The Trust wanted to attract more nurses to the hospital. Information about nursing and available roles needed to reach a much wider audience and attract more potential candidates.This case study forms part of our social media strategy resource.
Objectives – what did you want to achieve?
The Trust wanted to attract more nurses to the hospital workforce as well as creating a future talent pool of people who would be interested in joining the NHS in the future. Information about nursing and the available roles needed to reach a much wider audience and attract more potential candidates.
Audiences – who did you target and why?
We used a mixed media campaign that targeted qualified nurses, young people and those who may be considering changing employers.
Strategy – how did you make this happen?
We set up a new website focused on nursing at QE Gateshead and what a career here could offer. This included a nursing video that let our existing staff explain in their own words why it was so great working here and what new applicants could expect.
New photography helped make the website stand out and a range of targeted social media posts helped attract more people to the recruitment open evenings.
Did it work? What were the outcomes?
- The video has been viewed more than 40,000 times
- The post on Facebook has reached more than 147,151 people gaining 348 likes, 229 shares and 58 comments
- 1,170 people have visited the webpage
- Numbers at the open evenings have steadily increased
- 35 nurses were recruited in the last session.
What did you learn?
That our culture and the real people who already work within the trust were the unique selling point for recruitment. We let the nurses in the video talk about what mattered to them (including things like the nightlife and shopping facilities in the area) as a tool to attract new recruits, rather than the usual dry corporate stuff.
Want to know more?
Contact Ross Wigham, Head of communications and marketing, QE Gateshead via email or @RossWigham