The document outlines strategies for schools to effectively utilize Facebook as an extension of their website, highlighting the importance of a well-designed cover photo and an informative 'about' page. It also recommends engaging alumni and promoting posts for increased visibility, while utilizing Facebook analytics to monitor performance and fan engagement. Key elements include setting up apps to encourage interaction and consistently updating content to reflect the school's brand and mission.

1. HOW AND WHY YOUR SCHOOL
SHOULD BE USING FACEBOOK
T
www.Blackbaud.com/k12
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2. YOUR HOST FOR TODAY
Frank Barry
Internet Strategy,Blackbaud
@franswaa
#BBSOCIAL
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3. WHY FACEBOOK?
Think of your Facebook page as an
extension of your website. A lot of the
same principals apply.
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4. WHY FACEBOOK?
Facebook:
• 901M mo. active users
• 526M daily active users
• 398M use Facebook 6 of
7 days a week
Nonprofits:
• 98% on Facebook
• Avg. Com. size of 8k+
• 30% Growth YoY
Grab Report >http://bit.ly/npsocial
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5. SET UP YOUR FACEBOOK
PAGE FOR SUCCESS
Think of your Facebook page as an
extension of your website. A lot of the
same principals apply.
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6. MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR COVER PHOTO
Your Facebook cover photo is prime real estate. Think about
it like you would that area on your main website. Use that
area to communicate your brand, culture, values and mission
in a compelling way. You’ve got 2 seconds to grab a the
attention your looking for.
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16. MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR COVER PHOTO
• Make sure the photo is high quality and sized correctly.
- Cover photo: 851 x 315
- Profile picture: 180 x180
• Make sure the photo communicates your brand, culture, mission,
values and history.
- Show off your campus
- Communicate your culture
- Highlight what you’re known for
- Include your students
- Show off landmarks
- Give parents an idea of the community they’ll be joining
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17. UPDATE YOUR ‘ABOUT’ PAGE
One of the first things a new visitor will do on your
page is check out your profile. Parents are your key
audience here. Make sure you take full advantage of
this area.
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22. UPDATE YOUR ‘ABOUT’ PAGE
• Tell your story (Don’t be too wordy, but get enough of the point across
so new visitors understand what you do)
• Add your mission statement
• Include links to your website and other social networks
• Make sure to include all your contact info (email, phone, etc)
• Include calls-to-action just like you might on your website
• Add milestones
• Enter your address w/ map
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23. FILL IN YOUR HISTORY AND BIG MILESTONES
Milestones give you the ability to tell people more about your
schools history. If you haven’t yet, think of at least five milestones
that help tell your story then hop over to Facebook and fill them
in. Use photos if possible.
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30. FILL IN YOUR HISTORY AND BIG MILESTONES
• Date when school was founded
• Significant accomplishments, awards, recognitions, etc
• Famous or well know students
• Launch of new programs, colleges/schools, community work, etc
• Significant sporting events
• Graduations
• New deans, principals, presidents, etc…
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31. SET UP A FEW APPS
Apps are Facebooks version of a call
to action. Use them to get your
Facebook page visitors to take
actions you want them to take.
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40. SET UP A FEW APPS
• Quick links to key resources
• News / Important info for students/families
• Social media policy
• Special offers, discounts, prizes, etc…
• Custom pages focused on what you know parents/students want
• Do your best to keep your branding consistent between the cover
photo and the app thumbnail images
- Thumbnail image for apps: 111 x 74
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41. GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE
Cover photo – make sure you
reflect your brand, use the right
size img and change frequently.
Profile pic– Keep it simple and
try to contrast your cover photo
so it stands out. 180 X 180.
About – Tell your story as quickly
and briefly as possible. Use Links
and get creative with the space.
Apps – Or better thought of as
your main Call-to-action buttons.
Keep consistent branding, make
them useful to visitors, use the
right size images. 111 X 74
dreamgrow.com >http://bit.ly/fb-cheat-sheet
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42. GET THE MOST OUT
OF YOUR POSTS
Before you can engage alumni on
Facebook you’ve got to build a
relationship with them. The best time
to do this is while they are a student.
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44. PIN YOUR BEST POSTS
Pinning post allows you to keep
your more important message at
the top of your Facebook page
for seven days.
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48. HIGHLIGHT YOUR BEST POSTS
Highlighting posts give you the opportunity to
make certain things stand out more than
others on your Facebook page.
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53. PROMOTE YOU BEST POSTS
Promoting posts give you the opportunity
to reach a much larger portion of your
Facebook fan base. You can easily see a
fifty percent increase.
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54. WITHOUT PROMOTION
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55. PROMOTING A POST
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56. STATS
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57. QUICK METRICS
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58. RESULTS
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59. UTILIZE FACEBOOK
ANALYTICS / INSIGHTS
You should be tracking key metrics
for your Facebook page just like you
do for your main website. See what
works, what doesn’t and how you
can improve.
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61. SOME DEFINITIONS
• People Talking About This (PTAT) — The total number of people that have
engaged with your page, whether they ―liked‖ something, commented, shared
or answered a question. This assesses engagement beyond the old standards,
Likes and clicks.
• Friends of Fans –The aggregate number of friends all your fans have,
meaning that each post has the potential to reach these fans (since their ―Like‖
or comment will go on friends’ news feed, thus propagating your content).
• Reach — The total number of people who have seen content associated
with your page — this number offers a sense of how far your message has
traveled.
• Virality — The percentage of fans who saw a story from your Page and
interacted with it, either by ―liking,‖ commenting or sharing. Pay attention to
your virality percentage to assess engagement and tweak your content.
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63. PAY ATTENTION TO
YOUR FANS (A LOT)!
New brand pages make fan initiated
engagement take a back seat to
brand initiated engagement. Make
sure to actively monitor what your
fans are doing on your page.
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64. SOCIAL PROOF
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65. FAN ACTIVITY
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67. PROMOTING FAN POSTS
Admin area at top of page > Edit page button > Use Activity Log
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68. WRAPPING IT UP!
• Why Facebook?
• Setting up your Facebook page for success
- Get the most out of your cover photo
- Update your about page
- Fill in your history and milestones
- Set up a few Apps
• Get the most out of your posts
- Pinning
- Highlighting
- Promoting
• Utilize Facebook Insights
• Pay attention to your Fans
- Social proof
- Promoting fan content
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69. Thank you!
Let’s keep the conversation going…
frank.barry@blackbaud.com
twitter.com/franswaa
Social Influencers Whitepaper Social Network Benchmark
bit.ly/npoSocialArchetype Report bit.ly/npsocial
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70. Questions?
NetWitsThinkTank.com | Blackbaud.com/k12
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