This issue of TechTips is the last of what has turned out to be a three-part series on how to use the Amazon Polly WordPress plugin to add various types of additional content to your website – automatically.

In Part 1, I showed you how to Automatically Add Audio to Your Website with Amazon Polly.

In Part 2, I showed you how to Automatically Translate A Website Page with Amazon Polly using multiple languages.

In this last part, I will help you understand how you can use the Amazon plugin to automatically add a published article to an agency podcast.

Creating an Agency Podcast

Podcasting is big. I listen to about 10 to 12 different podcasts for entertainment and education. Your agency should consider this medium to help your clients better understand insurance and how it affects their everyday life. And, I know it is hard to get started.

An easy way to dip your toes into the podcasting pool is to use the audio files created from the Amazon Polly WordPress plugin (using the AWS text to audio service) to automatically add to your podcast. Now, I do understand that this is not a perfect solution. Here are the problems I see:

• It is not personal
• It is not conversational
• It may sound like an automated robot (which it is!)

And yet, it is still better than doing nothing.

The first step is to create a Podcast account on the iTunes Podcast Store. The details of how to do this are beyond the scope of this article. You can find the details for how to get started here.

The next step is to connect your Apple Podcast feed with the Amazon Polly plugin. The screenshot below from my account shows the information required.

Getting all the pieces in place is not simple but very doable for anyone with a bit of technical skill and who is willing to learn the steps.

I suspect there will not be many agencies that will take the time to set this process up. I decided to include this last piece to help you begin understanding the power of audio and voice. I believe adding voice capability to how you interact with clients and prospects is a trend we will continue to see.

Does your agency have a podcast? If so, leave a link so I can share with everyone.

There is something special about receiving a handwritten notecard. It communicates that someone took the extra time to acknowledge you. I love sending notecards because I know how special they can be.

Unfortunately, I seldom actually send one out. It is worth the time to do, and it’s hard.

My first psychological barrier is that I believe my handwriting is terrible! Next, making sure I have cards and postage available, and then getting the note to the post office seems like an insurmountable problem.

Because of this, I’m always looking for technology solutions that help me actually send out thank you notes. Over the last few years, I’ve explored various options and platforms, yet none have quite fit my needs.

In my continuing quest, I recently came across Handwrytten (no, that is not misspelled!).

Cybercrime continues to grow, and no one is immune. Insurance agencies, small businesses, and even large municipalities like Baltimore are being hit with ransomware attacks and other types of cybercrime.

What would you do if your office was hit with a ransomware attack or one of your employees wired money in response to a phishing email?

I have written a couple of articles on how to spot phishing emails that you can review here and here. The best defense against a phishing attack is to make sure all employees are trained to question any email that doesn’t “look right.”

But even extensive employee training won’t guarantee that your organization won’t be a victim of a cybercrime attack.

Fortunately, the FBI maintains a website where you can report an incident. The full name is the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

The title of this post might be considered classic clickbait, but I did get your attention. Read on to see if you have lost money that needs to be found.

Recently, I received a letter from the Tennessee Treasury Department, which generally is not a good thing. Fortunately, this letter had good news. It was from the Division of Unclaimed Property telling me that I might have unclaimed property worth $55. I was directed to the Tennessee website that provided access to the database of unclaimed property. I went through the process of verifying my identity and filing a claim. I received a check in the mail for the full amount.

Money that was mine that I had no idea was due me.