Happy New Year Insurance and Reinsurance People! Six ways to have happy social media planning in 2011!

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Mairi

Firstly, Happy New Year to you all – may you all have a prosperous 2011.

Secondly, thanks for your support in 2010, and for reading my blog. Last year was a year when many wholesale insurers, reinsurers and service providers start to use social media. Some jumped in with both feet, while others dipped their toes and others still watched from the sidelines to admire the ripples… and see if anyone drowned in this medium that scares so many.

Results were varied. Under the sheer weight of the work needed to harness the power of LinkedIn, blogging, Facebook and Twitter successfully as a big corporate, some floundered, others lost their way and some even gave up the ghost and left their excellent work hanging in cyberspace. Some kept hacking away at the cliff-face and have made real progress in their understanding and use of the medium within the restrictions of the corporate world. Continue reading →

reinsurance YouTube video a huge hit with over 21,500 viewers

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Mairi

In the worlds of wholesale insurance and conservative reinsurance, we are not really into gimmicky or flashy marketing campaigns.

But it is interesting to note that even for us, YouTube can work. We may not be on the same level as Old Spice Man – see here:

He has sadly ended his successful YouTube/Twitter campaign.

One REINSURANCE video has shown we can make a difference and here it is:

Called The New Insurance Tax, it is a YouTube video for the Washington-based Coalition for Competitive Insurance Rates shows just how powerful new social media tools can be – but only if you have a good, clear message. Continue reading →

The risk/reward of social media in insurance and reinsurance

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Mairi

Our industry deals with risk every minute of every day. So it is a little surprising to find out how little thought has gone into the risk/reward equation for insurers and reinsurers and the use of social media.

Here I’ll look at the most common risks associated with using social media in insurance and reinsurance. Continue reading →

Coming up for air in 2010

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Mairi

As the year draws to a close, and underwriters work on finalising their January renewals, our work here at service providers like rein4ce normally starts to slow down.

This year, however, it has been different. I don’t know whether the trauma of the financial crisis has held many trapped in the headlights for most of 2009 ensuring even the most adventurous have been keeping their head down.

Now in the final throes of 2010 rein4ce is receiving more enquiries than ever before from companies looking to raise their profile in 2010 – especially through social media.

Financial services public relations, whether in traditional media or in the new arenas of social media we have been working on at rein4ce, is all about building profile, becoming known (or better known) as an expert in the field.

And a the PR toolkit of press releases, first person pieces, features in trade magazines and professional commentary has now been added to with the use of the likes of blogs, Twitter and LinkedIn, which can target specific audiences with laser-precision – ideal for our market.

It will be interesting to see what new tools 2010 will bring – and whether PR practitioners like myself can find ways of using these tools in a professional business way to help our clients.