help you build your marketing plan, give you ideas and show you how to leverage the mo