For some time, social media has been a crucial tool for independent insurance agencies to engage clients, showcase expertise and drive business growth. Now, with the growth and accessibility of artificial intelligence (AI), agents can make the task of managing social media accounts easier than ever.

Here are five ways you can leverage AI on social media:

1) Write a better message. Writing may not be your thing, but that is where programs like ChatGPT or Jasper.ai come in. However, they aren't perfect.

The key is remembering that better input leads to better output. When asking any AI program to write content, include information about the platform you're using and the “tone" you want, as well as relevant facts about your agency and the action you're hoping to solicit.

For example, when you prompt with, “Write a 50-word Facebook post about homeowners insurance from AgencyABC," the resulting output is:

Protect your home with peace of mind! AgencyABC offers tailored homeowner's insurance to safeguard your biggest investment. From fires to theft, we've got you covered. Get personalized coverage, competitive rates and responsive service. Contact us today for a free quote! #HomeInsurance #AgencyABC #ProtectYourHome

However, when you add more detail, you end up with something quite different. By asking, “Write a 50-word Facebook post about homeowners insurance from AgencyABC. Tie the message to spring tornado season. The tone should be friendly and casual. We are a family-owned agency in central Wisconsin that emphasizes personal service," the resulting output is:

Hey, neighbors! Spring tornado season is here, but don't stress! With AgencyABC's homeowners insurance, your family and home are in good hands. As a family-owned agency in central Wisconsin, we prioritize personal service to keep you protected. Get peace of mind with us today! #HomeInsurance #AgencyABC

While these messages may not be right for your agency, this exercise does illustrate how your request influences the results. Remember that any content that's generated must still be reviewed for accuracy and errors & omissions exposure, so you should always finetune the copy. In other words, use AI content generators to jumpstart the writing process, not as a total replacement.

Even if you are comfortable creating social content, don't overlook a tool like Grammarly for proofing and spell checks.

2) Summarize existing content. Social media is all about sharing, which means you don't need to start from scratch on every social post. If you see an article or other relevant content that's been created by someone else, use AI content generators to summarize the material for a post before sharing a link to the original version.

A prompt on ChatGPT to “summarize this article for a 30-word LinkedIn post," along with a link to the Forbes article, “Does Home Insurance Cover Tornado Damage?" generated this content:

Forbes Advisor discusses the necessity of specialized tornado insurance for homeowners in high-risk areas. Ensure your property is protected against the unpredictable forces of nature.

Just add a link to the article and you've got a ready-made LinkedIn post. Forbes and ChatGPT did the heavy lifting, but you'll get the extra exposure you might want before tornado season.

3) Find the right hashtag. Depending on the social platform, adding a hashtag can increase exposure. If you want to add hashtags, AI tools like RiteTag and All-Hashtag can suggest hashtags to give you a broad reach that is specific to your goals and the platform you're posting to.

4) Create unique visuals. Adding visuals, including videos, can generate more engagement than text-only posts. Smartphone cameras are sophisticated enough to generate high-resolution photos and videos.

If you need a little help, check out some free AI generators like Synthesia for videos and Canva for photos. All you have to do is enter a request, such as “tornado hitting a barn." Try a few different descriptions until you find something that works. Adding “realistic-looking" to your request may help your output.

As long as you use it in small doses and only where appropriate, computer-generated art isn't all bad. However, one word to remember when generating anything from AI is copyright. AI-generated content without any human input can't be copyrighted. However, photographers and other content creators are challenging the use of AI-generated photos, claiming that the use of the underlying images breaching copyright.

5) Improve your posting efficiency. AI tools like HootSuite, Buffer and Sprout Social can improve how and when you post across multiple platforms. Among their many bells and whistles are analytics, scheduling calendars, comment auto-replies, content and hashtag generation and more. For agencies without a full-time social media manager, these programs are game-changers.

Even though you can often find many free AI tools, you might find a better fit using a paid subscription. Be sure to take advantage of those free trial periods to try out and compare several different services before committing to one. It's a great way to see what's available.

Peter van Aartrijk is principal at insurance branding firm Aartrijk. This article was originally published on the Trusted Choice^® blog.