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
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