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Using Social Media to Build Your School Community
Written by Jean Halle
Twitter, Facebook, Youtube. What are these sites, and how can they be used to benefit your school community?
Sites like Facebook and Twitter are called social media networks. The difference between social networks and regular websites is the ability to easily share information with other people on the network. Social networks like Facebook allow information to spread virally around the internet.
Generally, these networks are best for cultivating your current school community. Prospective families may visit your profiles on social networks, and become impressed with the level of customer service and community engagement that your school offers. Calvert School uses its Facebook page to receive feedback from its customers.
When Calvert customers comment or “Like” a posted discussion, a link to the posted discussion appears on their profile. Their friends can then click on this link. This is how information easily spreads virally on social networks.
Brands like Comcast use sites like Twitter to serve dual purposes. One of the more interesting ways Comcast and other brands use Twitter is as a customer service tool. Twitter users can “Tweet” (or leave a message) for Comcast’s Digital Care Customer Service team, who are dedicated to helping Comcast customers on various social networks.
Comcast Frank replying to a Comcast customer’s question
Once you have created your profile on various social networks, the next step is to tell your families. Here are some tips for promoting your social networking profiles:
- Link to your pages on e-mail newsletters, websites, and other marketing vehicles.
- Link to your websites on social networks.
- Add a picture to your profile. It helps to see a face.
- Make sure you have an easy-to-remember username. If you are on multiple networks, this name should be consistent, so that it is easy for your families to find you.
- Offer your families a special promotion for becoming a fan.
- Content is still king. Only send out valuable, timely information.
- Add Google Analytics or another analytics platform to your website in order to track the traffic being driven by your social media efforts.
A social media campaign is a cost-effective marketing approach to building your school community. Remember that with social media you are connecting socially with your families; this is your chance to show a little personality. It is important to balance providing valuable information with building relationships with your families.
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