Kate Flannery & Liz PottenACWA

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: http://www.wirthconsulting.com.au/research/social-media-research/the-state-of-social-media-use-in-australian-non-profits

Contemporary MarketingApproaches

• 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

Facebook

Facebook

Facebook

Facebook

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

Thank you!

www.fosteringnsw.com.au1800 236 783

kate@acwa.asn.auliz@acwa.asn.au