How Storytelling Became the Foundation of a Rural Healthcare Recruitment Campaign
- Colleen Eberle
- May 14
- 3 min read
A Moment Worth Celebrating
Recently, the Relocate to Rooks county-wide anchor video was recognized with Best in Show at the Kansas Association of Health Care Communicators Emerald Awards. More than anything, the recognition reaffirmed something we strongly believe in: when rural communities talk about recruitment, quality of life should always be part of the conversation.
We are incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside so many people who care deeply about rural Kansas and the future of healthcare in communities like Rooks County.
The Core Message
Recruitment is about more than filling jobs. It is about helping people see themselves in a place.
Rural communities across Kansas face many of the same challenges — retaining residents, attracting new families, encouraging alumni to return home, and filling critical workforce needs. Whether it is healthcare, education, skilled trades, or professional services, most communities are competing for the same types of talent.
What makes one community stand out from another often comes down to something deeper than job openings or salary ranges. We believe people choose places because of lifestyle, emotional connection, and the feeling a community gives them.
Life and meaningful careers can coexist in rural communities, and that became the foundation of this campaign.
Campaign Strategy
Instead of building a traditional recruitment campaign centered only around open positions, the strategy focused on storytelling.
The campaign highlighted the everyday moments that make rural living meaningful — community connection, slower living, raising families, purpose-driven work, and the opportunity to build a fulfilling life outside of a career.
To support the county-wide anchor video, the campaign also included:
Testimonial videos featuring local healthcare professionals to create credibility and relatability
Blog content and email campaigns reinforcing themes like family life, cost of living, and opportunity
Social media strategy targeting both passive and active job seekers
Paid advertising focused on awareness, lifestyle storytelling, and regional targeting based on location, profession, and interests
Rather than asking people to simply consider a job opening, the campaign invited them to imagine a different kind of life.
Results & Impact
The campaign generated strong engagement across digital platforms and exceeded many of the original campaign benchmarks.
Videos reached audiences far beyond initial projections, social content sparked meaningful interaction, and email campaigns saw strong engagement from both local and alumni audiences.
Campaign highlights included:
148K+ video views across paid and organic campaign efforts
11K+ social engagements including shares, comments, and reactions
41% email open rate from local and alumni audiences
8–10% email click-through rate
Continued traffic and engagement on the Relocate to Rooks landing page throughout the campaign period
More importantly, the campaign demonstrated that recruitment marketing resonates differently when people feel emotionally connected to a place.
We believe that authentic storytelling, intentional strategy, and real community representation helped make this campaign stand out.
148K+ Video Views Across Paid & Organic Campaign Efforts
11K+ Social Engagements Including Shares, Comments & Reactions
41% Email Open Rate From Local & Alumni Audiences
A Collaborative Effort
This project would not have been possible without the collaboration and trust of so many partners involved throughout the process.
We are grateful to have worked alongside:
Rooks County Health Center
Rooks County Healthcare Foundation
The healthcare recruitment committee
Local community partners
The Kansas Department of Commerce Rural Champions program
Most importantly, this campaign succeeded because there was a shared vision: leading with quality of life and telling the story of rural Kansas in a real and meaningful way.
Another Rural Story Worth Sharing
Prior to the Relocate to Rooks campaign, we were fortunate to partner with Smith County Memorial Hospital on a healthcare recruitment initiative centered around authentic storytelling and rural quality of life — a project that also later received Emerald Award recognition.
Prior to the Relocate to Rooks campaign, we partnered with Smith County Memorial Hospital on a healthcare recruitment initiative centered around authentic storytelling and rural quality of life.
Why It Matters
Rural stories deserve to be seen and felt.
Rural communities have so much to offer, but many times those stories are difficult to communicate from the inside looking out. Often, the most meaningful parts of small-town life are the everyday moments people experience so regularly that they begin to overlook them.
This campaign was about helping people recognize those moments again — community, belonging, slower living, meaningful work, and connection.
Because sometimes what people are looking for is already here.
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