Caspar Bartington explains how the CII is getting onboard with Instagram
When the CII stepped up its outreach activity through the Discover Risk campaign, the channels to reach the target audiences were pretty well established -- print and direct mail, email and the website. Since those days we have seen the rise and rise of Facebook; the gentle decline of Twitter; and the emergence of Snapchat and Instagram as image focused media that appeal strongly to a generation of people who never knew life without Youtube and the wider internet. When delivering our face-to-face events in schools, colleges and universities, we have asked students what social media they use the most.
Instagram and Facebook seem to be the most used, although many do use Snapchat too. What has struck us this year is that, while Snapchat was on many people's lips, Instagram was developing very similar functionality to it and with more users. Add the fact that it is owned by Facebook and it seemed like the best new place to focus effort.
STUDENT-FRIENDLY INSIGHT
So, while it still has a modest group of 150 or so followers, the Discover Risk Instagram feed has this year given student-friendly insight into apprenticeships through short video diaries; as well as shining a light on some of those special risks that hit the headlines from time to time (Ronaldo's legs, that kind of thing). It has also been another way for us to promote the entry-level roles of apprenticeships, graduate schemes and school-leaver positions that we distribute through the channels mentioned above. So, it is not replacing anything, it is a great complement. And yes, we have also used it to celebrate our successes such as Highly Commended for the National Apprenticeship Week campaign.
There are about 700 million monthly Instagram users, many of whom are young people. So, whether you are working in Cumbria or Canberra, Maidstone or Mumbai, it is a great way to show not just the place of work but the surrounding areas; not just the documents but also the sites that contribute to our sector.
LIVE STREAMING
You can also expect to see more Facebook Live streams managed by my team and I, with support from our excellent group of young members. Our first effort at this saw 25,000 views of our live streams on apprenticeships -- we are happy with that. We look forward to using this channel to help describe the rise of insurtech, as well as the practical steps of getting through a sector assessment centre.
If you would like to help us reach more people and encourage them in to our profession, get your smartphone (or even camera) and show us the images that represent what your career in insurance means.
Email them to discover@cii.co.uk