4 EDCAL April 16 , 2018
A school social media strategy builds connections
ACSA Social Media Content Specialist Darcy Totten shares the following from her Social Media Toolkit , available at www . acsa . org / socialmedia .
As school communications continue to evolve , it ’ s time for school leaders to re-think social media strategy . School sites and districts have begun to adopt social media platforms to share information , but school leaders also need to build a visible professional presence . The good news is that you are guaranteed to build trust and see higher levels of community engagement – but only if you do it right .
Goals and values
As school communities continue to grow with participants for whom social media is ubiquitous to life , there has been a huge increase in the expected level of accountability and transparency that the public expects from businesses , schools and institutions .
Principals , superintendents and other education leaders risk the trust , commitment and support of their community if they are not using digital connections to quickly share information , promote educational programs , listen to and engage with stakeholders , and establish the two-way channels of communication that Generation X and Millennials have come to expect .
The first step is to set some very specific goals . You don ’ t have to do everything at once , so consider your biggest priorities – vague goals like “ raising awareness ” will not allow you to maximize the potential of social media . Make a list of measurable outcomes with deadlines and don ’ t shy away from directly stating your goals for your audience . It may help clarify to parents and stakeholders how you plan to use social media and what they can expect .
Don ’ t worry too much about brand-building and self-promotion until you have established a solid media presence . Otherwise , you risk seeming inauthentic . Authentic language means being brave when tackling tough topics , participating in varied discussions , using appropriate humor , sharing your expertise , and establishing yourself as a unique and human voice , all with your goals in mind .
Building a strategy
Start building your strategy by deciding which social media networks you , your district or your school site will utilize .
Spreading yourself thin across Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , LinkedIn , Pinterest , Tumblr , WordPress , Medium and YouTube is unnecessary . Choose one or two sites that resonate best with your stakeholder demographic and decide what you want out of the platforms .
For example , Twitter is best for news dissemination , establishing a voice on specific issues and hot topics , while Facebook is a great place to engage with your school community . Instagram builds your brand while on LinkedIn , you can establish yourself as a thought leader in 500 words , with added resources .
Think outside the old model of press releases and letters home in students ’ backpacks . Let your community get to know its education leaders while building a connection to your district . Consider starting a podcast or weekly video vlog – YouTube is the world ’ s largest search engine , and people naturally gravitate toward engrossing video and image content . You can even use smart phone apps to send out blurbs and event reminders to parents , or as communication tools for teachers .
When building your strategy , remember that engagement and discussion are much more important than just building up a large following . Engagement builds trust , and that is the most valuable thing you can have in a community .
Now , find your voice . Be honest about your biggest concerns , and parents / local leaders will be more inclined to reach out with support . A community can work wonders when people come together to curb issues like teen pregnancy rates or low graduation rates , but a campaign won ’ t happen if no one ( you ) expresses concern or asks for input . Most importantly , listen to the feedback you receive .
Engaging the audience
Parents , teachers , and education leaders are all different audiences . Decide why you want to use social media to talk to them . To establish yourself as an expert ? To build community ? To discuss timely topics ? Each of these goals require individual methods . For example , hashtags on Instagram and Twitter give you access to existing conversations , while tagging users on Twitter or Facebook invites them to your post .
Lead a Twitter chat to moderate a discussion , like ACSA ’ s # LadiesWhoLead Twitter chat ( the last Tuesday of every month ), or start an informative blog . Running Facebook ads and “ boosting ” posts are highly effective audience-targeting methods . Your “ about me ” or biography should include links to your website .
On every platform , always respond to messages . Facebook users see your response rate and trust you more if it is high . Plus , parents will use the platform to ask quick questions in a way that feels more collegial than an arranged , in-person meeting . You should also follow accounts that are likely to follow you back . Again , be mindful of who you engage with and indirectly endorse by sharing their posts .
Eric Sheninger , a thought leader on digital leadership and a former principal of New Milford High School in New Jersey , told Education World : “ As a high school principal , one of the greatest benefits of using social media has been connecting with stakeholders by delivering real-time information on student achievements , staff innovations , athletic scores , meetings and important updates to our school website … The school has benefited from an impactful PR platform by delivering news and content through tools that our students , parents and community members use on a routine basis at home . This powerful combination has led to the establishment of a positive brand presence .”
Second only to a district ’ s website , social media has the highest rate of successful community engagement . In a 2016 study , implementation of social media strategy was the No . 1 reason for more profitable outreach in respondents ’ districts . All of the major platforms , especially LinkedIn , can be used to tag or message community leaders or lawmakers , giving administrators the chance to see new faces and set the groundwork for mutually beneficial relationships .
Assemble a core team
Like your community engagement strategy , your social media campaign duties should not be shared amongst the entire staff . Instead , a social media manager or a small group should work in unison with clearly outlined goals , using organizational tools such as :
• An engagement policy : In compliance with district policies , your social media team needs guidelines for posts and correspondence . This can include rules about photography , language , announcements , measures taken for student protection , and sharing posts . Having a clear policy sets boundaries and establishes consequences for possible misuse of social platforms . Edutopia provides some links for researching existing policy at www . edutopia . org .
• A social media calendar : If you or your team plan out posts , any possible problems are likely to be caught before they are published for the world to see . Planned posts allow you to establish a stream of related content , make simultaneous announcements , easily manage questions and contests , and stay consistent for your target audience by posting at the same time each day . Check out tools like TweetDeck at https :// tweetdeck . twitter . com and HootSuite at https :// hootsuite . com , which make scheduling easy .
Best practices
Best practices in social media strategy include knowing your legal rights and obligations , not talking to or about students online , and keeping separate personal and professional accounts with your personal one under strict privacy settings . It goes without saying that you should only use professional language and not engage in fiery arguments . Don ’ t say anything online that you would not say offline .
Watch out for political posts unless they are sanctioned by your district . If you write about politics on a personal account , use appropriate language , don ’ t follow colleagues , cite and check your sources , and do not make work references . Some reminders :
• A tweet from an account identifying the speaker as an educator at a particular school / district may lead to discipline or termination if it could potentially damage the employer .
• Speech is protected if related to collective bargaining and working conditions .
• Most issues resulting in discipline come from interaction online with students or posts that are inappropriate for students to see . Never joke about students , use offensive humor or make posts that could create a hostile work environment for coworkers and district personnel .
Building a reputation
Social media is an excellent tool for combating negativity , so set a positive tone by posting success stories related to your district or commentary on events like arts , holidays and sports .
A great reputation rests upon reliability and relatability . Cite and check any sources
See STRATEGY , page 5
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