Recruitment campaign solves long-stemming vacancy issues at mental health hospital
“Our goal was to get the word out that BHD was open for business and that we did some pretty great work here. And along the way we recruited 20 nurses to fill our open day positions. In fact, our day shift was fully staffed after the campaign.”
With behavioral health needs on the rise and a nationwide nursing shortage on their hands, BHD was experiencing an extreme shortage of nurses. Kane Communications Group created a media campaign to address rumors of the hospital’s closure and to increase the number of qualified nursing applicants.
The Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division (BHD) provides care and treatment to adults, adolescents and children with mental illness and substance abuse disorders.
With jobs openings posted on the County’s website staying open for months, BHD was not receiving a sufficient number of qualified applicants. To make matters worse, the closure of a long-term care unit led to false rumors that they were closing.
Kane saw an opportunity to increase nursing applicants at BHD by first combating the closure rumors, and secondly increasing interest in a career as a BHD mental health nurse among local nurses with a widespread media campaign.
SOLUTION
Kane started by conducting research to understand what made BHD nurses unique. We conducted 1-on-1 interviews with nurses and built audience personas around them. This influenced our creative strategy: BHD nurses are the people who run toward the fire to help. They’re courageous and caring. And if you don’t have what it takes, you need not apply.
We then developed a strategic integrated communications plan to drive interested nurses to the County’s website where they could learn from real BHD nurses what it was like to work there. Our plan included:
Shooting mini-documentaries featuring real BHD nurses’ stories
Training BHD nurses as brand ambassadors
Pursuing grassroots speaking opportunities in the community
Developing an employee referral incentive program
Buying targeted paid advertising
Utilizing social media
Planning on-site job fairs
Conducting proactive public relations
RESULTS
The campaign ran for three months. Along the way, BHD successfully recruited twenty nurses to fill open positions and their day shift was fully staffed by the campaign’s end. It has since received a 2017 Platinum MarCom Award, a 2017 Gold AVA Digital Award and a 2018 Gold ADDY award.
The campaign itself received:
21 new candidate leads via the Milwaukee.gov/nursing landing page
13 million+ impressions, with $32k in added value due to Kane’s negotiations
Digital ad click-through-rates of 0.37%
120,000+ video views
Coverage on local and prime-time news:
Media campaign aims to showcase the work of nurses
Radio:
Milwaukee County Launches Campaign to Hire Mental Health Nurses
Mental health and stigma/importance of nurses – (LIVE)
Leads coming in through the website specifically referenced campaign efforts, such as this one:
“I enjoyed the videos on your website and saw the two female RNs on the local news. I am looking to find a job where I am really able to make a difference and help the people in my community.”
– Nursing candidate, later hired
“When I chose to apply at BHD and I was hearing the negative statements about it closing, I watched the videos of Lauren, Jeff and Vie. And that's what swayed me to come to BHD and apply. I love my job. I wouldn't work anywhere else but BHD.”
- Michelle Friemoth, RN, Newly hired BHD Nurse
Members of BHD’s leadership team and their board shared that not only did the campaign create awareness and drive leads, but it impacted the QUALITY of leads:
I’ve been getting a lot of good feedback from new hires stating they had seen the billboards in the past and really liked the message behind the campaign. Many of the managers and staff have also commented on the better quality-candidates coming through because of the campaign.”
– BHD Chief Nursing Officer