Lauren Duffy | 19 July 2012

How I would go about planning a marketing campaign to recruit foster carers

for your services in Scotland.

“Be part of something life-changing”

Marketing strategy

Targeting Recruiting

Research: Use existing data

QualitativeResearch

Monitor/ track marketing activity

TargetAudience

Promotion

Raise Awareness

New Foster Carersin Scotland

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Targeted Advertising

Research

Information Audit: What existing data do you have?

Current foster carers– Personal

information– Postcodes

Previous/ current advertising campaigns- What worked/ what didn't?- Evaluate success rate?

Current recruitment process - Is it successful

- Evidence?

Qualitative Research

E-survey – easy to produce and cost effective

Respondents – use current/ past foster carers

Ask insightful questions such as:

Why did you decide to become a foster carer?

What age were you when you decided to become a foster carer?

Were you influenced by advertising or personal reasons?

What information did you find most useful?

Use responses to inform the next stages – who to target and what marketing channels to use to raise awareness and promote foster care.

?

Target Audience

How can we reach out to potential new foster carers?

Connect with new networks:

Respite Carers

Child-minders

Current Foster Carers

People who were in carethemselves

Train as ambassadors

to recruit friends and

family

Encourage to take on

a more permanent

role

Already have some

level of experience

Relate to the children

needing fostered

Mapping current foster carers

Target Audience

Map shows thepenetration of fostercarers by postcodeDistrict.

This highlights areaswhere people may havea higher propensity to foster.

This can also be donefor other networks.

Demographic Profiling - Mosaic Scotland

Socio-demographic, lifestyle and behaviour classifications.

Provides a comprehensive insight into the population of Scotland and it helps to target, aquire, manage and develop customer relationships.

Every postcode is classified into 44 types and aggregated into 10 groups.

Target Audience

Mosaic Scotland Group C: 'Small Town Propriety'

10.27% of households

Key features: Married couples Aged 45-64 Older children Skilled professionals Income £25k- £49k Good health 1-2 cars

Details everything from: Qualifications, income, property, council tax band, media consumption, shopping habits, political preferences, hobbies and interests, holidays etc.

.

Target Audience

Targeted Advertising

- Youtube Channel- Twitter- Facebook- TV- Print

- Radio- Print- Stalls

Coverage – comprehensive both offline and online.

Online platforms - could use smarter and target regionally.

Use consumer information from Mosaic in the decision making process to better target advertising and to raise awareness.

Website, phone number, info pack

Action for Children Local Authorities

Conversion – are the numbers from initial interest to recruitment tracked?

Technology changes the way we engage with our audience.

Social media – when working well, is a continuous cycle:

AWARENESS > DECISIONS > JOURNEY > EXPERIENCE > SHARE

Raising Awareness

- Make it REGIONAL- Search # daily- Follow related orgs- Build relationships

- Paid advertising- Target users- Run competitions

- Make it REGIONAL- Post more regularly- Encourage sharing- Run competitions- Online Support Hub

- Recruit foster families- SM enthusiasts- Blog often- True insight - Prospective carers

Strategic Messaging – across ALL media channels- Promote the benefits of foster caring- Remove the stigma attached to vulnerable people- Demonstrate how important it is to have a stable family life with routine- Promote the extensive training and support offered by AFC- Drive traffic towards the website – the comprehensive information hub

Raising Awareness

Monitor ALL media channels

Offline – Use vanity URLs to track where visitors are seeing theinformation. (www.actionforchildren.org/stv)

Online – Use Google Analytics to monitor all online platforms - What referring sites are people entering the website from?- Are they coming direct or from a search engine?- What pages are people clicking through to and spending the most

time on?

Content Generation - Continually update and tailor material across all online platforms.

- Start conversations- Encourage sharing - Raise awareness- Increase interest- Continue the social media cycle

Monitor and Track

Thank you.

Any Questions?