Council on Aging, one of Southwestern Ohio’s largest and most respected nonprofits, ensures older adults remain independent in their homes through a variety of support services. Due to a national shortage of home caregivers, hundreds of older adults throughout Hamilton and Warren counties needed help. To help mitigate the issue, COA, though its subsidiary home52, developed the innovative new AddnAide app designed to “match” older adults with those willing to provide paid services such as housekeeping, errands, meal prep and more. To ensure app success, it was imperative to recruit potential caregivers — especially those who could perform nonmedical tasks AND who have a heart for serving older adults — to sign up.

Vehr developed and executed a six-month integrated marketing strategy and creative campaign designed to attract students studying gerontology, social work and other related professions; gig or flex workers; and people seeking to do good while earning a paycheck.

To drive awareness of the new app and traffic to its landing page, Vehr designed and deployed a mix of print, display and search advertising, as well as partnered with the University of Cincinnati News Record, the Voice of Black Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Herald to distribute sponsored content, targeted email and text blasts and other outreach. We leveraged social media through YouTube pre-roll and paid and organic Facebook and Instagram content, as well as engaging with NextDoor. In addition, we displayed informational flyers in University of Cincinnati health sciences buildings and, through partner Voice of Your Customer, conducted direct outreach to nearly 50 health-related, community and career development organizations to amplify word-of-mouth within their networks.

Vehr reviewed performance analytics weekly, adjusting targeting and messaging based on data. Overall, the campaign performed well above benchmark.

The WIN
By the end of the campaign, 499 caregivers created profiles within the AddnAide app — far exceeding the goal. Older adults who previously had been wait-listed now had a viable platform for finding and hiring necessary help.