Kate Flannery & Liz Potten ACWA Utilising Contemporary Marketing Approaches and Social Media to Recruit New ‘pools’ of Foster Carers
The traditional Australian Family The traditional Australian Family is changing: More women entering the workforce People staying in the workforce longer Young people staying at home longer People starting families later, having fewer children The end of one size fits all families
The Face of Fostering The face of fostering is changing, too Fewer stay-at-home Mums Fewer ‘Empty-Nesters’ Singles increasingly more likely to foster than couples Same-sex couples an increasing percentage of carers Working people need more flexibility Culturally-appropriate placements a high priority
How we Access Information In the Digital Age By the end of 2014, 3 billion people will have online access That is equal to 40% of the world’s population Mobile access is significantly increasing total media consumption around the world More sharing of personal information with peers Peer-to-peer information more trusted
How we Access Information Movements away from TV to other screens for viewing video content Tablets are the fastest growing media device in history Internet surfing is up a massive 24% from Dec 2011 to Dec 2013
Online Engagement In 2012, of Australian non-profits: 97% had an online website presence 32% had a LinkedIn company profile 31% had a Facebook presence 23% had a YouTube channel 22% a Twitter profile Source:
Contemporary Marketing Approaches Content is key Search Repurposing
Fostering NSW Campaign
Digital Advertising Digital flash banner ads Targeting and re-targeting target groups via popular websites Results of July – August 2103 burst: +1 million impressions 4440k unique browsers Average frequency of 2.34x Above average click rate: 0.17%
Google Search Advertising Google Grant awarded June 2013 Free Google advertising, up to $10k/month Links directly to Fostering NSW website
Fostering NSW – Social Media Foster Forum
Take Home Messages Societal changes bring new challenges and opportunities for recruitment Digital and social media marketing are increasingly an essential part of foster carer recruitment Engaging, relevant content a must Current foster carers remain the best ambassadors – social media facilitates this now more than ever
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