Are you using a text/SMS drip campaign to recruit caregivers?
Everybody has their cellphone on them nowadays, including potential caregivers. How can you reach them? That's where an SMS drip campaign comes in.
Did you know that 292 million people in North America text? Make sure to keep this platform top of mind in regard to your caregiver recruitment efforts.
Everybody has their cellphone on them nowadays, and most applicants are searching for and finding jobs online. Make sure that you are texting applicants and using a drip campaign to reach them in the best way.
Texting is a quick way to reach someone’s cellphone, while emails may sometimes go to spam even with your business email address. There is no substitute for calling, but it can’t hurt to text your applicants.
Just as you create email sequences and drip campaigns for your client marketing and referral source networking efforts, those apply to your recruitment efforts for caregivers.
Texting campaigns are a staple in every recruitment marketing strategy. Here are some tips on how to create a text/SMS drip campaign to recruit your caregivers.
Find the right platform.
There are a variety of recruitment communication platforms out there, and by knowing what features to look for you can find the one that works best with your home care agency.
Some platforms have a chatbot option while others have automatic behavior detection sequences that send texts on your behalf without needing to be prompted.
A couple of those include Brazen, iCIMS, Jobvite Text, and Xor.
Here are some features to look for:
- Omnichannel access: Transfer and apply your campaigns to other social media and communication channels (like Facebook)
- Landline texting: Not having a smartphone is no longer an excuse for someone not hearing back from you
- Automation: Let your recruitment efforts work for you even when you’re off for the weekend
Once you find a platform that fits your budget and needs, you can put an SMS campaign in action to reach more caregivers.
See if someone is interested in the position.
The first text in a drip sequence to recruit caregivers should involve interest in the position.
Here are a few examples:
These are just samples of what you could say, customize them or use your own to attract caregivers. Some texting campaigns allow you to send pictures, GIFs, and videos with them. There’s a lot of room for creativity in recruitment and this could be an opportunity to send more detailed information about your agency so you can stand out to applicants.
The key lies in the follow-up.
Once you’ve received an application from a prospective caregiver, follow-up is the key. Caregivers won’t just select an offer from the first agency that contacts them; they want a company that won’t waste time but is a quality employer that cares.
Be prompt in getting back to people, try to get back to them within 24 hours of submitting their applications. Over the weekend this may be harder to achieve, but see if your weekend on-call staff can log into your applicant tracking system and set up phone interviews for the upcoming week.
Here are some examples of follow-up text messages that you can send:
You might also find that people who apply to caregiving positions may have qualifications that would be better suited in an office position or as a caregiver mentor. When looking through resumes, see if there are any opportunities for applicants to help you close gaps in care.
The importance of follow-up is being consistent. Set up a regular follow-up cadence to make sure that there are no applicants left behind.
Recruitment doesn’t end once an applicant is hired.
Similarly to when you’re in a relationship, the deal isn’t sealed just because you’re together. Once a caregiver has been hired, don’t let up on the gas in terms of your communication. Conversely, you should communicate more.
Texting can also be used as a mechanism to garner more reviews for your agency. Use that to your advantage to boost your reputation, and to learn what needs to be improved and what is going well for caregivers.
Be in tune with all of your staff on a regular basis. Set up regular follow-up cadences with all of your caregivers individually. Most caregiver turnover is likely to happen in the first 90 days of employment, and by frequently communicating with them, you can prevent that from happening.
Your relationship with your caregivers starts from how you communicate. It’s very difficult to overcommunicate. When in doubt, you should communicate more.
Need help with recruiting caregivers through an SMS drip campaign?
Are you ready to hit send on your recruitment texting campaign? If you want to have some assistance in creating your SMS campaign, we can take a peek at your current SMS or text recruitment marketing efforts and see what can be done to improve them. You can schedule a free 30-minute consultation here, while one of our home care digital marketing experts helps you get the caregivers that you need.
