Boise Valley Economic Partnership: Recruiting Talent with Real Stories, Vivid Imagery
June 30, 2014 | By: Sarah ReineckeIf you’ve ever been to Boise Valley, Idaho, you probably love it. If you haven’t been there yet, you just don’t understand how much you will love it.
That’s the message that Boise Valley Economic Partnership’s (BVEP) talent campaign aims to share, making potential workers and residents fall in love with what the valley has to offer before they even get on an airplane to experience it firsthand for a visit or a job interview.
BVEP’s leaders began working with area technology companies a year ago to launch a recruitment video and talent attraction campaign web portal that shows off Boise Valley’s vibrant amenities, helps people visualize the area, and touts the plethora of technology jobs available.
The website that resulted, GrowIdeasHere.com, is unique, featuring music, and moving and interactive video segments in the background, which truly makes users feel like they’re talking with the people featured in video vignettes.
DCI spoke with Boise Valley Economic Partnership’s Executive Director Clark Krause and Marketing and Content Manager Lisa Bloomquist to learn more about the region’s recent efforts to attract technology workers.
Launch Date: “A Day in the Life” recruitment video launched September 2013
The GrowIdeasHere.com web portal launched February 2014
What the Campaign Entails: Series of video vignettes and a custom website build-out platform that uses innovative technology.
What DCI Loves about the Campaign:
1. Genuine People Telling Real Stories
Boise is known for its welcoming people – the type that say “hello!” to passersby on the street. Leaders wanted to give talent recruits a true sense of the people who live and work in Boise, which is why there are no “poser” shots or “poser” people involved. The campaign features six people, telling real stories and providing genuine answers. Boise Valley Economic Partnership worked with a local ad agency to create the video and site, and through the video editing process, leaders even opted to leave in some rough edits, just to show the true personality of the region’s people, including someone saying “Oh, sorry, I looked at the camera!” These aspects make viewers feel like they’re actually there, meeting these six individuals and getting an up-close look into their lives and technology work in Boise.
Viewers get a glimpse of a range of activities – everything from mountain biking to the local brewery scene, to swimming, and backyard grilling. All of the stories are diverse, and give viewers a sense of the variety of people who live and work at tech companies in Boise Valley.
2. Multi-Phase Project Measurements Prove Campaign’s Success
First, Boise Valley Economic Partnership launched a recruitment video called, “A Day in the Life,” featuring the real stories of three individuals working and living in Boise. Four months later, the talent campaign portal, GrowIdeasHere.com launched – including additional genuine stories, stats and information on living in Boise Valley, as well as technology job opportunities available.
Since the September 2013 debut of the recruitment video, it has received 6,893 views via Vimeo and YouTube. Additionally, a LinkedIn campaign targeted toward software developers in the Bay Area that included a sponsored post for the “A Day in the Life,” video got 21,374 impressions and 56 clicks.
Boise Valley Economic Partnership leaders haven’t talked to a CEO of a tech company that doesn’t love the campaign – and about 10 companies are using the video on their websites, and sending out the video link at the bottom of recruitment emails.
The website has had close to 2,000 visits since its February 2014 launch, and the average session time is 3 minutes, 45 seconds.
Throughout the next several months, BVEP also plans to ramp up social media marketing and do more LinkedIn campaigns, including sponsored posts.
3. Continually Evolving Website, Campaign
Boise isn’t stopping with the GrowIdeasHere.com web portal. Leaders are in the middle of creating blog content featuring discussions on local news and happenings, such as a new donut shop that’s opening downtown. The blog – expected to launch in the next six months – will be peppered with everyday living content – and it will be written by real Boise residents, with the goal of giving it an authentic feel. Boise Valley Economic Partnership’s leaders’ job is to promote the region – but they also don’t want users to feel like they’re being “sold,” so they will make certain all content is written by volunteers, who are not paid to market the region.
4. Creative Collaborations Cover Campaign Costs
Boise Valley Economic Partnership paid for the majority of campaign costs, but reached out to other partner organizations, including the Idaho Department of Commerce, the Idaho Department of Labor, Idaho Power and various local tech companies – who all helped pay for a portion of the costs associated with the campaign.
5. Learning from the Local Best
Every six months, Boise Valley Economic Partnership organizes a best practices session for human resources directors to give these executives an opportunity to share ideas and training tips on what’s working at their companies as they recruit talent to Boise. Companies of all sizes are participating and learning about how best to recruit people to Boise, both on a domestic and global scale. At the end of the day, for the Boise Valley Economic Partnership, these sessions are all about ensuring that the business community can continue to thrive in Boise.
