Free e-Tools for Enhancing WBL Employer Engagement and Recruitment

Topic outline

• General
  
  

  General

  Using Free and Inexpensive e-Tools for Employer Engagement and Recruitment

  

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  • News forum
• Topic 1
  
  

  Topic 1

  Introduction

  This course looks at how an integrated approach to marketing, using traditional and digital marketing techniques, can support you in:

  • making savings on your marketing budget
  • reaching new employers and learners
  • keeping in touch with your existing employers and learners
  • more effectively targetting your marketing

  Due to a rapidly changing landscape, where your potential customers are using the internet for finding information, purchasing goods and services, and communicating, marketing and communication strategies you need to embrace the integration of offline and online marketing approaches.

  Select the image below to watch a video on the Social Media Revolution

  
• Topic 2
  
  

  Topic 2

  Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)

  IMC combines a variety of available marketing communication tools and functions that seamlessly create the best possible impact on your potential and existing customers, at minimal cost. It aims to ensure a consistent promotion of your brand and your message.

  The marketing communication tools and functions have changed with the use of the internet and whereas marketing used to be a one way push of promotional information, it's now more of a two way process; building relationships and having conversations.

  Learn about applying IMC to your organisation by working through the resources below.

  • Applying an integrated strategy Lesson
  • User poll - Employer Access to information (make your choice and see the results)
  • User Poll - Employer Access to Information (make your choice and see the results)
  • User Poll - How are Prospective Learners Sourcing Information (make your choice and see the results)
  • How are employers in your sector accessing information? Forum
• Topic 3
  
  

  Topic 3

  Integrating Digital Marketing Communications with Traditional Methods 

  • What does digital marketing communications offer the WBL provider? Page
  • See it in action - Havering College example URL
  • Video - integrated marketing explained, including tools for mobile sites URL
  • Example of integrated marketing by Vocational Innovation Ltd File
  • Digital Marketing Success Stories File
  • Integrated Marketing Communication Tips File
  • Have you seen examples of innovative marketing communications? Forum
• Topic 4
  
  

  Topic 4

  Embracing the Mobile Phone

  

  The UK population is going mobile:

  • There are now more mobile phones in the UK than people
  • 31% of adults, and approximately 44% of under 35s, now own a smartphone
  • Mobile access accounted for about a quarter of time spent online by UK web users in mid-2010
  • 61% of mobile users browsing the internet are between 19 and 24 and 33% are between 12 and 18 years of age
  • 28% of users now use their smartphone to find information on a regular basis
  • 31% of users now say that quick browsing should be an essential feature of mobile websites, compared with just 20% who said the same last year

  Source: New Media Trend Watch UK/Ipsos

  What does your website look like on a mobile phone? Would a dedicated Employer Engagement or Recruitment micro site that is designed for mobile viewing, meet the needs of your prospective customers?

  • Video: Mobile Marketing - how businesses can benefit URL
  • Beginners Guide to QR Codes URL
  • Video: QR Codes in Business Page
  • How do SMS Short Codes Work File
  • Employer Engagement Micro-site example, not optimised for mobile use URL
  • Mobile site example Page
• Topic 5
  
  

  Topic 5

  Social Networking

  In the UK there are:

  • over 1.5 million 15 to 24 year olds on Twitter
  • approximately 8.4 million 16 to 18 year olds and 10.4 million 19 to 24 year olds on Facebook
  • approximately 5 million LinkedIn users and around 400 thousand visit the site every day, many of whom are business users.

  Could Twitter or Facebook provide you with the opportunity to meet new learners?

  Is LinkedIn the place where you might meet new employers?

  • Social networking for employer engagement and recruitment Lesson
  • A selection of WBL providers on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn File
  • Do you know what is being said about your organisation? Page
  • Manage your social media activities with Hootsuite URL
• Topic 6
  
  

  Topic 6

  The Power of Video

  Videos are engaging and a great way to promote your organisation and to build your brand. Uploading promotional videos to an online video hosting site, such as YouTube, increases your online presence and provides another opportunity for you to get across what your organisation is all about.

  In YouTube you can be creative with your videos and can add text and hotspots with links or pictures, and even make them interactive. Visit Home of the Best Creative Marketing Videos on YouTube to see how you can make your videos more engaging.

  

  • Provider YouTube Channel Examples Page
  • Video - Employer Engagement example Page
  • Video as a Marketing Communications Tool Page
  • Free and Inexpensive Tools for Video Creation Page
• Topic 7
  
  

  Topic 7

  E-newsletter Marketing

  An e-newsletter can be an electronic version of your paperbased newsletter or an HTML email that enables you to send a newsletter to your contacts' email Inboxes. An e-newsletter gives you the opportunity to market events, provision and services, however you must remember that your contacts will only sign up to your e-newsletter if it offers something of value to them.

  • Email newsletter Tips Page
  • Business Link - Email Marketing URL
  • Free email newsletter marketing tools Page
  • Example of an electronic document, in this case a prospectus URL
  • Free publication creators Page
  • Employer Engagement Newsletter example URL
• Topic 8
  
  

  Topic 8

  The Virtual Learning Environment

  There are various ways that you can use a VLE to encourage employers and learners to your organisation. You could create two guest access courses; one for employer engagement and one for learner recruitment, that provide:

  Employer

  • A glimpse into your VLE courses and how learning is delivered
  • Employer online tracking of their apprentice's progress
  • The ability for them to map workplace training to off-the job training
  • Free "just in time" e-learning (short bite sized training for those employees needing a quick update of their skills or knowledge)
  • Health and Safety resources
  • Online employer induction
  • Occupational updates and news feeds
  • Links to videos celebrating success
  • Employer forum

  Learner

  • Apprenticeship/Foundation Learning taster
  • E-portfolio example
  • Links to existing learners on your social networking pages
  • Interactive online skill scans
  • IAG on occupational areas, including progression
  • Links to videos celebrating success
  • Related games and quizzes
• Topic 9
  
  

  Topic 9

  Check your Knowledge