Story House Early Learning

Three standout metrics

79%

improvement in sourcing channel effectiveness

6.5

sourcing channel effectiveness score vs industry average of 30

Viral

recruitment marketing content engaging the vital Gen Z demographic

The voice of the customer

“Everything is about speed in recruitment and the talent market is constantly evolving. PageUp enables us to monitor performance and make data-driven organisationsorganizations to win top talent more quickly, and stay ahead of the competition in an incredibly competitive sector.”

Kelly Murphy, Talent Acquisition Manager, SHEL

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What wasn’t working

Story House Early Learning (SHEL) delivers quality early childhood services across three Australian states. Operating in an extremely competitive sector with endemic talent shortages, SHEL needed to stand out as a top employer for multiple roles: educators, casual employees, leadership and operational staff. Despite a strong employer value proposition the recruiting team faced challenges:

SHEL’s careers site was managed by external company, limiting SHEL’s ability to make timely updates or control the content;
They had no access to analytics to help optimiseoptimize content or refine application processes;
They were underutilisingunderutilizing social media channels and missing out on key talent demographics, especially Gen Z.

The turning point

Kelly Murphy, Talent Acquisition Manager, recognisedrecognized change was critical to meet their talent goals. She partnered with PageUp to implement best practice recruitment marketing and analytics, transforming how SHEL attracts, engages and ultimately brings top talent on board.

The shift began in three phases:

Strategic site transformation

Using PageUp, SHEL took control of and rebuilt their careers site, making sure it was optimisedoptimized for mobile and they could make content updates in real time
Multi-channel content strategy

RecognisingRecognizing they could use social media to attract different talent demographics, SHEL created targeted content across Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok, driving traffic to the site.
Constant, continuous optimisationoptimization

SHEL used PageUp’s real-time analytics to continuously optimiseoptimize pages, content, and candidate journeys.

The solution in action

Using PageUp, SHEL gained complete control over their careers site and built a comprehensive multi-channel recruitment strategy that connected with different talent demographics.

Key initiatives included:

Mobile-optimisedoptimized careers site

SHEL’s new site was built for mobile with inclusive design and accessibility at its heart. Prospective candidates could easily browse, navigate and take action with multiple clear calls-to-action throughout the site.
Secret page engagement strategy

A unique “secret page” shown to candidates about to leave the site showcased SHEL’s fun, celebratory culture through rich content and employee stories, driving up applications.
Connecting with talent where they are

Understanding which digital channels appealed to different demographics and strategically planning content optimisedoptimized for Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok drove prospective candidates to the career site.
Attracting mission-critical Gen Z

Gen Z is a critical talent segment in the early childhood sector. SHEL was one of the first Australian early childhood providers to adopt TikTok, creating recruitment content that attracts Gen Z and has even gone viral.
PersonalisedPersonalized application process that showcases the EVP

The team updated application processes to showcase SHEL’s EVP and values from the start. They also reduced mandatory fields, and asked personalisedpersonalized questions to engage candidates throughout the process.

The impact

Hard ROI

79% improvement in sourcing efficiency.
6.5 applications required per hire vs industry average of 30.
Multiple successful hires captured from candidates who were exiting the site via secret page.
Zero need for external agencies to manage the careers site.

Soft ROI

Real-time analytics replaced zero visibility into candidate journey and content performance.
Ability to connect with different talent demographics across different channels and drive prospects to the careers site.
Strong employer brand represented authentically across all touchpoints.
Enhanced candidate experience with exceptionally positive feedback.

What surprisedsurprized us the most

“Our secret page creates a unique, memorable experience for candidates and fosters deeper engagement with our brand. Analytics have shown we’ve already achieved a number of successful hires from candidates who were going to exit the site, but found this page and applied.”

Kelly Murphy, Talent Acquisition Manager, SHEL