In 2017, the College launched its inaugural employer outreach campaign, a multi-faceted effort that included targeted digital advertising, in-person meetings and the development of online resources, such as the Employer Communiqué and employer quiz. The ongoing campaign was an important aspect of the College’s 2016-19 Strategic Plan, which prioritized strengthening stakeholder and public awareness, including improving employer outreach.
Employers play an essential role in public protection and are important stakeholders of the College. The purpose of the employer outreach campaign is to reach and engage employers of social workers and social service workers in Ontario.
“Don’t miss out”
“Don’t miss out” is the theme of the campaign, and our message to employers is simple: a quick check on the College’s Online Register before they hire will tell the employer if their candidate is registered with the College. If a candidate’s name is missing from our Register, the employer is missing out. Registered social workers and registered social service workers have met specific entry-to-practice requirements, are bound by a code of ethics and standards of practice, engage in ongoing learning through the College’s Continuing Competence Program, and are accountable through the College’s complaints and discipline processes. Employing College members demonstrates an employer’s commitment to delivering professional, ethical, qualified, and accountable care and services to the clients their organization serves.
“The campaign has shown tremendous success and we look forward to further promoting the benefits of hiring registered social workers and registered social service workers,” said Sarah Choudhury, the College’s Communications Manager. “The College takes its public protection mandate very seriously and the employer outreach campaign has helped us communicate that message to employers across Ontario.”
Check out the top five highlights from the College’s employer outreach campaign below:
1. 116% increase in Online Register visits
The Online Register is the College’s public database of registered social workers and registered social service workers in Ontario. Checking the Online Register is an easy way for employers to ensure their employees and potential employees are, in fact, social workers and social service workers.
Raising awareness of the Online Register was a key objective of the College’s employer outreach campaign and its primary call-to-action. As a result of our targeted digital efforts, the Online Register received 64,978 visits in 2019 with employers making up 16% of those visits. This figure represents a remarkable 116% increase in visits compared to 2017, the year the College launched the employer outreach campaign.
2. 9-million+ digital ad impressions
Digital advertising is the primary component of the College’s employer outreach campaign. The College created employer-targeted ads that emphasized its public protection mandate; the benefits of hiring registered members of the College; the Online Register; and newly created resources for employers. The ads were deployed on Google, Bing and LinkedIn.
The results of the ad campaign were immediate. From 2017 to 2019, the digital ads gained 8,077,762 Google impressions, 392,575 Bing impressions and 790,856 LinkedIn impressions. Traffic to the College website, including to the above-mentioned Online Register, increased substantially.
The College’s number of LinkedIn page followers increased by a remarkable 172% from 2017 to 2019. With its focus on professional networking, LinkedIn continues to serve as the best social media platform for the College to reach employers.
3. Five Employer Roundtables
The College’s Employer Roundtables are in-person meetings that provide an opportunity for employers and the College to freely discuss a range of opportunities and challenges. Discussions include topics such as the role of the College and its public protection mandate, actual and perceived barriers to registration, and much more. Employers can also share their ideas about how the College can offer ongoing support to employers.
Since 2017, the College has hosted five Employer Roundtables across Ontario, in Kingston, Kitchener, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Windsor.
Stay tuned for more information on this year’s Roundtables!
4. 576 Employer Communiqué subscribers
A quarterly e-publication for employers of social workers and social service workers, the Employer Communiqué was launched as part of the College’s employer outreach campaign.
The purpose of the Employer Communiqué is to inform employers of essential regulatory and professional updates. The Employer Communiqué covers a range of topics, from the difference between social workers and social service workers to the new privacy obligations in the Child, Youth and Family Services Act.
Since its launch in late 2017, the College has published 10 issues of the Employer Communiqué, which includes the publication of 54 articles. The Employer Communiqué had 576 subscribers as of January 1, 2020 – a number that continues to grow.
Haven’t signed up for the Employer Communiqué? Sign-up now!
5. 20,000+ visits to the Employer Quiz
In addition to the Employer Communiqué, the College developed an online quiz to help inform employers on the College’s role, regulation, and their obligations as employers of regulated professionals. The quiz was designed to be fun, interactive and – most importantly – educational.
The College’s Employer Quiz has been visited over 20,000 times from its launch in 2018 to December 31, 2019.
Have you tried the College’s Employer Quiz? Test your knowledge and take the quiz!
The College will continue to engage its employer stakeholders in the years ahead. For more information about the College’s employer outreach campaign, please contact communications@ocswssw.org.