Social media is more than just a place to post vacation photos, scroll for news, and keep up with friends—it’s a dynamic, cost-effective tool for building your brand, educating the public, and generating leads. For insurance agents, knowing how to leverage the right platforms and advertising strategies can be a game-changer for business growth.
Choosing the Right Platform
Not all social media platforms serve the same purpose or audience. The key to success is understanding where your target demographic spends their time and tailoring your content and ads to suit that platform’s strengths.
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- Ideal for: Medicare, Final Expense, and Retirement Planning
- Breakdown: Facebook remains one of the strongest platforms for insurance marketing—especially if your audience is age 40+. With its robust targeting options, you can serve ads directly to users based on location, interests, online behaviors, demographics, etc. It’s a great place to share educational posts, customer testimonials, and live Q&A sessions.
- Pro tip: Facebook Ads Manager lets you run targeted ad campaigns with precision. Start small, test different audiences and creatives, and refine over time. Keep in mind that you’ll need to run your ads for at least a few weeks before you will know if they are successful, so budget accordingly.
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- Ideal for: Health Insurance, Life Insurance, and Young Families
- Breakdown: Instagram appeals to a younger, more visual audience. It’s especially effective for connecting with women under 40, young parents, and individuals shopping for ACA health plans. Use Instagram Stories, Reels, and clean, branded graphics to grab attention and build trust.
- Pro tip: Emotional storytelling performs well on Instagram. Use short videos or carousel posts to share client success stories or visually break down complex insurance concepts. You can also post directly from Instagram to Facebook if you’re on both platforms, so don’t be afraid to double-post for maximum reach.
YouTube
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- Ideal for: Educational Content, Searchable Insurance Topics
- Breakdown: YouTube is no longer a traditional social media platform but is a powerful tool for long-form content and searchability. Posting simple explainer videos about Medicare enrollment, ACA subsidies, or life insurance benefits can position you as a helpful, credible expert.
- Pro tip: YouTube rewards consistency and relevance. Optimize your video titles and descriptions with keywords people are already searching for.
X (formerly known as Twitter)
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- Ideal for: Quick Tips, Industry News, and Younger Professionals
- Breakdown: X can be used to share real-time updates, engage in conversations, and establish thought leadership—particularly if you focus on health insurance or life insurance products for working-age adults. While it’s not ideal for Medicare marketing, it can still be useful in niche spaces.
- Pro tip: Use threads to explain topics in short, punchy language. Link back to your website or booking page for lead capture.
Creating Effective Social Media Ads
Social media advertising allows you to target, test, and refine your approach in real-time. But what makes a great ad? It all comes down to format, message, and emotional appeal.
1. Choose the Right Format
- Video: Ideal for storytelling, emotional impact, and product explanation. It can be short- or long-form, but be sure to introduce the subject within the first five seconds or risk viewers losing interest and scrolling past your content.
- Image/Graphic: Best for eye-catching stats, benefits highlights, or limited-time offers. Be careful not to overcrowd your graphic with too much text. Use high-resolution images and implement color theory to create the most scroll-stopping posts possible.
- Carousel: Great for comparing plans or showcasing multiple benefits in one post. You can fill a carousel slide with more text than you can in a single graphic, so be sure all of your copy and imagery connect with each slide, is easy to understand, and ends with a clear call to action.
2. Lead with Emotion
People don’t remember data—they remember how you made them feel. Use your ads to connect emotionally. A heartfelt client testimonial or a relatable scenario (e.g., “When your medication costs more than your groceries…”) can inspire action.
3. Avoid “Print-Style” Ads
What works in a newspaper won’t work online. Long, text-heavy print ads are usually ignored on social media. Instead, think like a consumer. Keep it visual, simple, and scroll-stopping.
Don’t Know Where to Start? Learn!
If you’re new to social media marketing, there’s no shortage of resources:
- YouTube has countless free tutorials on ad creation, audience targeting, and platform algorithms. Your tuition to “YouTube University” is $0, and “classes” are always in session!
- Skillshare, Coursera, and HubSpot offer step-by-step classes on digital marketing strategies.
- Follow successful agents on LinkedIn or Instagram to see what kind of content performs. If you want to be good at reaching audiences on social media, you’ll need to spend a lot of time on it.
Final Thoughts
Social media advertising is one of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal—but it requires strategy, patience, and creativity. Don’t aim to go viral. Aim to be helpful, human, and consistent. When your audience trusts you, they’ll reach out.
If you’re interested in learning more about how you can improve your presence on social media, check out our article ‘The Common Risks/Mistakes When Using Social Media.’
Agents
We hope that this information on social media advertising has been useful to you.
Empower Brokerage is dedicated to helping you make informed decisions about your health and finances. Whether it’s through webinar training, one-on-one calls, seminars, or marketing plans, we want you to be successful!
Give us a call at 888-539-1633 or leave a comment below if you have any questions.
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This article was updated on August 6, 2025.