SOCIAL MEDIA FOR YOUR SCHOOL

WEDNESDAY JUNE 24TH, 2015

PRESENTED BY SARAH SLOAN

PHD CANDIDATE IN MARKETING AT GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY

S.SLOAN@GRIFFITH.EDU.AU

TOPICS COVERED• Why is social media important for your school

• How social media can be used

• Things to consider

• How to control social media

• How to contact me

Social Media in 2015https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jottDMuLesU

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Why is social media important for your school?

WHY?Because people are already talking about your school

whether you know it or not

How can social media used by schools? To connect with students (aged 13+) and parents Appear approachable Attract students Give reminders to parents celebrate

achievements Make your school stand out

WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA?• start out slow – 1 medium is enough at first

• Facebook is most used by parents (and you), so begin here

• easiest interface to use

• Consider adding Instagram next – it is easy to link this to

Facebook to upload pictures

and videos simultaneously to

both mediums.

LOOK AT HOW THE PAGE IS SET OUT

IDEALLY….• Easy to set up

• Spread the responsibility

• Cheap/free to establish

• Easy to maintain – just takes a little planning

• Uses the resources you already have

HOW TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA?• Strategies will differ from primary and high schools

• Dependant upon the resources you have – be creative with what you have

• Think outside the box – be creative, and think differently

• Work heavily with the Parents & Citizens association

• Remember: it is TWO way communication – so respond to people that contact/interact with you

• Share content that you think is relevant to parents and students

LAST MINUTE UPDATES

Your sports day got rained out?

Roads closed near the school?

Events postponed?

Let people know immediately through social media (in addition to the other, usual channels; email, SMS, newsletter)

SHARE SCHOOL NEWS

Facebook is an excellent opportunity for a school to connect with families and share information rapidly.

If a school is consistent in keeping the information updated and accurate, students and families will likely come to rely on the Facebook Page as a resource to find information about what’s going on at the school.

There are many different types of information that a school could choose to share on its Facebook Page.

COMMUNITY WARNINGS

CELEBRATE ACHIEVEMENTS

Build community spirit

Recognise achievements of students, and staff

Examples:

• interschool sports

• Sports day results, in real time

• student/class of the week

• a staff member is recognised

• school captain announcements

• P&C raised funds

• principal gave a talk at another school

REMINDERS• timely reminders right before deadlines prompt memory

• get the information to the right people at the right time

CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS!• be creative

• local celebrities –

• councillors, • sports people, • previous students, • local school students.

THINGS TO CONSIDER• First and foremost –

• STUDENT PRIVACY

• Never use full names of students• Only post pictures of students with their caregivers permission• Have they signed a consent form?• What current protocols do you have for images of students?

THINGS TO CONSIDER• Who will be in charge of the social media? Ideally this

should be a small team (2-3 people).

• Creating content – everyone’s responsibility. Have classroom teachers email you through pictures of artwork, projects, student of the week etc

• Can you work with a nearby partner/feeder school?

• Update at least daily. Multiple times a day is ideal.

• Pictures (instead of just text), get the most attention. Use stock images to get attention if you have to. Eg. An image with the word “reminder” will encourage people to read the text underneath the picture.

CONTROL• The CHALLENGE of control•Can you control social media? No, you can only MODERATE and RESPOND• Things can change in a minute on social media• How do you stop something going viral?• How will you respond if someone writes something negative on your facebook page? Tip: do NOT ignore it. Always address the issue in a professional manner.

• Have a control PLAN, so you know what to do.

KEEP IN MIND...

THANK YOU

Please feel free to contact me with any questions:

s.sloan@griffith.edu.au