A record number of families in Devon have been approved to provide safe and caring homes for the 750+ children and young people living in care in Devon.
White Space Advertising have been working with Devon County Council’s fostering service, on a recruitment drive over the last 18 months, which has so far seen 40 new households, equating to 67 individual foster carers and 60 child placements, approved to help look after the most vulnerable children and young people in the county.
As part of the recruitment campaign, White Space created and designed a full marketing strategy to include both online and offline media with a suite of images and branding to promote Fostering Devon. This was refreshed in April 2019 with a new eye-catching ‘Inspire a Future’ campaign that launched in June.
Fostering Devon’s Manager, Luke Chapman, said:
“White Space Advertising have worked hard to develop two very successful foster carer recruitment campaigns for us. Their creatives and clever messaging have been successful in recruiting new foster carers using both digital and offline media. The team is very professional, their attention to detail and prompt delivery of different campaign elements makes working with them very easy.”
White Space created an online strategy to compliment the Inspire a Future branding, which consisted of website updates, Google Adwords and PPC, as well as a detailed social media plan. Google Advertising was a key tool in directing anyone within Devon searching for fostering related terms to the Fostering Devon website, and the PPC ads that were set up saw an increase in both website traffic and call-back requests.
A consistent and thorough approach was taken in regard to the social media strategy, which included both organic as well as paid advertising. By utilising the suite of images in regular posts, as well as the creation of video interviews with foster carers, Fostering Devon’s social media presence has grown significantly.
Daniel and Lee are one of Fostering Devon’s new foster families. Daniel explains:
“We spotted Fostering Devon’s campaign on Facebook, and it appealed because it’s a not for profit organisation, which in my mind means they put the needs of the children at the very heart of what they do. The most rewarding part is feeling like we’re doing something that can really make a positive difference to a child’s life. Our boy often says, “I love living here”, and you can’t help but smile! To anyone considering foster, make that call to Fostering Devon!”
As well as a detailed online plan, White Space utilised a variety of marketing tools such as a printed mail out, TV advert, bus rear adverts and petrol pump advertising at key times during the year. The campaign overall has seen an increase in web traffic and enquiries coming into the Fostering Devon team, after a thorough assessment process many of these have translated into approved carers of the highest standard. In the month of May 2017 web visitors totalled 806, compared to May 2019 where White Space’s campaign achieved 2,050 web visitors.
Paul Mabin, Creative Director at White Space Advertising said:
“The whole team at White Space are delighted with the results of our record-breaking work with the Fostering Devon team over the last 18 months, and we are excited to see how the rest of this year progresses. With our next big Inspire a Future push scheduled to take place in January, look out for our eye-catching Fostering Devon collateral across Devon in the New Year!”
Fostering Devon is still looking for people like you to Inspire a Future and join their fostering family. There are children and young people up to the age of 18 in the care of the local authority who would benefit enormously from foster care, for a short time or for longer.
If you’d like a no obligations chat to find out more, call 0345 155 1077. Or visit www.fosteringindevon.org.uk to watch the short film, download a copy of the introductory booklet or request a call-back.
To find out how White Space could help your organisation develop and grow into a record-breaker, or for any design, marketing, social or web enquiries get in touch with White Space Advertising on 01364 651864, or visit whitespaceadvertising.co.uk