May 19, 2015

SOURCE: Hearsay Social May 19, 2015 09:30 ET Southern Farm Bureau® Life Insurance Company Selects Hearsay Social to Deploy Social Business Program for Agents More Than 1,000 Agents Will Have Access to Technology That Helps Them Deepen Relationships and Engage With Clients and Prospects SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - May 19, 2015) - Hearsay Social , provider of the Predictive Social Suite for financial advisors and insurance agents, today announced it will create and deploy a program with Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company that enables its multi-line agents to meaningfully and compliantly engage with clients and prospects on social media. The Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance network extends across 11 states with an office in nearly every county within each state. The company's focus on having a strong, local presence means that its agents are often active members in their communities and have deeply personal relationships with clients. Now with Hearsay Social, they can leverage the power of social media to strengthen those connections online and grow their digital presence. "Our intent is to win in our own backyard, and our agents do this by being thought leaders in their local communities and emphasizing a relationship-first approach with their clients," said David Hurt, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company. "With more and more people turning to the Web, social media is a natural extension for agents to deepen relationships, attract prospects, and build business. We needed a technology partner that delivers both industry best practices and has a robust compliance component, and Hearsay Social was the clear choice. " The Hearsay Social platform will allow Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company agents to select pre-approved content, such as news, company announcements, and other resources, and easily share it with their social networks across Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Additionally, Hearsay Social's multi-channel Social Signals feature will alert agents when a connection experiences an important life event -- such as a marriage or new baby -- as soon as it happens so they can appropriately engage and serve clients when interest in insurance may be at its highest. "Having an active presence on social media is a necessary way to build my personal brand within my community and ultimately grow my client base," said Adam Watson, a Mississippi Farm Bureau Insurance agent. "I'm very excited that Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company is working with Hearsay Social to support my efforts and make it easier for me to accomplish this. " "Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company is paving the road for hundreds of agents to stay relevant and top of mind with their clients, prospective clients, and their local communities in this digital age," said Stephen D'Angelo, Vice President of Sales at Hearsay Social. "We're thrilled to have them on board and look forward to establishing a best-in-class social business program. " About Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company was founded in 1946 in Jackson, Mississippi. Over 3,800 Farm Bureau agents serve policyholders in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. The company offers financial service products from traditional whole life to term life insurance and annuities. Visit us at www.sfbli.com . About Hearsay Social Hearsay Social provides the Predictive Social Suite for financial advisors and insurance agents across the world's largest financial institutions, including seven of the top 10 global financial services companies and leading firms such as New York Life, Raymond James, Vanguard and Penn Mutual. Hearsay Social powers more than 100,000 financial relationship managers worldwide, allowing them to engage today's social, mobile customer through Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and mobile-first websites. Advisors receive unique client insights through multi-channel signals, and the predictive Content Library makes it easy to share the right content at the right time. Built-in enterprise integration and governance powers compliance and supervision for global firms, seamlessly addressing industry regulations and enforcing policy. Hearsay Social is a SIFMA strategic partner, LIMRA Elite Strategic partner, GAMA partner and Efma Associate Partner, and has raised $51 million from Sequoia Capital, NEA and private investors. Named one of the Best Places to Work in the Bay Area in 2015, the company is headquartered in Silicon Valley with dedicated local presences in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Austin, Toronto, London, Paris, Munich and Hong Kong. Hearsay Social Blog: http://hearsaysocial.com/blog