Social media has emerged in the past 5-10 years as an integral part of every school’s marketing efforts. Unfortunately, those who succeed in it are rare. Here are some general statements that reflect how some of my conversations with school marketing folks have gone:
- “I always thought that since social media was free advertising, we would see a great return and I could ditch my advertising budget on print.”
- “Things change so often, especially on Facebook, that I don’t always keep up. Sometimes I just give up.”
- “I try and make life easier by posting the same thing to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. But people say the content should be unique to each platform’s audience. But who has the time to customize it?”
- “I hear that people are getting on Instagram instead of Facebook. But is Facebook dead?”
- “I never thought of using Pinterest. Why? Isn’t it just for recipes and home decor?”
If you are frustrated and unsure of your social media strategy, let me encourage you to sign up for the “Pumpkin Spice Webinar Series” going on right now. Every Tuesday for 5 consecutive weeks, we will release a presentation all about school marketing. The first webinar is LIVE and the title is, “Social Media Strategy: Growing Your Pool of Potential Students”. This webinar gives you a solid foundation in understanding your social media strategy.
But do you know the best social media tools to use for your school?
Let me run through a quick overview of several key tools that I think have a strong place in your school’s marketing strategy:
- BLOG: whether it is called a “blog” or “news” or “success stories”, hopefully your content management system has a tool that you can easily (without an extra charge) add quick content. This is such a versatile tool on your website that you must have it. To learn more about using a blog in your marketing, listen to this podcast episode about blogging for your school.
- REVIEWS: whether it is your Google page, your listing on GreatSchools.org, or the reviews on your school’s Facebook page, you need to accumulate 2-3 reviews each month on these three critical sites. Reviews verify to prospective parents that your school is worth the investment and the best choice in a competitive landscape. To learn more about the importance on online reviews, click here.
- EMAIL MARKETING: do not let those emails sit in a drawer somewhere handwritten on inquiry cards. Put those email addresses into a system like MailChimp or Constant Contact and create a consistent communication link with everyone who has visited your campus, inquired over the phone (ask for their email!), and who have downloaded content from your website (in exchange for their email address, you deliver valuable content). Not every family is ready to click on your “APPLY NOW” button. Nurture that relationship with email marketing. Read: “Using email marketing to engage prospective families (and doing it the right way!)”
- FACEBOOK: while some of your younger prospective moms may be totally consumed with Instagram, statistics show that Facebook remains a vital tool for every school. The data shows that moms and dads over 30 still consume Facebook the most so keep the great content flowing for them to know, like and trust you as the best educational choice for their child. Listen to “What to Post on Facebook?”
I think there’s a strong case as well for YouTube and/or Vimeo for video. You can also upload native video directly to your Facebook page and add a “Call to Action” at the end of the video which is a nice touch. Twitter is valuable on so many levels for dissemniating information, connecting with alumni and local media and to communicate your distinct claims. But I would do more than simply linking my Facebook posts to Twitter because the Twitter culture invites (even “demands”) more content than typical Facebook users want to see. Instagram and Pinterest are strong visual content tools and, while both involve a lot of visual content, they deliver different results.
To get further comments about the best social media tools, sign up for the free “Pumpkin Spice Webinar Series” where each Tuesday for 5 consecutive weeks (starting Oct 20, 2015), we will release a new 20-30 minute presentation about school marketing. The second webinar in the series is on this topic, “The Best Social Media Tools for Your School”.
Click the image below to register . . .
On Saturday, September 26, 2015, I have been asked to join 6 amazingly gifted experts on school marketing as part of the “SchneiderB School Marketing Virtual Conference”.
Many of you are familiar with Brendan Schneider’s work as Director of Advancement at Sewickley Academy near Pittsburg, but Brendan is widely regarded as one of the best inbound marketing experts in independent school marketing. I am honored that he picked me to present one of the 7 virtual presentations.
My topic is: “Using Pinterest to Market Your School”. This is one of the largest social platforms, widely used by individuals that mirror your school’s ideal demographics. While most people think Pinterest is only about sharing recipes, home decor ideas and fashion trends, Pinterest is where people share with their friends and followers about everything that is important to them (like their kid’s education). It is even quickly becoming a strong competitor to Google as a dominant search engine. There is a powerful way that your school should be using Pinterest, and I cannot wait to share it with you.
The great thing about this virtual conference is that you will also receive access to 6 additional webinars with the following topics/speakers:
- How to Market Your School Using Twitter (Susan Bearden)
- The importance of storytelling in admissions; web, social, and offline (Tim McDonough)
- How to Use Webinars to Market Your School (Brendan Schneider)
- How To Build An Inbound Marketing Campaign For Recruiting More Millenials With Kids(Ralph Cochran)
- By Example: Inspirational School Marketing Leading the Way (Rob and Liza Norman)
- Behind the Scenes Look at the Making of a Podcast (Peter Baron)
Question: “I cannot attend live this Saturday, can I watch a recording?” Answer: Yes! And you have access to all 7 webinars for 1 full year!
Question: “I watch many webinars, but feel alone afterward. How will this conference be any different?” Answer: In addition to having access to the conference recordings for 1 year, you’ll also have access to a PRIVATE Facebook group for attendees and presenters where the learning can go on all year long.
Question: “What time does the virtual conference start?” Answer: The first presentation is 9am EST and the final presentation is set to start at 3pm EST.
I look forward to many of you joining us for this all-day live webinar event. With the recordings available to you later, there is no reason to miss this event. If the cliche “sign up for less than $1 per day” didn’t sound so cheezy, I would use it. It’s that much of a value!
As a consultant with private and independent Christian schools, I recognize that one of the most unspoken questions is “how do we measure up?”
Cindy Taylor of AISAP (Association of Independent School Admission Professionals) noted this on their site:
“Since starting at AISAP, I’ve heard probably dozens of comments expressing a similar sentiment. And while I understand why many want to be super-protective of confidential information and protect privacy, I wish we could all be more open about how we’re doing. It would help all of us — new-to-admissions and seasoned vets alike — better measure ourselves and benchmark our own efforts.”
Transparency. We all want it from others, but are WE willing to be transparent with one another?
May I challenge you to do that?
Would you be willing to (anonymously) share with AISAP your school’s data on conversion rate, student acquisition strategy, tuition schedule, retention rate and other facets of their businesses, to make all independent schools more educated, more savvy and more successful? In order to improve the effectiveness of all independent schools, I hope you will.
-Randy
[This is a 5-minute survey – you do not have to be an AISAP member to share your input. See link to survey below.]
BONUS – a chance to win a Kindle Fire!
For one randomly chosen, lucky winner… a Kindle Fire HD6! On July 1st, AISAP will randomly choose a winner from the participants who give their email!
TAKE THE AISAP SURVEY
This summer, when schedules are a little lighter, don’t neglect your marketing. Focus these next summer months on your enrollment marketing’s ABCs:
- A – Audience
- B – Brand
- C – Content
Our 45-minute on-demand presentation is FREE to watch – register to get the private link to the presentation!
![Strengthening Christian Schools Class: Setting Up for Social Media Success [Instructor: @schoolmktg , Randy Vaughn]](http://www.yourschoolmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/scs-class-sm.png)
I’m excited to have been asked to be the instructor for “Setting Up for Social Media Success” via Strengthening Christian Schools Classes. This 4-week course will ensure churches, ministries and Christian schools install an effective social media system. These virtual sessions will be conducted on Monday nights, 7pm CT, on May 4, 11 and June 1, 15. Each class will last about 60 minutes.
SESSION 1: Essential elements of a social media system
In the first session, we will example the essential elements of a social media system, learning how to develop the right kind of content that ensures consistent engagement.
SESSION 2: How to choose the best tools, channels and platforms to use for your audience
In session two, you will learn how to choose the best tools, channels and social media platforms to use for your audience (members, donors, parents, AND prospects).
SESSION 3: How Christian Schools/Ministries should be using Facebook (and why it is still the best tool)
In session three, we get very practical and discuss how to use your Facebook page to communicate to current members/families as well as showcase evidence to prospectives.
SESSION 4: Visual Content Strategy
In session four, we will explore having a powerful visual content strategy on social media. We will examine best practices for how churches, ministries and Christian schools can use photos and videos on Instagram, Pinterest, Vimeo/YouTube and even Facebook and Twitter.
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If you are here and would like to explore my consulting services for Christian schools, click to learn more about 4 possible ways we can help your school!
