The latest AMI Protection Viewpoint provided a compelling snapshot of the challenges and opportunities facing the protection market.
The research highlights a worrying pattern that almost one in five UK adults start their protection journey but don’t complete it. Among under-35s, that figure rises to one in four.
What’s particularly relevant is that most consumers begin their journey online, either via search engines or comparison sites, yet many never make it to the point of advice or purchase.
The Viewpoint describes this as a “disconnect” between digital engagement and human connection and for me therein lies the opportunity, to use social media not as a replacement for advice but as a bridge to it.
MEETING CONSUMERS WHERE THEY ARE
Consumers are already on social platforms, searching for answers, reassurance and recommendations long before they reach an adviser.
Our experience suggests that while digital channels drive awareness, they often fail to carry people through to the point of meaningful conversation.
That’s where the advice profession can make the difference, by ensuring the right voices and messages are visible at the right time.
Authentic, advice-led social content helps consumers see what sits behind the quote, the context, the stories and the “why” of protection.
If half of consumers abandon the process after receiving a quote, it’s often because price alone doesn’t tell the full story.
A well-timed post explaining why underwriting questions exist, or how claims are paid, can reframe the perceived complexity into confidence.
HUMAN CONNECTION IN A DIGITAL WORLD
AMI’s findings underline that around 70% of consumers across all age groups, value human connection throughout the buying process.
That doesn’t mean digital should take a back seat. It means digital should enable and compliment the human element.
Video storytelling, adviser Q&As, client testimonials and myth-busting posts can all provide the warmth and relatability that algorithms can’t.
It allows advisers to show personality, empathy and expertise, the very qualities the Viewpoint highlights as essential to rebuilding trust and completion rates.
FROM DATA TO DIALOGUE
The AMI report calls for “ongoing dialogue” across the sector to address drop-off points in the customer journey.
Social media can turn that call into action. Platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram are increasingly where professional and consumer conversations overlap.
TikTok is one of the largest sources of information for under 30s. This learning point is loud and clear and is where the industry can build shared understanding, of what consumers need, what advisers experience and where gaps persist.
Imagine if more firms used social media not to advertise, but to inform and educate. To post short, accessible explainers about the difference between “budget cover” and “comprehensive cover.”
To highlight what happens after the policy starts. To celebrate claims paid, not products sold. To sign-post the questions that consumers might be thinking but not asking.
THE ROLE OF AI AND AUTHENTICITY
The Viewpoint also explores attitudes toward AI, revealing both consumer curiosity and adviser caution.
While more than half of under-35s say they’d trust AI to answer protection questions, far fewer would trust it to make a final recommendation.
That’s an important distinction. It tells us that technology can inform, but not replace, human judgement.
Social media can play a crucial role here too. As consumers increasingly encounter AI-generated information online, the value of authentic adviser voices only grows.
Posts that use real language, real examples and real faces stand out precisely because they feel trustworthy.
For advisers and networks, the key may not be choosing between AI or human engagement but using digital tools to enhance human presence.
Scheduling platforms, analytics and even AI-assisted content can all help advisers show up more consistently, but the message must remain unmistakably human.
COLLABORATION, NOT COMPETITION
Stephanie Charman, AMI chief executive, sets the right tone: “We encourage industry to reflect on the part each of us plays.”
Social media can help make that reflection public visible, and constructive. And it can drive collaboration as much as conversion.
When advisers, providers, lenders and networks align their messages, engagement rises and so does consumer understanding.
Networks sharing engaging adviser posts, providers amplifying adviser stories and industry bodies using consistent messaging can all build the momentum needed to change perceptions.
This isn’t about individual marketing wins, it’s about collective progress.
