The brief

Quest Staffing Solutions, one of South Africa’s leading staffing companies, identified the opportunity to be the first company of its kind to effectively use social media to connect with Generations X and Y candidates.

Quest’s social media campaign is ongoing and includes social networking sites Facebook, Twitter, a customised job site and blog. Missy Quest is the mascot designed to represent the brand within this online environment.

Facts

The phenomenal rise of social media has made it a medium that cannot be ignored.

• South Africa’s internet user growth has grown 91.3% from 2000 to 2009.
• Facebook has more than 400 million active users.
• Facebook is South Africa’s second most popular after Google.
• There are 55000 active South Africa Twitter users who have an average of 115 followers each.

The Objectives

The ongoing campaign goals are twofold: attract and filter prospective candidates while building the brand image of Quest Staffing Solutions in the minds of Generations X and Y candidates.

What we do

Missy Quest posts daily featured jobs, driving fans and followers to Quest’s online job listing. Missy Quest shares job tips and advice articles in Quest’s online resource library.

Quest’s job site offers audiences general information about Quest Staffing Solutions, the company’s primary job types and includes a career resource library, inspired by Missy Quest’s friends and fans’ frequently- asked- questions.
Missy Quest filters candidates’ applications and directs them to Quest nationwide via email. Missy Quest ensures a measure of quality control by sending back applications with detailed advice if candidates have not adhered to communicated specified requirements.

The Outcome

1. Acquiring brand fans and attracting quality candidates
Since July 2009, we have gained an average of 98 Facebook friends per month and have grown the number of friends by more than 400%; from 312 to 1290 (April 2010). Missy Quest’s new fan page has 766 fans, has had 2036 page views and 1675 unique views since July 2009 -April 2010.

Missy Quest’s Twitter profile was started in July 2009. She currently has 415 people who follow her daily updates and has been included in 8 Twitter lists.

Since July 2009, Missy Quest has forwarded 190 candidates’ CVs. She responds to all candidates’ email, including queries and complaints. We started tracking Missy Quest’s answered queries, complaints or rejections to applications and since February – April 2010, she fielded an additional 191 emails.

Although difficult to track the placement rate of Missy Quest’s referrals because most of her friends, followers and fans are referred to the Quest job site, she has received numerous compliments and ‘thank-yous’ for her advice and encouragement; some from people who are now working for Quest.

2. Building the brand
Missy Quest works to build the image of Quest Staffing Solutions and by being available on communication platforms preferred by Generations X and Y, Missy Quest has opened the door for two-way communication between Quest, prospective candidates and even Quest employees.

The feedback has been invaluable in directing the efforts of branding initiatives, allowing us to tailor communication to the target market’s needs.

We know that complaints are often public, whether one chooses to hear them or not. Social media gives companies the opportunity to hear the negative feedback, offer solutions and manage their brand reputation online in real time. Missy Quest is an invaluable spokesperson for Quest Staffing Solutions, helping to identify negative perceptions and turn complaints into compliments. Missy Quest has started to collect and publishes compliments on her blog here.

This online campaign is ongoing and the number of fans, followers and friends are running totals. The campaign is strategically and creatively managed, monitored and evaluated by Power of 9.

Monique Boucher – content manager

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