Social Media/Web recruiting

[Walkman]

I've just been assigned as R&RO (not rest & relaxation). I just read an older post on Cadet Stuff about using craigslist groups listing for recruiting. I did some Google-Fu and found several listings, mostly from GAWG. Here's a sample:

Civil Air Patrol: Leadership Development and Emergency Services (Savannah Area)

The CAP seeks young adult and adult volunteers interested in aviation, community service and personal development.

CAP performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions and was credited by the USAF with saving 72 lives in fiscal year 2009. Its volunteers also perform homeland security and disaster relief missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.

Adult and Cadet members also participate in CAP's nationally recognized leadership development program.

Visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com for more information on the Civil Air Patrol and to find a Unit located near you.

Has anyone tried things like this for broad general awareness? How about craigslist for open houses and the like?

Along with this above example, what things are really working for you online in terms of recruiting? Has creating a FB squadron page worked for anyone & if so, how did you use it? Inquiring minds want to know!

[SARDOC]

Our Squadron uses a Facebook page with a modicum of success.  It's mostly members, past members, parents and fellow CAP enthusiasts .  We find it's a great tool for our unit we can share AE current event topics as well as upcoming events and activities.  We do link to it from our squadron website so we do get members of the public making inquiries.  It's not been as successful for recruiting as it has for sharing information among ourselves.

[Walkman]

It's not been as successful for recruiting as it has for sharing information among ourselves.

That's been my (limited) experience with unit FB pages as well.

[a2capt]

To me, I just can't take craigslist seriously, for anything. The majority of what is posted there is a literary train wreck that has been further complicated with a nuclear bomb drop.

If we ever had to ration punctuation and modifier characters, it would be because the people used them all up on craigslist. That is, the ones that do use them.  A lot don't even know what the shift key is, let a lone a period or two.

As for Facebook, my opinion on that is  that it's great for interaction among existing, established relationships. But for new ones, I've yet to see any compelling evidence in person that it outperforms actually getting your faces out in public, or your fliers in peoples hands.

For the record, I'm counting an existing relationship to mean that someone who's been handed your paperwork looked up your site on there, if you only had Facebook listed, or a standard web presence.

In other words, the table at the mall for an afternoon, or at street fairs, getting your paperwork included in military housing welcome packets, visiting schools and community events, carnivals, etc., and otherwise just being visible.

Web/Social media to me is basically a great foundation to lead your prospects to after an initial introduction. But having it be the first introduction is fairly rare, I find.  Despite what all the SEO Snake Oil sales people will have you believe otherwise.

[Walkman]

I know what you mean about punctuation. 

I just had an idea on how a site like craisglist could be useful: using the job listings to recruit for specific duty assignments. For instance, under the "accounting+finance" section, posting an "opening" for a finance officer (obviously making sure that it's strongly worded as volunteer work).

[Short Field]

Facebook works really well as the "go-to" reference for new members - especially if you get a nice short name.  Our wing controls our website and it takes an Act of God and two immoral acts to get it updated.  I can update the Facebook page in minutes.  If we have an event/promotions, I can immediately upload all the photos and the information is pushed to everyone.

Specifically on recruiting, I get calls from prospective members and refer them to the Facebook page for more information.  Most of the time they pull up the page while we are talking on the phone.  This really helps when trying to provide directions to the squadron as we have maps loaded on Facebook. 

We don't let new cadets trickle in but start them in a new class with the Great Start Open House.  If they are interested in joining, they can "like" the page and get automatically notified when we start a new class.  This works well for people who want to join but need to wait a few months.

Facebook really works great for spreading the word to members and prospective members when you post on the wall.  The one thing you really have to watch is making sure comments on the site stay respectful and on topic.  Your wall can't stand 50 posts on which MREs taste best.   

[exFlight Officer]

Some Ideas:

   
• Community Scroll - A local cable network has a channel dedicated to community announcements.
• Newspaper Ad - Put out an add at the local newspaper(s) for a certain amount of time.....maybe promoting an open house.
• My squadron got certain restaurants and stores around town to display recruiting posters and brochures.
• Schools - Middle and High Schools may let you put brochures around campus (ex: Teachers Lounge, Lunch Room, School Bulletin Board, etc.)  Also, ask if you and a few other members could come in to give a presentation during "club time" if they have it, or, set up a display table during lunch.

Just a few ideas for ya..

[Walkman]

Some Ideas:

   
• Community Scroll - A local cable network has a channel dedicated to community announcements.
• Newspaper Ad - Put out an add at the local newspaper(s) for a certain amount of time.....maybe promoting an open house.
• My squadron got certain restaurants and stores around town to display recruiting posters and brochures.
• Schools - Middle and High Schools may let you put brochures around campus (ex: Teachers Lounge, Lunch Room, School Bulletin Board, etc.)  Also, ask if you and a few other members could come in to give a presentation during "club time" if they have it, or, set up a display table during lunch.

Just a few ideas for ya..

Those are all good tried & true methods. However, I'm wanting to learn more about online recruiting methods.

[a2capt]

The equivalent of the street fair or mall.. 
Chamber of Commerce, community bulletin boards/forums where they exist.  If these organizations have sites, and have ways of making announcements on them.

Or community TV, if they have a site they steer people towards. I'm not convinced Facebook et al is a target for browsing or searching more than something community related that has already established itself as a portal.

[johnnyb47]

I wonder if simply creating a detailed Facebook event and inviting all of your friends (as well as all squadron members friends) would do the trick at the local level.
If each cadet has 100+ friends and you have 25 cadets.... well thats..... carry the one..... well a lot of people that an invite would get delivered to!
I may have to give it a shot.

I could see creating a Squadron FB page AND a Squadron FB Recruiting page but building up the "likes" for a recruiting drive and then sustaining it for future drives could be time consuming.

edit
just looked at another thread and it looks like someone is doing exactly this but for event recruiting, not new membership recruiting.

[etc]

I'm currently ITO and working w/ our PAO about social media outreach. Right now I'm waiting on wing to approve use of the emblem in our efforts...they don't think its a problem but its still being kicked up to nationals.

Our squadron is pretty much restarting from scratch. While social media outreach is required it's almost passe these days because EVERYTHING from news sites to ... whatever requires a link to your facebook account.

A private web site is good for the sheer reason you can keep detailed statistics of who visits, what they look at, how long they stay on the page, and how many return visitors your have.

But, the reason it's taking me so long to get off the ground is because content is king when it comes to this stuff. You can have an account everywhere but without the proper content to keep people interested it will go nowhere.

my two cents

[Fox2001]

Web-recruiting will get you web geeks.

We need people willing to get their boots dirty...those aren't the people you'll get surfing Craigslist.  Go to a mall, set up a table, don't tells lies, and shake hands.

Palafox

[NCRblues]

Web-recruiting will get you web geeks.

We need people willing to get their boots dirty...those aren't the people you'll get surfing Craigslist.  Go to a mall, set up a table, don't tells lies, and shake hands.

Palafox

Wow...it must be the season of trolls. First hardshell, then this guy.... 

[Walkman]

Web-recruiting will get you web geeks.

We need people willing to get their boots dirty...those aren't the people you'll get surfing Craigslist.  Go to a mall, set up a table, don't tells lies, and shake hands.

Palafox

So, I guess as a web designer I qualify as a "web geek". I've looked for jobs on craigslist, produced a blog and spend a good amount of time on Facebook. However, I'm the ESO, with ground and air quals, the CDI and R&RO. Does that count as getting my boots dirty? Just because someone spends time online doesn't mean they're not a fit.

[jimmydeanno]

I don't think it's so much you try to recruit from your facebook page, but build awareness of your organization.  You can't really run a membership drive from Facebook.  However, if you keep interesting stuff on people's walls, keep the pictures coming so that their friends can see them doing CAP stuff, you'll end up with a pretty good following. 

To me, it's a more passive recruiting tool than a proactive one.

[SARDOC]

I think FB is a great tool for your external AE program.  Keep posting articles of interest in the AE category.

[Walkman]

I don't think it's so much you try to recruit from your facebook page, but build awareness of your organization.  You can't really run a membership drive from Facebook.  However, if you keep interesting stuff on people's walls, keep the pictures coming so that their friends can see them doing CAP stuff, you'll end up with a pretty good following. 

To me, it's a more passive recruiting tool than a proactive one.

Great thinking. Thanks!

I think FB is a great tool for your external AE program.  Keep posting articles of interest in the AE category.

Another really good idea!