Connecting the world to the corrosion conversation
During the COVID-19-induced lockdown, the use of social media has exploded. Numbers from The Institute of Corrosion’s social media accounts show that our members are staying in touch and connected to their professional life as well as their personal.
Connecting with corrosion professionals
Coronavirus has shown the world many things. Our need to connect with other humans, for example. And when we can’t interact face-to-face, we find other ways of doing do. That’s a common thread that has run through history. From cave drawings to smoke signals, to telegrams to telephones, we humans have always innovated new ways to interact remotely.
Of course, the world has moved on from smoke signals to social media as a preferred channel of communication, interaction, and information gathering. The unprecedented times in which we currently find ourselves has shown just how much we now rely on social media – and the Institute of Corrosion has not been left behind. Â
ICorr – Your professional destination on social media
According to recent data from GlobalWebIndex, social media is a core activity of people in lockdown. If you’re like half of internet users, your use of social media and messaging services will have taken up more of your time recently. The research shows that:
- Almost half of internet users say they are spending more time on their social media and on messaging services
- More than a third are spending more time on mobile apps
- One in five people expect to continue to spend more time on their social media after the COVID-19 outbreak has passed
You may have noticed that we’ve been developing our social media this year as part of the Institute of Corrosion’s rebranding strategy. You can now find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We’re sharing our blogs, news, and market information with the world, and we’re encouraging our members to become involved – and this approach is paying dividends.
ICorr – Social media growing faster than LinkedIn
Our social media numbers are growing tremendously. For example, the number of members on our LinkedIn group page are up by around 15% this year, and moving toward 2,500. That’s a faster rate of growth than the whole of LinkedIn, which has seen its number of members increase by around 2.25%. Â
We’re seeing more visitors on Facebook, and more shares of our social media posts. Our fledgling Instagram account is gaining traction.
ICorr – An increasingly globally social society
Among the core values of the Institute of Corrosion, we want to share corrosion expertise with the world. We took the decision to communicate through channels that people use – including increasing our depth and presence on social media.
Our ambition of increasing our global reach is being helped by our social media presence. Traffic to our website – in large part driven by our social media and organic search – increased by around 9.5% in the last three months from the previous three months.
The UK accounts for around a third of site visitors, but our new focus on digital communication channels is gaining an audience around the globe. Here are a few highlights from the latest digital presence report presented at the most recent council meeting:
- Visitor numbers from Europe rose strongly, led by the Netherlands with a colossal increase of more than 25%.
- Visitors from the United States increased by a very impressive 15%.
- India was next on the list, with almost 13% more visitors than in the previous period.
- Among others, Nigeria and the UAE are also showing strong growth in visitor numbers to our website.
Online content and social media working hand-in-hand
When we rebranded, we rebranded our website simultaneously. The greater depth of content on site now includes:
- Regular blogs
- Corrosion industry news
- Details of all training and certifications
- A members-only area with exclusive content
- Industry job listings
We’re continually developing our content and social media to keep an increasing worldwide community in touch with all the latest news, views and developments in corrosion. And our efforts are helping corrosion professionals around the globe develop their professional networks through membership of the Institute of Corrosion.
Our social media is your social media
One of the most satisfying outcomes from our social media is the ease with which you can now get in touch with us at the institute and your fellow corrosion community. It’s easy, too:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Link with us on LinkedIn
- Interact with us on Instagram
- Tie up with us on Twitter
Our conversation about corrosion is your conversation. And if you’re not a social media person, then don’t forget that the leading journal for corrosion control and prevention, Corrosion Management, is published bi-monthly and is distributed to subscribers worldwide.
The Institute of Corrosion is your institute. our social media is your social media. We look forward to hearing from you.
