Running social media channels in a school offers a unique set of challenges when it comes to deciding what to post. Once you have staff on board (a few timely emails asking people to get in touch when they are doing interesting things helps introduce them to the concept), you will likely have a flurry of posts all vying for the top spot in your schedule. This is where things become tricky, and it is worth thinking about how you want to space them out; I will cover that in more detail in a later post.
Before you start working out your schedule, you first need to think about your “pillars” or the types of content you are planning to post. In a school, you will likely have something along the lines of the following:
Pillar 1: The Celebration
Your school will have a lot to celebrate, and your parent and student personas will love these kinds of posts. Think about certificate days, rewards trips, or students excelling in extra-curricular activities. These posts generate high engagement and bring a world of positivity to your channels. They are also fantastic for your prospective parent personas to see, as they show that by attending your school, students are gaining success and being rewarded for it.
Pillar 2: Behind the Scenes
It is sometimes difficult when you work in a school to realise that not everyone knows how things work internally. Education can be a mystery to parents and the wider community, and the decisions you make do not always seem logical if you are not in the know. Behind the scenes posts are a great way to show the inner workings of the school and to help garner support. These important posts build trust and lend integrity to your decisions and directives. They create an approachable atmosphere and allow your audience to feel part of the bigger picture, instilling a supportive, family feel.
Pillar 3: Information Hub
Presenting useful information to your parents, students, and even staff that helps make their lives easier is an easy win and often takes little effort. Do you have a parents’ evening coming up? Provide a “how-to” guide for accessing the system. Is results day around the corner? Explain what those numbers actually mean. If your accounts are useful, people will check back regularly.
Pillar 4: Wider Community
A community can make or break a school, and connecting to the wider community outside of your school gates is an important step that is sometimes overlooked. Showcasing what you are doing to support people and bringing in business links to support your students is a great way to strengthen these bonds. Many of your students will live, work, and have families of their own just outside your school gates; by fostering those links now, you are sustaining the future of your school.
Bringing It All Together
In future posts, I will talk about building a schedule that links your personas and pillars to create successful and sustainable campaigns. For now, it is worth spending some time thinking about the categories above and if you have any other pillars you would like to support with your marketing strategies. You are beginning to build a solid foundation for the next steps in developing your social media channels and digital media.