Encouraging carer recruitment through strategic marketing for Shared Lives South West
Freshwater delivered an integrated marketing campaign for Shared Lives South West across Devon and Cornwall to raise awareness of Shared Lives care and recruit new carers from more diverse backgrounds.
Shared Lives is a model of care in which approved carers welcome people with care needs into their own homes and daily lives, providing personalised support in a family environment. The campaign positioned Shared Lives as a flexible, person-centred model of support, highlighting the positive impact carers have on people with care needs while promoting the training and ongoing support available.
Over 14.5 million impressions
and 205,000 clicks on adverts across all platforms
Over 2,600 social ‘reactions’
to Meta adverts with over 99% positive
45,106 people reached
at high profile local events using iVans
Brief
Freshwater was tasked with increasing awareness of Shared Lives as an alternative to supported living or residential care, while encouraging enquiries and attracting people with the right values from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences.
The campaign also needed to communicate the flexibility of Shared Lives, from short visits and respite to longer-term arrangements, and reassure prospective carers about the training and ongoing support available.
Delivery
We undertook a detailed audience insight exercise, breaking the target audience into six personas, each with distinct motivations, needs and concerns. This informed a bespoke messaging framework and integrated channel plan for Devon and Cornwall.
Activity combined digital advertising across Meta, Google Demand Gen and Google Search with podcast advertising, traditional and digital radio, print advertising, pharmacy bag distribution and mobile digital screens in high-footfall locations. All activity was continuously monitored and optimised, with budgets reallocated to higher-performing channels throughout the campaign.
Alongside paid media, we developed a stakeholder toolkit containing key messages, creative assets and suggested social posts, enabling partners to amplify the campaign through their own networks.
Creative focused on real Shared Lives carers and families. We produced five short films, written case studies and photography to bring the model to life and build emotional connection. These assets consistently outperformed stock creative.
We also audited the Shared Lives South West website and communications, recommending improvements to user journeys and content, and produced a 30-second promotional film for wider use.
Results
Over 14.5 million impressions were served across all platforms, generating more than 205,000 clicks. Social engagement was overwhelmingly positive, with over 99% of 2,674 reactions to Meta adverts being positive.
Out-of-home activity delivered strong offline reach, with 20,000 people reached through pharmacy bag advertising, more than 528,000 listeners reached through radio advertising and 45,106 people reached at high-footfall local events using iVan advertising.
There was a clear correlation between the launch of paid digital advertising and a sharp increase in website engagement and conversion actions. Active users rose by 350%, while website enquiries more than tripled following the campaign launch. Enquiry levels remained above pre-campaign averages in the months following the campaign, demonstrating lasting impact and improved awareness.