California Sherriffs Looking To Hire Marketing Agency

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) in California has historically been known as an agency where deputies could gain experience in a variety of areas (e.g., patrol, helicopter, marine), and where sworn and civilian staff alike could earn a salary and benefits package that was regionally competitive. Over the past 5-8 years, however, the tightening of the economy and a stagnation in county wages, combined with the cost of living in Sonoma County, have made recruitment of qualified individuals especially difficult. The recruitment challenge affects both sworn and civilian positions at the Sheriff’s Office. Some positions, such as deputy sheriff, correctional deputy, cook and legal processor, require continuous recruitment efforts because there are on-going vacancies.

They are seeking a marketing and public relations firm to help recruit more sheriffs. The Sheriff’s Office’s Personnel Unit is responsible for recruiting candidates and works in conjunction with County Human Resources to publicize job opportunities in print publications and online. Employment websites, the SCSO’s Facebook page, local newspapers, industry publications (e.g., PORAC or Peace Officers Research Association of California), attendance at college and military job fairs, and word-of-mouth referrals are the primary recruiting tactics utilized today. Given the endemic hiring challenge faced by agencies across California and the ubiquity of using the internet to find jobs, the SCSO has prioritized recruitment marketing, in order to drive long- term, positive awareness of the agency and greater numbers of qualified applicants to its ranks.

Scope of Services

1. Rejuvenation of the SCSO brand, especially as a desirable place to work.
2. Increased awareness of the SCSO and its career opportunities through strategic online tactics, including social media and search engine optimization (SEO).
3. Upgrade of the SCSO’s career website, including usability, personalization, and website portability to mobile devices (sonomasheriff.org/careers/). See Section C, Technical Considerations.
4. Train Personnel Unit on implementation and use of SEO, maintaining the career site, metrics tracking, and any other tools that are utilized as part of the services provided.

Proposal due by January 20^th, 2017 to:

Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office

Attn: Terrie Lewis

2796 Ventura Avenue

Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Leading PR agencies in California include Ketchum PR, Burson-Marsteller and Porter Novelli.