Technical Writing for Class

Online Advertising
Prepared for CEO of Greenwood Insurance
Prepared by
June 17, 2014




















Transmittal Letter

To: CEO of Insurance Company
From:
Subject: Online Advertising
Date: June 17, 2014

	Here is a report on why online advertising would be good for our company. I have done a lot of research on this subject and have included the results. This report goes into detail about how we could utilize online advertising.

	I have included information about social networking, search engines, and Youtube. I also included some tips on how we could improve our website. My findings are that online advertising along with offline advertising is the way we should go. Offline advertising is good but advertising online is really where we need to focus our attention.

	I spent a lot of time doing research on this subject and I feel that you will change your mind once you have read everything. Please give me a call if you have any questions. You can also respond
to this email with questions that you might have.
















(Table of Contents is messed up but you get the idea)







Table Of Contents
Cover Page.................................................................................................................................................1
Transmittal Letter...................................................................................................................................... 2
Table Of Contents......................................................................................................................................3
Executive Summary...................................................................................................................................4
Introduction................................................................................................................................................5
Social Networking......................................................................................................................................5
Image 1.1....................................................................................................................................................6
Search Engines...........................................................................................................................................7
Youtube......................................................................................................................................................7
Blogs..........................................................................................................................................................8
Our Current Website Needs Improvement.................................................................................................9
404 Image...................................................................................................................................................9
Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................10

















Executive Summary
	Online advertising is important when advertising a company. Advertising on billboards, buses, and magazines can be less effective and a lot more expensive than advertising on a web page, Facebook, or Youtube. This letter describes the different ways an insurance company can be advertised online and the disadvantages of not doing so.

	Social networking is the first point mentioned. Social networking is a good way to reach the masses with little to no money. Creating a Facebook page that people can “like” can create a good fan base and allows people to share the company with friends. People can also write reviews. The owner of the company can buy advertisement space on sites like Facebook. This way you can reach people who do not know about the company. The idea for a low budget game is also suggested.

	The second point that is mentioned is using search engines for the insurance's company's website. No matter how good a website  is it does not really serve much of a purpose if people do not know about it. Advertising with business cards can only go so far. You can pay search engines like Google and Bing to have the website come up when certain keywords are entered. The website can contain important information like emails and phone numbers. People can also apply for jobs on the website. Using search engines is vital for the website to get in traffic.

	The third point that I mention is using Youtube to advertise. Advertisement time can be bought so that a short commercial is played before the video starts. You can also buy small advertisement space on the side of the page. Another thing you can do with Youtube is create a channel that features commercials by the company. This way if someone searches insurance on Youtube they may come across our page.

	Advertising is important for a company to survive. Online advertising is a cheap and effective way to advertise a company. Without online advertising you are relying on business cards and advertising on things like billboards and magazines. Regular advertising can be a lot more expensive than online advertising. Facebook, search engines, and Youtube would be a great way to advertise the company on the internet.



                                                          IMAGE GOES HERE







	I think the company would greatly benefit from using technology as a means of advertising. We need a way to reach the masses. This can be done by using websites like Facebook. Even though we currently have a website it is not getting very many hits. This is because we have not payed a search engine like Google to make the companies website come up when people type in key words. Another thing the company could benefit from would be buying advertisement space. A good example of this is the video advertisement that plays before a Youtube video starts. The company should take the next step in technology by utilizing social networking, paying search engines, improving our current website, taking advantage of what Youtube has to offer and using tools like blogs.

                                                                Social Networking
                                  *Free advertisement space as well as more public paid advertisement space
                                              *the chance for customers to leave feedback
               *good ratings would increase business and morale/ bad ratings would open our eyes to problems we may have missed
                               *If you are big on the web then you can expect to become noticed in the real world
                                     *Creating a low budget indie game could set us apart and attract new customers

	Social networking is a huge part of most peoples lives. More specifically, I am speaking about Facebook. I can safely say that most of our clients have a Facebook profile. If you pay a small price you can have advertisement space on this widely accessed website. One little advertisement at the corner of someone’s screen could make a huge difference.

	Creating a Facebook page is the first step in building an online fan base. The administrator of the page could post promotions and advertisements which people could “like” or even share to other people's walls. Facebook also allows people the opportunity to leave feedback about companies who have a page. If we end up with an overall rating of 5 stars then we know we are doing something right and other people will take notice of us. If we are getting low ratings then we will know that we need to fix whatever problems people are complaining about. The page could contain links to our website, contact information, and information about our company.  Advertising this way on Facebook could really start a chain reaction. One person could find out about us and it could result in a thousand new customers! I really think this idea would work.
	All in all Facebook is a good way for us to be able to communicate with our customers and to the masses. With Facebook we can gauge what people like about our company and what people do not like. If they think our prices are too high then we need to lower the prices or give them a reason to think we are worth our original price. If a long time customer complains on the page reviews that an insurance claim worker treated him unfairly then we will know that we need to look into how our employees are conducting themselves. Another way this reaches people is when we decide to share something like a discount to the public. If we make a status update then everyone who likes our page will see it. They may even share it to their friends.
	One idea I have is to make a low budget promotional game that can be played on Facebook. Many people who were not previously gamers are now becoming a sort of gamer because of Facebook games. Moms are spending their leisure time playing Farmville. Grandfathers are playing Fresh Deck Pocker in their spare time. I really think making a fun and catchy Facebook game would make the company take off. People learn by doing and I think a game would make a lasting impression on people. Refer to image 1.1 to see what the game would look like.
Image 1.1

	We have departments with skilled programmers. I think they could be utilized in the process of making a free indie game. We could call the game Auto Insuro Destruco. It could feature a silly looking character driving a beat up Volkswagon. Everything seems fine until a flock of birds start attacking his vehicle. You begin to swerve to each side of the road but you must evade pot holes at the same time. When the birds finally leaves you spot a boulder coming your way in the rear view mirror. You press on gas hard and BAM you run into a tree. The game ends with a song about how Evergreen Auto has you covered. Some might think that this would be exaggerating our policies but most people will see it as a fun way to state that our company is different. It hints that we are reliable, flexible, and a good investment. It also reminds people that there are dangers out on the road and we want to make them feel like they will be secure with us.

                                                         Search Engines
                       * Potential clients are more likely to find us on Google than the phone book
                       * Keywords like auto insurance will result in different insurance companies
                 * We want our website to be on the first page when a auto insurance Google search is done
                          *  It will cost money but it would be worth it in the long run
	When someone wants to look up something new they are more likely to go to Google before they look in a phone book. Our company is advertised in the phone book but try doing a web search of us. Greenwood Auto insurance comes up with 0 results when searched. Even worse when I Google “good auto insurance” competing auto insurance companies are coming up as results. How are people supposed to find our website if they are not directed to it? Handing out business cards will only go so far. Every successful site I know of will come up on the first web page if I did a Google search of their company's name. Try doing a Google search of social networking and you'll find Facebook will be one of the first results. The same could and should be true for our company. We just need to pay Google or Bing. “The crucial bottom line is this: According to data for 2008 compiled by the Pew Research Center, 85 percent of Web site visits (or hits) originated through one search engine or another.” Search engines are going to be the best way to advertise our website.

                                                                  Youtube
                           *Creating a Youtube channel would be a good way to share promotional commercials
                                                                 *Monetization
                                                    *Internet popularity equals success
                           *advertisement time on videos that are watched by millions for a small cost
                                         *Creating your own channel and advertising for free

	Creating a Youtube channel is something that we should really consider. A Youtube channel would allow us to share commercials without having to buy the advertising time. We could also monetize the videos if they became popular enough. Advertising on Youtube is going to be more beneficial than advertising on television. “Lower cost isn't the only reason to consider online video. Because of channel surfing, DVRs, and the growing use of "second screens" (mainly smartphones and tablets), fewer people watch TV commercials than in the past.” Not only do fewer people watch TV commercials but internet videos are on the rise according to this, “He says they typically come home around 5 p.m., go right to their rooms, lie on their beds, and surf videos, mostly on YouTube, on a laptop, a tablet, or a phone.” I know our typical client is not going to be the sulky teenager but what if this trend continues? Would you not say that television commercials are becoming obsolete? And it is impossible to ignore the rising trend in Youtube videos versus traditional channel surfing.
	You may say that this only applies to our younger clients but I must prove a point. Our typical 30 something year old customer may not keep up with the latest technology but eventually technology catches up with him. You can only keep that VCR around for so long before it's replaced by a DVD player and eventually a Blu-Ray player. How long will internet commercials last with luxuries like DVR? Do people even watch these commercials or are they too busy on their cell phone while our Evergreen anthem plays in what is now just a part of background noise. I wonder if they would be more likely to take notice of the occasional 15 second ad or would they more likely watch the 3rd commercial on a five commercial lineup.
                                                                  Blogs
                                               *Wordpress is a good place to start
                                          *Live stream a blog on the companies website
                              *People can stay up to date about policies and rates by subscribing
                                   *Blogging is just a way to gain some notoriety on the web

	Wordpress.com is a place where people can share their thoughts and if they convey them in an interesting enough way people will read it. A blog is also a good way to keep people up to date on changes, promotions, and sales. I think a good idea for the company would be to live stream a blog on the the website's home page. Give people the ability to subscribe to the blog so that they can stay up to date with what is going on. Make it interesting and informative. The internet is a great place to share things.
	How would we go about making a blog for an auto insurance company? The task may seem a bit daunting but we are not here to bore people with logistics and technical lawyer lingo. We just want a blog that keeps customers and prospective customers informed about our rates and policies. Rates and policies do change and customers normally get these updates by mail. The letter can also be intimidating to some people because of the way it is written. I am not saying that we should rid of the hard copy letter. I just think a blog would give customers the option of getting information faster and in a less formal way.
	A blog may not seem totally necessary for a car insurance place like us but it never hurts to put your name out there. People are watching the way we put ourselves into the media. I would like for us to have as much of a standing impression on people as the famous gecko. Companies like Geiko do a great job putting in a punch line to their advertising but I think the route you take to deliver your product is just as important. A blog would help the company gain some of the online spotlight while making an indent in people's memories. Hopefully their memories of us will be of a professional company that knows how to get noticed. We should use all sorts of media to our benefit.

                                              Our Current Website Needs Improvement
                                         *We already have IT workers with advanced skills
                               *Getting 404 errors, unoriginal layout, disorganized/hard to read text
                                 *We could create a user database so customers can login to the site
	Our current website was made by a secretary who used a free and easy way to put together a
web page. We do not even have our own server despite having a competent IT team that manages our computers and network. I do not think you would need to hire a web designer to pull off a decent and professional looking site. Our IT workers are CIS majors which is a clue that some of them if not all have the ability to code in HTML, PHP, and Java Script. I was even speaking to one guy earlier who said he runs his own site with his own web server. These guys do this stuff for fun and I really believe that they could give us a reputable website. 	Before I go into what could be changed I want to touch briefly on the purpose of a website. Imagine a new car owner is ready to get on the road but he does not know which type of insurance to choose. He remembers having one of our business cards jammed into his back pocket. He notes the address and types in our URL. He is met with a layout that has an unoriginal design. The information that is given looks like a great wall of text with absolutely no image support. We do have a call us now button but when clicked it goes to a 404 error. This website would draw any serious customer away. If we cannot create a functional and nice looking site then how credible does it sound that  we offer the best car insurance around?
	What could a small project team of tech savvy developers do for our company? They could make us look great on the internet. First they could use their web coding skills to design us an original layout. Perhaps it could have on it the company logo. Those familiar with SQL and such could really add depth to the website. There could be a login feature for current customers to check their bills. We could have a FAQ page that answers questions we commonly answer over the phone. The main thing would be to make the website look as professional as possible. This page could be the difference between 100 more customers choosing us vs those 100 guys picking Allstate due to their top notch website.
	Technology is always advancing. Sometimes it is hard to keep up but we have to realize that our customers are changing along with technology. More and more things are now digital and soon just about everything will be paperless. We definitely do not want to be left behind in these changing times. I think as long as we make an appearance on social networking websites, make sure we are noticed on search engines, and use tools like videos and blogs we will manage to keep up.

















References:


Teixeira, T. (2013). HOW TO PROFIT FROM "LEAN ADVERTISING". Harvard Business Review, 91(6), 23-25.

HELFT, M. (2013). HOW YOUTUBE CHANGES EVERYTHING. Fortune, 168(3), 52.

Cunningham, C., & Brown, S. (2010). Local Online Advertising for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. wahm articles. (n.d.). 8 Proven Online Advertising Strategies. Retrieved May 26, 2014, from http://www.wahm.com/articles/8-proven-online-advertising-strategies.html

5 Online Marketing Strategies for a Tight Budget. (n.d.). Entrepreneur. Retrieved May 26, 2014, from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226146#