I’ve been with the same insurer for about 8 years. My most recent agent “inherited” me after my previous agent retired. I’ve never seen her in person. Never spoken to her on the phone. The last contact I had with her office was the certified letter she sent to tell me my homeowner’s insurance was being canceled.

I decided that it might also be time to change my auto insurance coverage, since the same company had insured our home and vehicles.

I had met another insurance agent at a women’s professional organization several months earlier- Christine Crowell of Crowell Insurance Group. We had been out for coffee a handful of times over the past year and developed a friendship. I liked her so much, I WANTED to give her my business. So I did. I wound up with better coverage at a lower price.

I called the previous agent to say I had gone with another insurer, and they asked which insurer I had gone with. I told them, and they said, “Oh, we write policies with them, too. But I guess you didn’t know that.”

I didn’t. But even if I had, I likely would have changed agents anyway, because for me, doing business is about more than the transaction; it’s about the relationship.

I enjoy doing business with people I have a relationship with. And although I feel a connection to Black and Brew, the coffee shop whose owner knows me by name, it’s not just face-to-face relationships that count in my book, nor in the minds of many other consumers.

I feel as though I have relationships with many business people in this county, thanks to social media. I am Facebook friends with Realtors, welders, A/C companies and boutiques. I follow carpet cleaners, developers and restaurants on Twitter.

Had there been any type of relationship with my previous insurance agent, I might have continued doing business with her. But we’ve certainly never gone out for coffee, and if she has a Facebook page or Twitter account, I don’t know about it. The only interaction I ever had with her was when she wanted to sell me more insurance, or tell me my carrier was dropping my homeowners coverage. Neither of those were pleasant experiences for me.

Business owners, I share this in hope that you will understand this: you need to be engaged with your customers. They need to feel as though you care about and value their business. No, you’re not going to take each and every customer out to lunch. Maybe you’ll never know all of them by name.

But with social media, there’s just no excuse for not making an effort. Get a Twitter account. Create a Facebook fan page for your business. Claim your business on foursquare and/or SCVNGR and create rewards and incentives for customers to come to your establishment.

Why? Because doing business is about relationships. The Internet has created countless additional ways in which to build a rapport with your clients. You might as well take advantage of it… your competition is.

If you would like more information about how to use social media in your company, call our Lakeland public relations firm. We can help.

That holdup frequently is caused by clients’ failure to provide the content. Because of that, I thought I’d offer three reasons why hiring a Web copy writer is a good idea.

Focus Your Energy
I’ve always been a big believer in focusing your energy where your talents exist, and hiring someone else to do the work that falls outside your gifted area.

Let’s say you own a hair salon. You know how to cut and color hair and run your business, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you are good at writing about cutting and coloring hair or the latest hair trends.

Hiring an experienced web copy writer ensures that the content on your page is well-written in a format that is reader-friendly.

Content is King
Having a Web site that looks sharp is important, but providing relevant information and consistently adding new content to that site is what keeps people coming back.

Many business owners and managers spend the bulk of their time handling the day-to-day business operations and don’t consider routinely updating their Web site a priority.

Hear this: it SHOULD be a priority. Everyone turns to the Internet these days for research and information. We have a generation coming up that doesn’t even use a phone book anymore; they Google it.

Having a regularly updated site increases the chances that when people search for terms related to your business, your Web site appears in the search results.

Get on a Schedule
Your Web site needs to give people relevant information to aid in their buying decisions or to educate, and you need to give people a reason to keep coming back.

By using a professional Web copy writer, the two of you can create a schedule for adding content to your site on a regular basis.

Josh Hallett, a local social media expert, once said businesses with Web sites that include blogs basically train their visitors how often to return to their sites. Update content weekly, and visitors are likely to visit the site weekly. Update it monthly, and you’ll see them once a month.

Getting on a schedule for updating content gets visitors on a schedule for checking out your site.

If you’re interested in creating a new site, updating the content on an existing site, or creating a plan to routinely add Web content, consider the Lakeland and Tampa, FL public relations firm of Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. Our professional web copy writers are happy to help you create site content that keeps people coming back for more.

Call for more information: (863) 614-0555.

“I love to promote causes I believe in,” said Lorrie Delk Walker, whose company provides public relations services in Tampa and Lakeland. “This is a cause I support and will even participate in.”

Hair for Hope is Thursday, Nov. 5, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 3139 S. Florida Ave. in Scottsdale Plaza across from Dunkin’ Donuts.

Hair cuts will be free for those who participate, and they will get coupons for $5 off their next hair cut at Michael Rose Hair Designs.

Lorrie Walker Communications hopes to recruit 50 people to cut their hair during the event. If you wish to participate, please call (863) 614-0555 or e-mail: lorrie@lorriewalker.com.

Note: this post will be updated in the coming days to include links to Web sites containing more detailed information.