R&R - Automation and Social Media - any ideas, tools, tips, etc?

Started by OldGuy, October 31, 2019, 02:24:47 PM

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OldGuy

We continue to have good success in the use of Social Media, looking for ideas on how to "up our game" in this arena?

SemperVigHooah

Recruiting NCO here. My main idea for you is to make recruiting accounts for your cadet recruiters that are in the specialty (226 track, to be specific). It's commonly done in Instagram and Twitter by Air Force recruiters to get the message out to the high school age and above crowd, so the same logic can be applied with the younger grades/ages.

OldGuy

Quote from: Jim Lahaie on October 31, 2019, 02:46:38 PM
Recruiting NCO here. My main idea for you is to make recruiting accounts for your cadet recruiters that are in the specialty (226 track, to be specific). It's commonly done in Instagram and Twitter by Air Force recruiters to get the message out to the high school age and above crowd, so the same logic can be applied with the younger grades/ages.
Thanks! Can you break this down into bite sized pieces?

Who are our "cadet recruiters"?
The specialty track 226?

NIN

If only there was some online webinars about this sort of thing....




Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
I have no responsibilities whatsoever
I like to have Difficult Adult Conversations™
The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

OldGuy

Quote from: NIN on October 31, 2019, 03:18:37 PM
If only there was some online webinars about this sort of thing....





Appreciate the webinars, when I find the time I will (re)watch. Do they address automation tools?

SemperVigHooah

Quote from: OldGuy on October 31, 2019, 03:03:26 PM
Quote from: Jim Lahaie on October 31, 2019, 02:46:38 PM
Recruiting NCO here. My main idea for you is to make recruiting accounts for your cadet recruiters that are in the specialty (226 track, to be specific). It's commonly done in Instagram and Twitter by Air Force recruiters to get the message out to the high school age and above crowd, so the same logic can be applied with the younger grades/ages.
Thanks! Can you break this down into bite sized pieces?

Who are our "cadet recruiters"?
The specialty track 226?
Cadet recruiters as in cadets assigned the duty position of 'unit recruiting NCO/officer/assistant'. As well as the specialty track (226A)

Eclipse


"That Others May Zoom"

TheSkyHornet

Quote from: Jim Lahaie on October 31, 2019, 03:25:36 PM
Quote from: OldGuy on October 31, 2019, 03:03:26 PM
Quote from: Jim Lahaie on October 31, 2019, 02:46:38 PM
Recruiting NCO here. My main idea for you is to make recruiting accounts for your cadet recruiters that are in the specialty (226 track, to be specific). It's commonly done in Instagram and Twitter by Air Force recruiters to get the message out to the high school age and above crowd, so the same logic can be applied with the younger grades/ages.
Thanks! Can you break this down into bite sized pieces?

Who are our "cadet recruiters"?
The specialty track 226?
Cadet recruiters as in cadets assigned the duty position of 'unit recruiting NCO/officer/assistant'. As well as the specialty track (226A)

Jim,

When posting, you need to distinguish between Cadet Recruiting NCOs/Officers and Recruiting & Retention NCOs/Officers (Senior Members). There's a huge difference.

The Specialty Track is for senior members.

SemperVigHooah

Quote from: TheSkyHornet on October 31, 2019, 04:02:46 PM
Quote from: Jim Lahaie on October 31, 2019, 03:25:36 PM
Quote from: OldGuy on October 31, 2019, 03:03:26 PM
Quote from: Jim Lahaie on October 31, 2019, 02:46:38 PM
Recruiting NCO here. My main idea for you is to make recruiting accounts for your cadet recruiters that are in the specialty (226 track, to be specific). It's commonly done in Instagram and Twitter by Air Force recruiters to get the message out to the high school age and above crowd, so the same logic can be applied with the younger grades/ages.
Thanks! Can you break this down into bite sized pieces?

Who are our "cadet recruiters"?
The specialty track 226?
Cadet recruiters as in cadets assigned the duty position of 'unit recruiting NCO/officer/assistant'. As well as the specialty track (226A)

Jim,

When posting, you need to distinguish between Cadet Recruiting NCOs/Officers and Recruiting & Retention NCOs/Officers (Senior Members). There's a huge difference.

The Specialty Track is for senior members.
Apologies, sir. Noted. 

Toad1168

Quote from: Jim Lahaie on October 31, 2019, 02:46:38 PM
Recruiting NCO here. My main idea for you is to make recruiting accounts for your cadet recruiters that are in the specialty (226 track, to be specific). It's commonly done in Instagram and Twitter by Air Force recruiters to get the message out to the high school age and above crowd, so the same logic can be applied with the younger grades/ages.

I would not recommend individual accounts for your cadet recruiters.  You really want to have strict control of who has access to unit social media accounts and what can or cannot be posted.  If it is an "official" squadron account, it represents your squadron. 

I do concur that Instagram is the best platform right now.  One thing you have to do is stay up to date on what social media platform youth are using. 
Toad

Eclipse

Social Media accounts should never be in the control of cadets, that is just asking for trouble.

All posts should be made by adult members to insure the are appropriate.

"That Others May Zoom"

TheSkyHornet

Quote from: Jim Lahaie on October 31, 2019, 04:14:45 PM
Apologies, sir. Noted.

Apology neither desired nor required.


Quote from: Toad1168 on October 31, 2019, 04:34:38 PM
I would not recommend individual accounts for your cadet recruiters.  You really want to have strict control of who has access to unit social media accounts and what can or cannot be posted.  If it is an "official" squadron account, it represents your squadron. 

We give our cadet staff access to our website to post calendar updates. We also allow our C/PA-NCO the ability to update Facebook. It's not really a difficult thing to monitor. Choose your cadets carefully, monitor what they do, and put a little trust in them (correct when needed, mentor as required). I've had more issues with senior members on social media than cadets by a strong majority.

OldGuy

Thanks for the vids Nin, @ an hour each it may be a while before I get time. Is there a checklist or written tools kit out there? I read way faster than video and can do that while on hold. (I spend too much time on hold in my world!)

NIN

So not precisely.
Some of this stuff evolves so fast that what works today doesn't work in 6 months, and what didn't exist 6 months ago is passe already today.

Example: Tweet Jukebox (renamed, I think, Social Jukebox). Great tool, if you kept your tweets under a certain number (or number of accounts, I can't recall) it was free.  Killer tool, Stan Skrabut and I did some stuff about it it. 

Then *poof* it no longer had a free tier, and was, in fact, pretty expensive for a squadron or wing.  And, truth be told, I'm not skilled/savvy enough on some of that on a day to day basis to actually spend money on a tool that I probably won't use to its full paid potential. If I was a marketing department, maybe, but I'm not.

One thing you want to consider, and its not worth it at the squadron level due to the reach/cost, but it is certainly helpful at a wing level, is VolunteerMatch.  $99 a year, you can post ads all over your state looking for volunteers (and, to keep the naysayers at bay, the word "VOLUNTEER" is in the title, so, you know, there's no confusion! Except for that guy who emailed me asking if these positions were paid positions. "No, dude, its called VOLUNTEERMatch, not Indeed or Monster.com"

Eric Buesing from CA Wing has spear-headed this effort, and it works.  In my small state, I just renewed for a 2nd year




Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
I have no responsibilities whatsoever
I like to have Difficult Adult Conversations™
The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

JohhnyD

Quote from: NIN on November 01, 2019, 11:05:14 PM
One thing you want to consider, and its not worth it at the squadron level due to the reach/cost, but it is certainly helpful at a wing level, is VolunteerMatch.  $99 a year, you can post ads all over your state looking for volunteers (and, to keep the naysayers at bay, the word "VOLUNTEER" is in the title, so, you know, there's no confusion! Except for that guy who emailed me asking if these positions were paid positions. "No, dude, its called VOLUNTEERMatch, not Indeed or Monster.com"

Eric Buesing from CA Wing has spear-headed this effort, and it works.  In my small state, I just renewed for a 2nd year
That is cool!

We are using Facebook Jobs (with VOLUNTEER repeated about three times) and since July have over 21 prospects in the pipeline, including three pilots. We are also a small Wing, so I will talk to our CC about suggesting that.

Can you or Eric or both of you quantify your results and show us examples of effective ads?

Fester

Quote from: NIN on November 01, 2019, 11:05:14 PM
So not precisely.
Some of this stuff evolves so fast that what works today doesn't work in 6 months, and what didn't exist 6 months ago is passe already today.

Example: Tweet Jukebox (renamed, I think, Social Jukebox. Great tool, if you kept your tweets under a certain number (or number of accounts, I can't recall) it was free.  Killer tool, Stan Skrabut and I did some stuff about it it. 

Then *poof* it no longer had a free tier, and was, in fact, pretty expensive for a squadron or wing.  And, truth be told, I'm not skilled/savvy enough on some of that on a day to day basis to actually spend money on a tool that I probably won't use to its full paid potential. If I was a marketing department, maybe, but I'm not.

One thing you want to consider, and its not worth it at the squadron level due to the reach/cost, but it is certainly helpful at a wing level, is VolunteerMatch.  $99 a year, you can post ads all over your state looking for volunteers (and, to keep the naysayers at bay, the word "VOLUNTEER" is in the title, so, you know, there's no confusion! Except for that guy who emailed me asking if these positions were paid positions. "No, dude, its called VOLUNTEERMatch, not Indeed or Monster.com"

Eric Buesing from CA Wing has spear-headed this effort, and it works.  In my small state, I just renewed for a 2nd year

It's been about a year, but I used to use volunteermatch.com for free.  Is it not free anymore?
1stLt, CAP
Squadron CC
Group CPO
Eaker - 1996

NIN

Quote from: Fester on November 02, 2019, 05:15:02 AM
It's been about a year, but I used to use volunteermatch.com for free.  Is it not free anymore?

I misspoke: at a smaller scale, it is free. I cannot recall the restrictions (ie. one zip code or area, or was it a limit on # of ads), but yes, there is a free level that allows you to do something.

https://www.volunteermatch.org/nonprofits/

There is a higher degree of automation when you are a "member" of VolunteerMatch, including things like easy reposting, corporate partner recruiting, skill matching, custom automated email replies, metrics, etc.

:)
Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
I have no responsibilities whatsoever
I like to have Difficult Adult Conversations™
The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

NIN

Quote from: JohhnyD on November 02, 2019, 01:34:50 AM
Can you or Eric or both of you quantify your results and show us examples of effective ads?

So Eric has been far more successful/diligent at tracking than I have been. California, they have a LOT of inquiries, and I'm kind of extended here.... :)

But here's an example from Eric's latest report on their monthly numbers:

Quote
During this monthly reporting period (01 Oct 19 through 01 Nov 19), the CAWG Senior member recruiting initiative utilizing VolunteerMatch referred 36 interested prospective Senior member's via email introductions to their respective Squadron Commanders. An additional 1 prospective Senior member was referred this month out of Wing (1 to VTWG) from a volunteer ad recently requested by Hawker Squadron 128 seeking sUAS Pilots.

The CAWG Senior Member recruiting initiative beginning Jan 2018 has provided increased Civil Air Patrol visibility and branding opportunities capturing 89450 unique clicked-on page views and 1188 interested prospective Senior volunteers being referred internally to their respective Squadron Commanders. The attached PDF provides an ongoing list of Senior Squadrons who have received these referrals.

As you can imagine, capturing the conversion is a lot tougher because there's no real feedback mechanism.  He was trying to manually compare referrals to names in CAPWATCH, but that was a bit of a pain so he's just capturing the number of referrals.

But in nearly 24 months of doing Volunteer match, those 89450 page views and 1188 referrals translate to about 4300 views and almost 60 referrals each month.

My ads look a little something like this:

Quote
Airborne Photographer / Aircrew Trainee - Civil Air Patrol, US Air Force Auxiliary (NH014)

The squadrons of New Hampshire Wing, Civil Air Patrol are looking for Airborne Photographer / Aircrew Trainees to become part of the all-volunteer United States Air Force Auxiliary.

Airborne Photographers & Aircrew Trainees train to become members of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) flight crews that are tasked with aerial photography, search & rescue or disaster assessment missions. Photographers and aircrew members act additional eyes in the sky, conducting visual searches and other duties as assigned. This Aircrew specialty requires in-depth training in CAP emergency services and a volunteer commitment of regular training meetings and occasional weekend Search and Rescue exercises, which can take up to a year to accomplish.

If you're up for the task, CAP offers ordinary citizens stimulating training opportunities that few experience outside the military.

Your local Civil Air Patrol unit is training and preparing their members in the skills necessary to meet our mission of providing emergency services to the public in a time of need: The Lebanon Squadron meets each Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at the Lebanon Airport Terminal (5 Airport Rd, West Lebanon).

Qualifications:

  • Strong organizational and communication skills;
  • Aged 18 or older;
  • Ability to pass a background check;
  • Enthusiasm for community service.

We invite you to visit a weekly squadron meeting. You'll get a chance to meet some of our members who will discuss the organization, provide you with information and answer any questions you might have about the Civil Air Patrol. For more information about Civil Air Patrol & its missions in New Hampshire, visit http://nhwg.cap.gov

Veterans and disabled veterans are encouraged to join.

"CITIZENS SERVING COMMUNITIES"

or

QuoteYouth Development Mentors - US Air Force Auxiliary, New Hampshire Wing, Civil Air Patrol (NH054)

The squadrons of New Hampshire Wing, Civil Air Patrol are seeking mentors interested in youth development to donate their time and expertise to our cadet program as a part of the all-volunteer United States Air Force Auxiliary.

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Cadet Program transforms youth into dynamic Americans and aerospace leaders. CAP accomplishes this through a curriculum of leadership, aerospace, fitness, and character. The program follows a military model and emphasizes Air Force traditions and values. Today's cadets are tomorrow's aerospace leaders.

Our cadet program officers manage the highly structured, nationally mandated training and leadership curriculum at each of our local squadrons. Cadet program officers serve as mentors, program managers, and adult leaders. While no military experience is required to assist in the management of the cadet program, in some areas (ie. uniform wear, cadet drill & ceremonies) it is helpful.

If you're up for the task, CAP offers ordinary citizens unique training and service opportunities in your local community.

The Manchester Squadron meets each Thursday at 6:00 p.m. at the New Hampshire Aviation Museum (27 Navigator Rd, Londonderry, NH 03053)

Qualifications:
  • A sincere interest in mentoring young people in areas of leadership, aerospace, physical fitness and character development;
  • Previous military leadership experience is helpful, but not required;
  • Great people & communication skills;
  • Aged 18 or older;
  • Ability to pass a background check;
  • Enthusiasm for community service.

We invite you to visit a weekly squadron meeting. You'll get a chance to meet some of our members who will discuss the organization, provide you with information and answer any questions you might have about the Civil Air Patrol. For more information about Civil Air Patrol & its missions in New Hampshire, visit http://nhwg.cap.gov

Veterans and disabled veterans are encouraged to join.

"CITIZENS SERVING COMMUNITIES"

You'll note that these are couched in different "lingo". Not looking for "Cadet Programs Officers". No, its "Youth Development Mentors".
Not looking for a "Public Affairs Officer," looking for a "Media/Marketing Photographer" Etc. You have to "translate" a little.
Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
I have no responsibilities whatsoever
I like to have Difficult Adult Conversations™
The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

Fester

Quote from: NIN on November 02, 2019, 09:57:23 PM
Quote from: Fester on November 02, 2019, 05:15:02 AM
It's been about a year, but I used to use volunteermatch.com for free.  Is it not free anymore?

I misspoke: at a smaller scale, it is free. I cannot recall the restrictions (ie. one zip code or area, or was it a limit on # of ads), but yes, there is a free level that allows you to do something.

https://www.volunteermatch.org/nonprofits/

There is a higher degree of automation when you are a "member" of VolunteerMatch, including things like easy reposting, corporate partner recruiting, skill matching, custom automated email replies, metrics, etc.

:)

IIRC, it's a limit on the number of ads.  8, I believe.
1stLt, CAP
Squadron CC
Group CPO
Eaker - 1996

RiverAux

Volunteer match has always been a sort of a bust for me in both CAP and CG Aux contexts.  Maybe 1-3 people a year get referred to each organization.   Facebook volunteer position adds have generated many times more leads though only about 10% of those end up joining.   Some nearby CG Aux units also use it and haven't done as well in turning leads into recruits, but quite frankly, those units aren't nearly as active and just like in CAP its hard to get people to join when they get the feeling that not much is actually happening at a unit. 

Even so, I'm more than happy with those numbers given the tiny amount of effort it takes.  For the same reason, thats why I keep the VolunteerMatch going -- even if I only get an actual joiner every few years, its better than nothing and costs nothing.