What Every School District Needs to Know About Social Media

1. What Every School District Needs to Know About Social Media The MarketingSavant Group www.marketingsavant.com 888.989.7771 dana@marketingsavant.com NSPRA 2012 July 9, 2012 www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

2. Slide Deck & Resources www.marketingsavant.com/nspra12 www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

3. On Today’s Agenda • Social Media – The Strategic Process • Tools for School Districts • Best Practices for Facebook, Twitter, and others • Case study and Examples of School Districts Using Social Media • 10 Best Practices for School District Social Media www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

4. Connecting Content With District Supporters Source: Ogilvy www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

5. Don’t Commit Random Acts of Social Media Marketing! www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

6. Have a Well Defined Social Strategy Delavan-Darien (WI) is Social! www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

7. Define the Social Media Plan 1. Outline Your 7. District-wide Social Objectives Media Opportunities 2. Determine Risk Profile 8. Policy / Protocols 3. Define Your 9. Choose Social Audience(s) Channels (Tools & 4. Social Media Content Tactics) 5. Determine District 10. Social Media Systems Integration Points 11. Measurement 6. Culture Change and Adaptation? www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

8. Define the Social Media Plan 1. Outline Your 7. District-wide Social Objectives Media Opportunities 2. Determine Risk Profile 8. Policy / Protocols 3. Define Your 9. Choose Social Audience(s) Channels (Tools & 4. Social Media Content Tactics) 5. Determine District 10. Social Media Systems Integration Points 11. Measurement 6. Culture Change and Adaptation? www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

9. WRITE THE STRATEGY What’s your Strategy Statement? In What Way Does Social Media Help Us Achieve Our Mission? What Are 3 Expectations You Have for Social Media in Your School District? www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

10. Balance Risk & Reward www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

11. Use Personas to Bring Audience into Focus www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

12. Map the Sphere of Interest & Influence • Identify your target State & National Parks audiences and subgroups Health Enthusiast Family Travel Bike Bike Clubs Safety Bike • Think in terms of what Shop associated groups are important to your Fitness & Training Bike Racing audience that connect to (touch) your product or service Healthy Eating Organic Gardening www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

13. Publish on Schedule – “1-7-30-4-2-1” • 1 = Daily • 7 = Weekly • 30 = Monthly • 4 = Quarterly • 2 = Bi-Annual • 1 = Annual Source: FusionSpark Media www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group http://www.fusionspark.com/blog/2009/10/13/content-marketing-secrets-part-iii-easy-as-1-7-30-4-2-1/ 888.989.7771

14. Map Out the Publishing Process www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

15. Social Media Requires Change Management • Urgency! • Guidance & governance • Vision • Communication • Empowerment & enablement • Campaign wins + competence development • Build institutional processes • Create Social Media Center of Excellence www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

16. Social Media Policy Essential Before You Start in Social • New media channels and internet services have changed the way we communicate – Personal information on display on blogs, Facebook etc. – The line between the personal and the professional sphere gets blurred. – Corporate information available from lots of sources. – Users spread information about brands, products and companies. • Internet allows viral spread of information – Bad news travels fast. – Good news can also travel fast. – Media and the blogosphere influence each other. www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

17. Social Media First Responders • Be transparent. Be open and honest in all communication. • Be ethical. Live by the WOMMA Practical Ethics Toolkit • Be relevant. Share information and perspectives that are valuable to the online community • Personalize and be personable. • Address negative discussion head-on. • Court evangelists & advocates. Even if you’re not ready to join the conversation, it pays to have a sound strategy for dealing with any social media conversation taking place about your brand. www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

18. Social Media Toolset www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

19. Using the Right Tools • Listen to Social Media Channels • Create Your Fan Page • Build a Fan Community on • Publish Great Content on Your • Use to Tell Your Story with Video • Amplify Your Images with www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

20. Free Listening Tools Scratch the Surface www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

21. Google Reader: The Hub www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

22. Facebook Pages • Publish content that naturally encourages click- throughs or creates discussion. • Powerful way of engaging parents, supporters, community and alumnus • Many options for sharing content and media • Connect it to your blog for a constant flow of content • Directly message & connect with supporters around important issues www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

23. Facebook Communication Strategy • Build an active Timeline • Use Calls to Action – Encourage people to Like your page – Well designed, clear calls to action – Monitor and participate in the – Market Facebook outside Facebook comments on your Timeline • Use photos • Re-purpose content – If possible, use pictures to show how – Post useful, interesting content from students are succeeding in your various sources, regularly schools • Encourage Experiential Marketing – Show events, awards, etc. – Use Landing pages or welcome tabs – Post pictures of your team at work – Product specific interaction • Use video – Deliver a unique experience! – Post recording of school events, – Experiment speeches • Use Ads to Drive Traffic – Show your sports teams in action – Open enrollment, sporting events, • Integrate off-line marketing referenda, etc. – Other media ads and content www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

24. Twitter for School Districts • Establish a pattern of consistency in your tweeting strategy • Keep your “it is all about them” hat on when tweeting – RT other people’s stuff • Follow social media best practices – Follow those that follow you but maintain balanced follower to following ratios – recommend 1.25 to 1 or less – Engage: Proactively and in response to RTs (retweets) and SOs (Shout Outs) • Tweet consistently and set up a good maintenance schedule • Measure which content resonates best with your audience www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

25. What Is Twitter Good For ? • Building Community- creating a strong community of followers that ultimately help raise awareness, visibility and affinity for the district • Media Relations – share updates, initiatives, ideas and relevant stories with your local media on twitter • Parent Relations - using Twitter to successfully engage with parents who need regular updates • Events - driving attendance at school events such as theater, sporting • Early Alert – alert parents and the community when breaking news happens, weather closes school or other such things happen • Branding & Awareness - employing Twitter in creative ways to increase awareness around a district program or initiative • Fundraising - using Twitter to spread the word about important causes www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

26. Start a District Blog • Platform for updates, superintendent opinions, PR content • Feed Facebook and Twitter accounts • Share district success stories • Use as the foundation for a social media publishing plan www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

27. Start a Band of Bloggers! www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

28. Embrace the Power of Video • Tell your story with video – most popular platform (for Google, after Google itself) • SEO & SMO friendly • Capture and share experiences that other SM channels can’t duplicate www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

29. Pulaski on Pinterest • Pinterest is a fast-growing pin- board style social network • The site is very visual in nature and allows you to showcase: – Events – Faculty – Students – Share educational resources – Community • Pulaski School District has several boards, highlighting: – Graduation – The Golden Apple Winner – Around the Village – Around the District – Our Schools www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

30. HootSuite • Manage Facebook and Twitter • Team social media assignments • Now handles “admin as page” in Facebook • Used by hundreds of brands • www.hootsuite.com • Free to $$$ www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

31. Postling • Simplifies multiple account management • Blog right from Postling • Upload photos & videos • Reply to Facebook posts • Daily email updates • Track metrics for each property • http://postling.com • Free to $49/mo www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

32. Sprout Social • Manage social networks in one place • ‘Discover’ based on search & mentions (leads!) • Connect FB, Twitter, LinkedIn • Great for personal brands & small business • Follower demographics • Great charts & UI • $9 - $49/mo www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

33. District Case Study – Minnetonka, Minnesota Share Videos Pictures from Sporting Events www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

34. Minnetonka is Social! • Facebook to share videos, sporting events, student spotlights, etc. • YouTube to showcase students and events • Using RSS feed to inform people of breaking news within the district www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

35. Minnetonka Case Study • In education especially, there is always the concern about teacher-student online communications • Put policies in place to protect against inappropriate behavior • Talk to staff about repercussions is social media is not used properly • The Minnetonka School District has a policy in place stating that educators can only engage in password protected networks that are sanctioned by the school district • All messaging between faculty and students must be public www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

36. 10 Best Practices in School District Social Media www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

37. Following other people’s best practices is the surest route to mediocrity. Rewrite the rules of engagement and build the organization around the customer. via: WWW.VIRTU-ASSIST.COM www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

38. 1. Guidelines, Policy, Education Train school staff, parents and students on the safe use of social media • Host a Tweetup • Inform before punishing • Policies should be instructive www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

39. 2. Get Better at Social Media… Through Social Media • Social media changes quickly – you should to! • Follow the top blogs • Follow the ad-age 150 • Google alert on “school district social media” • Social media users group “In my professional role, I’ve become very quickly reliant on Twitter and Facebook to inform me of trends and Web 2.0 tools I should be considering using with students/sharing with staff.” —Marcia Dressel, K-5 librarian, Osceola, Wis. www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

40. 3. Go Beyond “Supply Side Content” • Understand what your audience wants in social media – talk about that • Use the ‘sphere of interest’ to determine allied topics for social media • “Atomize” your district content to tell your story www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

41. 4. Use Social Media as a Multiplier www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

42. 5. Understand and Adapt to Mobile Behavior Facebook, Twitter Reach among Smartphone Users 3-month average, ending June 2011 Source: Experian Hitwise 50.9% 31.7% 12.5% 7.4% U.S. smartphone users European smartphone users Facebook Twitter The Social Media Data Stacks www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

43. 6. Understand the Finer Points of Social Media Engagement • What and when to post content on social networks? • Mind your ‘share of voice’ on the social channels • Read and heed the research on social media engagement • Hashtags, photos, conversation, tone, etc. www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

44. 7. Mind the Social Metrics Effective social media measurement should start by turning the traditional ROI approach on its head. That is, instead of emphasizing their own marketing investments and calculating the returns in terms of customer response, managers should begin by considering consumer motivations to use social media and then measure the social media investments customers make as they engage with the marketers’ brands. Can You Measure the ROI of Your Social Media Marketing?, MIT Sloan Management Journa - Donna L. Hoffman and Marek Fodor www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

45. 7. Mind the Social Metrics (cont’d) www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

46. 8. Develop Your Social Media Voice • Social media voice is critical to engagement and long term success • Sorry, but there’s no formula • Mind the “style of your brand/district” - Chances are a style guide already exists that communicates brand presentation, usage guidelines and other forms of brand-related marketing aesthetics. www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

47. 9. Remember, It’s Not About the Technology Social media isn’t “about the technology!” We need to better understand: • Psychology • Sociology • Anthropology • (Digital) Ethnography www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

48. 10. Explore New Platforms • Go beyond social media for social media’s sake • Explore the use value beyond the “Big 5” • Ask “How will this new social media tool help us to achieve our mission” www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

49. 11. Follow Evelyn McCormack www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

50. QUESTIONS? The MarketingSavant Group www.marketingsavant.com 888.989.7771 dana@marketingsavant.com Thanks for Attending! www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

51. Slide Deck & Resources www.marketingsavant.com/nspra12 www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

52. What Every School District Needs to Know About Social Media The MarketingSavant Group www.marketingsavant.com 888.989.7771 dana@marketingsavant.com NSPRA 2012 July 9, 2012 www.marketingsavant.com The MarketingSavant Group 888.989.7771

What Every School District Needs to Know About Social Media

You are reading a preview.

Check these out next

What Every School District Needs to Know About Social Media

More Related Content

Slideshows for you (20)

Viewers also liked (7)

Similar to What Every School District Needs to Know About Social Media (20)

More from Dana Vanden Heuvel (18)

Recently uploaded (20)