In The Beginning
In the beginning, there was an IT Tech. Her job was to manage a school’s content systems. This IT Tech had a background in IT (funnily enough) but excelled more in the creative side of the discipline, creating websites and making slideshows look just that little bit more professional (with a bit of php and mysql thrown in for good measure!)
One day, this IT Tech and the IT team discovered a brand-new online application. Twitter had been born and, in those heady first few days, was just what they needed to broadcast what they were listening to and how their meals were going. Somebody had the thought that there might be more to it than this; perhaps they could apply it to their school, use it to talk to parents, and give updates on school trips. Their first social media account was born!
As time passed, this humble channel was joined by a Facebook page. Parents started interacting with photos of their children, alumni went crazy over throwback posts, and businesses started reaching out after workshops. They expanded to YouTube for videos and Instagram for those trendy, photo-obsessed youths.
All was going well in this little media-driven world, and handles started appearing on other publications. LinkedIn and Twitter on your headed paper, anyone?
Over the following two decades, the channels grew, the branding evolved, and the processes tightened. Today, we find ourselves in a new and rapidly evolving world, but one thing is for sure: we’ve learnt a lot! And we have a lot to share!
One thing that has become apparent is that there is very little information available out there aimed solely at education and school branding. Whilst there is a plethora of tutorials around building social brands for businesses and individuals alike, there is very little aimed at this niche market. Not that it is that little these days; every school needs a social media presence. Every educational establishment is vying for this huge marketing opportunity, and the ones that do it well will get further. They will attract the most engagement. They will see a bigger return on their investment.
Let’s help each other.