The heart of every social media campaign is driven by what marketers call “buyer personas.”
You may think that as we are in education, this isn’t really applicable; nobody is “buying” anything from us. You would be mistaken. Indeed, schools have a quite varied and complicated audience, and it is well worth taking some time to consider who you are actually “selling” to.
A buyer persona is an exploration of this audience, singling out each group into a biography or key set of information to better help you target your posts and speak to your viewers. Below, I will outline some key members.
The Prospective Parent
Occasionally, you are hit by the pure business of schools: students are not just there to be taught; they are the currency of your profession. Good students, and a good number of students, equal money, resources, quality staff, and your reputation. Unfortunately, when it comes to marketing, students mean prizes. This makes prospective students and, by definition, their parents, one of your key target audiences. You are trying to pull them towards your school with your marketing efforts. In this category, think about the kind of parent you want to attract. Where do they work? Who do they socialise with? What other school links do they have? Appealing to this demographic is going to give you the best return on your efforts, and it is well worth trying to understand and keep them in mind with everything you post.
The Existing Parent
You’ve already hooked these parents in, but they are still important to you. These are your advocates: the people who are going to help you spread the word. This audience is going to deliver the most engagement to your posts and become your greatest ally against social media algorithms. You need to keep this audience on side and ensure their interactions remain as positive as possible.
The Prospective Member of Staff
Like prospective parents, this audience is important to you. Unlike prospective parents, their currency is experience and integrity. Attracting good staff is going to build your school’s reputation and lead to better results. Again, not everyone is happy about it, but good exam results equal money. You need good staff, and you want to project that they need you.
Existing Members of Staff
This is an interesting group. Existing staff don’t tend to interact as much with school accounts, but when they do, it can lead to great engagement and offers a level of integrity to what you’re posting. External audiences are swayed by positive interactions from people within the school. Getting the Headteacher on board, for example, can lead to quality posts and give your accounts a more personable feel.
Students
As strange as it sounds, students can often be a bit of an outlier to school marketing. Primary students will have little to no direct interaction with your accounts. Older secondary students can greatly increase engagement on the right posts, but they can also be a bit of a liability! You need to consider this audience and take their feelings into account when you post (see the post on safeguarding for a greater insight), but do not rely on this group alone to drive your channels forward.
Your Community
The local community is important to a school, and you will want to consider this audience when creating your content. This covers local business links for careers, local faith organisations, and the general community who may interact with your staff and students. You will want to seem open to this group and personable. Don’t underestimate word of mouth; if this audience feels positive about your interactions, you may just drive new staff and students towards you.
Once you have considered your personas, it is time to start thinking about where you are going to come into contact with them. We largely work to the following rules:
| Persona | Channel |
| Prospective Parents | Instagram, Facebook, Website |
| Current Parents | Instagram, Facebook, X.com, Website |
| Prospective Staff | LinkedIn, Facebook, X.com, Website |
| Current Staff | LinkedIn, Facebook |
| Students | Instagram, YouTube, Facebook |
| Community | Facebook, Instagram, X.com, LinkedIn |
Focus
By keeping your personas and audiences in mind as you build your strategies, you will be able to better focus your work and energy, building the reputation and integrity of your school while increasing your productivity.