Social media has become an important channel for schools. From engaging with existing parents, to showing off your school to prospective parents, social media is something that schools must make a priority. Here are some tips that I’ve picked up over the years.
1) Go where your people are
I’m a big fan of Twitter. It’s been my social network of choice for years. I don’t even have a Facebook account. Do you know what most of our families use? They use Facebook. Do you know where we spend most of our social media efforts? Facebook. Why would we spend our time posting on Twitter when most of our families don’t use it? We get a lot of engagement when we post photos and videos on Facebook, so that is what we use. We’ve also started branching out to Instagram, and we are seeing increased engagement there as well.
2) Be intentional
When it comes to social media, make it a part of a systematic routine at your school. We allow our teachers to have access to our school page so that they can post photos and other updates. For example, any time there is a school event, we post pictures. It’s not something we do monthly, but rather daily. Social media is “push marketing,” meaning we are pushing our message to people rather than expecting them to always come to our website.
3) Post photos
People love photos. People especially love photos of their kids. Make a point to regularly post photos of different kids doing great things at your school. Do you know what people do with photos of their kids on Facebook? They share them on their wall to all of their friends. This is free advertising for your school. Referrals are a great source of new students, so this is an easy way to foster conversations about your school.
4) Tell a story
Is your school known for having a great art program? If so, you need to show it off. Social media is a way to craft a story about your school. Sit down and make a plan for the things you want to promote. When we were planning our 60th anniversary celebration, social media was a huge part of how we promoted it. We had a detailed plan with the types of posts we wanted to share and when we wanted to share them. Social media should get the same attention as magazine advertisements. Identify your school’s strengths and leverage them online.
5) Stay safe
A lot of people share everything online, but others are more private. Some people have no issues with their school using the child's picture on their website and social media accounts, but other parents might not like it. A lot of schools include a social media waiver when they have parents sign a photography waiver. This waiver includes the release to use their child's photo on the school website and social media accounts. If a parent doesn't want their child's photo used, this is when they will let you know. This is a time when it's certainly better to ask permission rather than beg forgiveness.
Social media is a great tool for schools to use. It’s become part of the daily lives of our parents, so it’s a great way to continue to engage with both current and future families.