Various media channels are needed to reach the vocation candidate
We had an aha moment recently.
We found that one of our vocation candidates signed up for a retreat, but not as a result of our mainstay media channel – our newsletters about religious life.
For years we’ve been stumping about the importance of newsletters. They provide an information stream about religious life, and about your community. But one retreat candidate recently was hardly affected by our newsletters.
The media channels that prompted Joanne came to the retreat
This young lady, whom we’ll call Joanne, is a 20-year-old college student. She attends a Catholic college and majors in theology. She is active in campus ministry and other activities. She is a devout Catholic, is interested in religious life, and meets with a spiritual director.
Joanne was one of 15 other young ladies who answered our ad one day for our religious community. She took our vocations quiz, which asks many questions about their life and beliefs about the Catholic faith.
Two weeks after Joanne took our quiz, we pulled her name out of the list of quiz-takers as one of 15 “best candidates.” These are young people whose names we send to our vocation directors each month whom we feel are the most qualified for a religious vocation. We suggested that these young ladies be contacted directly.
Eight months later, this past summer, we announced this community’s discernment retreat on their Facebook page. Three days after that, Joanne replied to the post, “So for the first time in my life, I’m considering this…”
Sweet, huh?
The next day she signed up for the retreat on our online form. She is still planning to come.
Joanne opened very few vocation newsletters
What is surprising is that although she has been sent 24 newsletters, she has opened only 8% of them. Very low for someone who eventually signs up for the retreat. Joanne apparently prefers Facebook posts. She also has a LinkedIn account as well. The lesson here is that some people prefer to communicate in ways other than emailed newsletters.
That’s the reason why it’s important to watch your social media pages for replies to your posts. And use direct emails, phone calls, and LinkedIn, as well as texting.
Would you like to get religious candidates as well? Sign up for our Come & See Vocation Promotion Program.
