From storytelling to strategy: how we we helped Affinity Trust to grow awareness & recruitment with social.
The backstory
Affinity Trust is a UK-wide charity that supports people with learning disabilities to live fulfilling, independent lives. Their goal for social media was twofold:
The primary role was to raise awareness of who they are and what they do in the communities where they work, delivering an authentic view of the adult support sector and accurately representing their purpose and values as an organisation.
The secondary role was to use social media as a key recruitment tool, sharing how varied and rewarding a career in support work can be, and attracting high-quality, diverse candidates from all walks of life.
They were already sharing powerful stories from the people they support, along with new opportunities across the organisation. But without a clear strategy or content structure, those posts weren't reaching the right people, or doing enough to support their goals.
How it went down
The strategy
We developed a platform-specific strategy for LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X that focused on:
A set of objectives that ensures all social media activity is strategically aligned and impact-led.
Detailed audience segmentation across four target personas.
Strategic content planning based on five distinct pillars.
Post templates for recruitment, storytelling, and thought leadership.
Guidance on tone, accessibility, and visual style.
A planning calendar tied to campaigns and seasonal activity, while always highlighting lived experience.
Tips for effectively and authentically telling local stories and boosting employee advocacy.
Organic content delivery
We’ve embedded the strategy into everyday practice and built consistency, so every post feels purposeful, human, and recognisably Affinity Trust. This included:
Collaborative monthly planning, where we reviewed what was working, explored upcoming opportunities, and generated fresh ideas tailored to their audiences.
Hands-on content creation, writing and refining posts that reflected Affinity Trust’s values.
Supporting visuals and formatting, ensuring posts were accessible, platform-appropriate, and easy to engage with, often using real images from services and staff.
Uplifting storytelling, drawing out meaningful details from everyday updates to create content that felt both human and impactful.
Responsive content, adapting to emerging moments, from national awareness weeks to local wins, so Affinity Trust could stay timely and relevant.
Light-touch guidance and upskilling, offering feedback and support to help internal teams feel more confident posting and contributing content themselves.
The results
Social media is now a trusted channel for awareness and recruitment, delivering consistent growth and engagement.
Over a 12m period…
📈 33k engagements - up 198%
👀 257k content views - up 42%
👥 1k new followers
📆 Double the publishing output
💬 8.1% Engagement rate - up 361%
What worked best?
Storytelling centred on lived experience and voices
Employee advocacy and staff-driven content
Smart use of awareness days with inclusive, timely messaging
High-quality visuals featuring the people they support and teams in action