Social media plays an increasingly significant role in how we access news, gather information, and make key travel decisions, whether it’s choosing a holiday destination, selecting which airline to fly with, or deciding which attractions to visit.

According to DataReportal, there were 5.41 billion social media users globally at the beginning of July 2025, indicating that over 95% of the world’s internet users now regularly use social media. So, are travellers also using these platforms to inform themselves about travel insurance and decide which policies to buy?

Evolution of social media in marketing travel insurance 
Mike Caidan, SVP Commercial at Collinson Insurance, said that in recent years, social media had become “a powerful tool for travel insurers”, evolving from basic promotion to active engagement, education, and trust-building. “Instead of just selling policies, insurers now use platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn to explain coverage and share real-time updates.”

He added: “Influencer partnerships and user-generated content have also helped highlight the value of travel insurance in a relatable way, especially post-pandemic. With advanced targeting, insurers can now reach specific traveller segments and deliver timely, personalised messaging. Social media also plays a growing role in customer service, offering quick support and building credibility through reviews, testimonials, and transparent communication.”

Ernesto Suarez, CEO of Gigasure, agreed that social media had become a key channel for connecting with customers, helping to “educate, inform and share useful tips and advice that get people interested in our products. It enables us to engage with prospective customers that share our core values and build those all-important relationships that lead to sales,” he added. 

Miriam Boote, Managing Director of Designate, noted that in her 20 years working with financial services (FS) brands, the landscape had changed a lot: “We have made consumer brands interesting, caring, relatable, and – dare I say it – even fun.”  

However, Boote acknowledged that FS brands also faced challenges when marketing through social media, posing the question: “Do customers want their providers in their feeds, even for the more interesting FS products, like travel?”

Nearly half of 18–30-year-olds use social media for financial information

The rise of ‘finfluencers’
Boote discussed the growing trend of ‘finfluencers’ – financial influencers who use social media to share advice, tips, and insights on topics such as insurance. Many finfluencers partner with brands to promote products or services, and their reach is particularly strong among younger audiences. 

Referencing the Young Money Report by management consultancy MRM, Boote pointed out that 59% of young people in the UK follow at least one finfluencer, a figure that rises to 74% among young Londoners. The study also found that nearly half of 18–30-year-olds use social media for financial information. Over 77% said they trusted the financial content shared by influencers, and 14% admitted they would make financial decisions based solely on that information.

However, Boote highlighted the risks, noting that the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) had recently increased efforts to crack down on the promotion of unregulated financial advice, leading to the removal of social media posts and websites operated by unauthorised finfluencers.

Boote concluded that there was a real opportunity for FS brands to regain their influence and reconnect authentically with customers. “These stats show the demand is there – it’s time to step up to seek the same attention as this new breed of finfluencers and really understand this burgeoning, engaged and growing audience that love to travel.”

Has social media become a core part of your overall marketing strategy?
Caidan confirmed that social media was now central to Collinson Insurance’s PR strategy, describing it as an essential tool for building market presence from the ground up. “When you're starting from scratch, it’s second only to industry events in helping us insert our brand into the conversation.” 

He pointed out that social media ensured ongoing visibility even during quieter periods. “For us, it’s not just about promotion; it’s about showing up consistently, engaging meaningfully, and reinforcing credibility day to day. In travel insurance especially, where trust and clarity matter, platforms like LinkedIn help us educate, support, and stay connected with our audience in a way that traditional PR can’t always match.” 

Suarez noted that, while social media is valuable, it’s just one strand of a broader strategy that includes PR, SEO, and digital marketing. “Social media is a long-term game and you must be patient with it,” he said. “Eventually, it will become one of our main sales channels, but, for now, it is just one strand of our marketing strategy at this stage in our business growth.”

Benefits and challenges of promoting travel insurance through social media
Social media provides a direct line to both current and prospective customers, said Suarez, allowing Gigasure to respond swiftly to emerging news and trends. “The challenge is coming up with new ways to keep people engaged; we have such a short amount of time to capture a viewer’s attention, and we have to think creatively and use the most effective visuals to make our brand stand out in what is a very crowded space.”

Caidan agreed that social media was invaluable for growing brand visibility and often outperforms other traditional channels in cost-efficiency and reach. “It enables us to directly engage decision-makers and stakeholders, breaking down policies or services into digestible, compelling content that builds trust and drives meaningful business conversations,” he said.

Another strength is its ability to showcase company values. “Social media lets us present Collinson Insurance as friendly, human, and approachable, qualities that are essential in travel insurance, where trust and empathy are key,” he said. “Businesses want assurance that their customers feel confident that their insurer understands their needs, and social media gives us the space to show exactly that.”

However, Caidan recognised that social media “saturation” could be a difficult obstacle to overcome. “Appealing to algorithms sometimes is without success, and there is always the concern that social media is exceptionally fast-moving, making content passé much faster than traditional media outlets. Overall, we manage to accept lower impressions after ‘missing’ the algorithm by noting the engagement rate successes, and acknowledging that when the majority of our content is well received, the ones that do not reach such high numbers can serve as a learning curve for the future.”

In travel insurance, where trust and clarity matter, platforms like LinkedIn help us educate, support, and stay connected with our audience in a way that traditional PR can’t always match

Platforms and content that generate the most engagement
Caidan shared that Collinson Insurance uses LinkedIn as the main platform, and human-centred content performs best. “While it’s a professional network, the posts that resonate most blur the line between corporate and personal, celebrating team wins, highlighting colleagues, or sharing moments from conferences. Insurance is a people business, and many of our best partnerships start with a simple, in-person conversation. Our social media reflects that: the more authentic the content, the stronger the engagement and reach,” he concluded. 

Staying ahead of social media trends and shifts
Social media trends shift quickly, with new platforms like TikTok storming the market and overtaking others. With young audiences increasingly turning to TikTok for information and following finfluencers, the question arises: should travel insurers be using these platforms?

Caidan acknowledged that deciding which trends to engage with can be challenging. It’s important, he said, to distinguish those that genuinely strengthen brand identity and connect with the target market from those that could undermine credibility as a travel insurance provider. “We have worked hard to always question what the goal is when participating in trending content, as we never want to appear facetious,” he stated. “We try to find and participate in trends that align with our brand identity and that our partners will naturally associate with us and what we represent. If that means we lack a TikTok presence, and that we post less regularly than other brands, or even attain less impressions, we don’t mind, as we know that our social media presence doesn’t detract from our company values, but reinforces and builds them.”

Boote pointed to the recent viral Jet2 jingle trend, which sparked nearly 16,000 TikTok posts, and caused search interest in Jet2holidays to soar. “Is it ‘brandalism’ or brand fame?” she asked explaining that brandalism is when a brand is treated badly in communications or marketing – tarnished or devalued by not being considered properly. 

Addressing whether travel insurance brands should try to replicate such viral trends, her advice was no. Instead, insurers should be “present and engage in an appropriate way, tapping into consumers’ lives”. She added that focusing on niche audiences, such as solo travellers, helped make that relatability feel authentic.

While platforms like TikTok can be powerful tools for reaching large audiences, both agreed that insurers should carefully select content and trends that strengthen their brand identity, rather than risk undermining their credibility as a travel insurance provider. 

The posts that resonate most blur the line between corporate and personal, celebrating team wins, highlighting colleagues, or sharing moments from conferences

Partnering with social media influencers 
Caidan explained that influencer marketing hasn’t been a priority for Collinson Insurance as they focus on promoting their products to companies, brands, and insurance professionals. “While influencers can be incredibly effective in business-to-consumer (B2C) campaigns, our audience values credibility, expertise, and long-term relationships over endorsements,” he noted. “Our clients respond best to strong word of mouth, industry reputation, and a steady, professional presence on social media.” 

He added: “Rather than promoting individual products through personalities, our strategy is centred on showcasing the strength of our partnerships and the solutions we provide. We use social media to communicate our values, demonstrate our expertise, and highlight how we support the wider insurance ecosystem, building trust in a way that aligns with how our clients make decisions.”

We use social media to communicate our values, demonstrate our expertise, and highlight how we support the wider insurance ecosystem

Measuring the success of social media campaigns
Caidan explained that Collinson prioritises engagement rates over high impression metrics, focusing on the quality of interactions rather than volume. “We know that our desired audience is more likely to interact with content, and, while we are always interested in reaching new viewers and expanding our reach, our success is never solely measured on big numbers,” he said. “Some of our much lower impressions have exceptionally high engagement rates, indicating that everyone that comes across our post is reading more, looking through photos, following links, and that is far more important to us.”  

Caidan acknowledged that it could be challenging to link social media activity directly to immediate sales, but stressed that its value extended well beyond short-term metrics. “We’re seeing real growth in our industry presence and positioning our team as trusted voices and thought leaders. Building that kind of visibility takes time, and we see our social media strategy as a long-term investment in the future of our brand.” 

Although Caidan noted that the landscape was unpredictable and rapidly changing, he expressed confidence in the enduring role of social media. “It offers a dynamic, adaptable platform to stay relevant, connect with our audience, and reinforce our place in the industry,” he concluded.

The future of travel insurance marketing
Caidan emphasised that travel insurance was rooted in adaptability and global connectivity, so its marketing should embrace innovation. He highlighted the growing importance of short-form content in educating customers and making insurance more accessible. “We no longer keep insurance knowledge exclusive to underwriters and brokers,” he said.

Social media’s interactive nature fosters direct feedback and meaningful two-way communication, making insurance more engaging and human-centred.

Boote added that social media was playing an increasing role in answer engine optimisation (AEO) – optimising content for artificial intelligence (AI) powered search. She explained that platforms like Instagram had begun including captions in search results, adding a new layer of strategy for travel insurance brands to craft content that boosts visibility in search-driven environments.