Why does Kela advertise?
Advertising has been used by Kela for many years already.
As part of our customer communications, we also use visibility that we have to pay for, i.e. advertising. This way, information about changes concerning benefits and new service channels will reach our customers as effectively as possible.
In order to fulfil the obligation, laid down in law, to communicate information to its customers, Kela responds to changes in the media field and communication channels. Traditional ways of communicating, such as news bulletins and brochures, are in this day and age no longer enough, if you want the information to reach a broader public.
Based on the response we have received, the customers expect us to communicate actively. Advertising is one way of responding to these expectations. By means of advertising, we ensure that our messages are seen and heard and that the information is visible in the channels used by our customers.
By using social media and state-of-the-art digital advertising, we can, for example, reach customers and partners that we would not otherwise be able to reach through other channels.
We are competing for the same space in the media as commercial organisations.
If we want to make sure that our messages reach the targeted public, we must be willing to pay for visibility. Catching the attention of users of social media, for instance, comes at a cost. Without an advertising budget, our Facebook ads will not reach our customers.
What does Kela advertise?
The e-service is one of Kela’s most cost efficient forms of service. It saves Kela money and thus also saves public expenditure. When customers contact Kela in the traditional manner by visiting one of our service points in person, the cost of one visit is about 10 euros. When customers contact Kela online, the cost is only a few tens of cents.
When more customers are able to handle their contacts with Kela online, we can concentrate on serving the customers that need personal guidance even better.
By advertising, we above all strive to direct our customers towards using our online services and to offer them guidance and advice on how to use these services. In 2021, as much as 77% of the claims and applications to Kela were made online. And of the enclosures and supporting documents that were sent to Kela, 74 % were sent online.
Each year, we produce a significant amount of media contents, targeted at different groups of customers, with information and guidance concerning the services Kela provides. Are you already acquainted with the customer stories published in our customer magazine ‘Elämässä.fi’ (in Finnish) and ‘Mittiallt.fi’ (in Swedish)?
On Instagram and Facebook, you can ask our benefits experts for instructions without waiting in line for the phone service. Online advertising helps to ensure that content and services perceived as useful reach customers.
We also market Kanta services, especially the OmaKanta service aimed at citizens. By marketing the Sosiaalivakuust.fi media and the Research Blog, we ensure that the research information and discussion necessary for the development of social security reach key stakeholders.
Where does advertising appear?
The efficiency of digital advertising is based on specific and close targeting; the information about service channels and available benefits reaches the targeted groups at the right time. Depending on the targeted groups, ads may appear on YouTube, Jodel, X (formerly Twitter) or on the websites of different media.
Every year we publish, for example, 8 brochures in plain Finnish and plain Swedish. Depending on the target group, our ads can also be heard on the radio or appear in free newspapers.
One day, if and when we are able to offer citizens and decision makers information about current Kela-related matters automatically, advertising may no longer be needed. But, as long as our customers and partners have to look up information themselves, we will continue to convey information using all available means of communication – including advertising.