The radical revamp of IOSH’s member communications platform at the time of a global health crisis spotlights the vital role its content strategy plays in raising professional standards around the world
As the global coronavirus crisis intensifies, so does the pressure on safety and health professionals to perform to the utmost of their abilities. And at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), no-one could have imagined the significance its decision to upgrade its member communications programme would have as it launches today.
IOSH – which is currently working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to share latest information on the Covid-19 outbreak – serves more than 47,000 safety and health professionals in over 130 countries. Its eponymous member magazine, website and digital channels are key to achieving its overarching vision of a world where work is safe and healthy for every working person every day.
Last year IOSH appointed Redactive – the UK’s leading content marketing agency for membership organisations – to lead its drive to deliver better support to health and safety’s largest professional community through news, updates, insight, careers advice and job opportunities.
It is an inspired partnership that has armed IOSH with a vastly improved owned media portfolio featuring a radically reimagined member magazine at its heart and enhanced digital channels giving members instant access to up-to-date, gold-standard information and advice at a time when they need it most.
Redactive is renowned for its in-depth understanding of the markets and organisations it serves. For six months the agency published the multi-platform IOSH magazine in its previous guise while collaborating with the organisation on the new publishing and content strategy that is now revealed in March 2020.
Driving the agency’s thinking was IOSH’s own 2017-2022 initiative ‘WORK 2022 – shaping the future of safety and health’. And its three core pillars ‘enhance, collaborate and influence’, underpin the new publishing programme.
A formerly monthly print publication, IOSH magazine will now be delivered to members bi-monthly with more digital content available between publication dates. The new frequency has met members’ desire to address the environmental impact of the magazine (it is delivered ‘naked’, too, unwrapped and printed with the recipient’s name and address). Increased from 60 to 84 pages, IOSH magazine now also offers a greater variety of content that can be treated with more space and depth.
The cover of this first new-look edition dives deeper into IOSH’s six priorities and ‘asks’ of the new UK government over the next five years. Inside members benefit from improvements in updates on areas such as law, career opportunities and developments in safety and health from around the world. They can boost their professional development with fresh content to enhance their technical and business skills and knowledge. And continue the conversation online through revitalised digital channels on the issues facing them in the workplace.
IOSH Director of Professional Services Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher says: “Our first priority is always to provide the best possible support to our members, and our partnership with Redactive has realised huge improvements in how we keep them informed and provide opportunities to progress their careers and build their networks.
“We listened to our members, and they told us how important the magazine is to them, so we’ve improved it. With our new competency framework, we also have the basis to offer better, more tailored opportunities for professional development. And our new job board – ioshjobs.com – is destined to become the go-to website for the best jobs and careers advice in safety and health.”
Redactive Director Aaron Nicholls adds: “The need to provide IOSH members with information and innovation to help them to create healthier and safer workplaces is more important than ever, and the new-look IOSH magazine, its website and associated digital channels aim to do just that. We want to help IOSH members to develop their careers and make an even greater impact on the organisations they represent. We will champion the role that they perform and the positive and sustainable impact they make to business and society.”
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