There’s no denying how popular and effective social media is. Over the past 20 years, social media platforms have exploded in popularity and become part of everyday life. These days, social media is not just for personal or social use, but it’s also an important marketing strategy that schools, colleges and universities can use to engage students, parents and guardians.
Social media isn’t going anywhere. It’s going to rise in popularity, with many more platforms being created. As an education provider, you need to leverage the power of social media to ensure you’re keeping up with the trends in modern life.
How using social media can help your school
- Builds your school brand
Having a social media presence and posting regularly, helps to inform your followers about the school’s values, exam results, Ofsted ratings and other important matters. Now, depending on your choice of platform, your followers will be mostly parents, students or teaching staff. The content you post and the values you demonstrate will help to recruit staff and raise awareness of your school to parents who want to send their children there. It can be a valuable tool to help manage your school’s reputation.
- Communication and engagement with students, parents and the local community
Social media marketing is all about engagement. It’s a two-way conversation, and this is why it’s so powerful. You post content and your followers can comment, like or share your posts. It’s a way of engaging directly with your followers, almost instantly. In the past, children used to get sent home from school with paper letters. You never really knew whether the information got where it needed to.
Now, just by creating a post, you’re able to reach and have a conversation with the people you need to.
- Helps raise awareness of fundraising activities and local events
Social media is a powerful way to share important information about your school, such as fundraising events and fayres and get the whole community involved.
The best social media platforms to use for your school
Not every social media platform is suitable for an education provider. To maximise efficiency, prioritise the platforms where your target audience is most active. Maintaining a presence on every platform may not be the most effective use of your time. We recommend choosing one or two platforms.
With three billion users, Facebook is the most popular social media platform and one where your audience is likely be active. Every school should have a Facebook page. Your messages should be targeted specifically for parents. So, post messages about important events such as parents evening, sports day, fayres, fundraising events, etc. Show snippets of what a typical day is like in your school, such as what children have been doing or special achievements that students have been recognised for. It’s the ideal place to announce closures like those due to weather conditions too. Content for Facebook should be informative and engaging.
LinkedIn attracts a professional audience. This platform can be used to establish your school’s profile. Use it to recruit staff and to show your school to professional parents who are looking to send their children to the best school. It’s also a good place to share testimonials, staff’s professional achievements and new appointments.
YouTube
YouTube is a popular platform used by private schools. It can be used to share live clips of school events such as sports day or important assemblies.
As busy head teachers, creating and maintaining social media accounts is probably the last thing on your mind. Let WEBPRO Education help with our tailored social media packages. Contact us now to find out more.
