“We choose our platforms based on our business objectives. LinkedIn for recruitment and connection with our employees, Instagram for employees, Twitter for breaking news, and Facebook to target our messages,” says Julie Gosselin, communications manager, Social Media, at Sun Life Financial.

Sun Life’s presence on many platforms stems from a strong will by the company and by top management to connect with clients and partners. For example, on Twitter and Facebook, Sun Life manages two pages: Financière Sun Life for Québec and Sun Life Canada in the rest of Canada.

“We can’t be on social media without a content strategy. For example, during fraud prevention month we launched a questionnaire game on Facebook, and an animated GIF on Twitter and Facebook. We did not issue a traditional press release,” Gosselin says.

For Sun Life Financial, social media complements traditional media advertising campaigns because they target more people “one to one” and build a relationship of proximity with the consumer. “They let us test campaigns before broadcasting them on TV or radio. That’s the advantage of social media, you can take the pulse of the public,” Gosselin says.

However, heightened social media presence also brings challenges: be short, concise and make financial information easy to understand. “You also have to be responsive. You can’t reply to a question on a Facebook page a week later. You have to be available 24/7,” Gosselin explains.