COVID-19 has changed how we have gone about conducting much of our school communications and marketing the past six months. Many of us have had to shift their platforms to a more digital model utilizing our websites, messenger services, and social media accounts to deliver our stakeholders’ content. Even though many of us have changed how we communicate, there are still concepts that remain the same.
I also decided to change my approach this weekend as I post to my social media accounts. I used Twitter to express strategies that school districts should use to market and communicate internally and externally. Feel free to follow me at www.twitter.com/wheelercfb
Here is a recap of my weekend tweets about school communication and school marketing:
Friday, September 25, 2020
“The more you know your audience, the better your content will be. The customer is in control… you are not”
“Use your social media & digital marketing to help your community with their pain points – whether they are exploring Pre-K, navigating the transition to high school, or needing to know how to get a transcript for college Help, Help, Help… never sell, sell, sell”
“Now more than ever your community is asking questions on social media – it’s a customer experience tool. Prepare your district to answer these questions in an accurate and timely manner. It builds trust”
“Is your social media screenshot worthy? Make it that way… Are you creating content with visuals that your audience will take screenshots and save it for later? Are your visuals telling a story to help them remember why they took a screenshot?”
“Creating a piece of “Big” content increases engagement… a piece that every person in a niche group wants Ex. Created a “How to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten” checklist, collected 700+ preschool parent emails. Email campaign created Kinder enrollment jumped 15% that yr”
“You shouldn’t be trying to be the same as your competitors, you should be trying to be different What makes you different? Why are they going to choose you over the others?”
Saturday, September 26, 2020
“Nostalgia rules right now… I bet you could get some major kudos from your teachers if you have William Zabka do a Cameo message for the school #CobraKai”
“If your a local company or a school district, who are your micro influencers? The people that other people listen to. PTA Parents? Local Mommy Bloggers? Teachers? Use them to promote your district. When they talk, people listen. P.S. – they font need massive followers. “Micro””
“Remember when school districts use to block Facebook? Exactly…”
Sunday, September 27, 2020
Remember… all school districts have coffee grounds in the warehouse. They may look perfect on the outside, but everyone makes mistakes and have processes they can improve. You are doing great. Take a deep breath. Take care of yourself. #schoolpr
“Martin, it’s all psychological. You yell barracuda, everybody says, “Huh? What?” You yell shark, we’ve got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July.”
“I bet your school district has more conversations and plans about hashtags than you have about creating chatter. You need to think about your talk triggers…83% of purchase decisions are based on word of mouth* *[Nielsen Study]”
“This might sum up social media: “Sometimes when you win, you really lose, and sometimes when you lose, you really win, and sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie, and sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose…””
“One of the best marketing strategies a school district can do is invest in teacher recruitment and superstar talent retention 😎 Parents love to brag about talented, creative teachers 👩🏾🏫 One of my favorite school marketing campaigns was developing a teacher recruitment plan 👍”
“Most of the stories you tell need to have your customers (parents & students) winning in the end 😀”
Conclusion on School Communications & Marketing
Instead of posting old blog posts or podcasts I have recorded, I shared my thoughts on School communications in a series of tweets. These are my opinions and, of course, can be challenged. I hope that I help you as we navigate the ever-changing school communications world. Let me know your thoughts…
