Social Media Best Practices for Schools
Social media has revolutionized the way we communicate and interact with each other. It has become a crucial part of our daily lives, and education is no exception. Schools are now using social media platforms to engage with students, teachers, and parents. But, there is a learning curve and administrators must learn how to effectively use social media to create an engaged and growing community.
In this blog post, we will discuss the benefits of using social media in education, best practices for social media in the classroom, and how schools can use social media to promote their brand and increase engagement.
Social Media in the Classroom
Social media has the potential to improve education by increasing student engagement, providing access to information, and building relationships between students and teachers. However, it is essential to consider the challenges and risks involved in using social media in the classroom. Some of these challenges include privacy concerns, inappropriate content, and distractions. We’ll explore these challenges and how to best use social media in the classroom.
What Challenges Do Schools Face With Utilizing Social Media?
Schools need to be aware of the risks and challenges associated with social media. For instance, inappropriate content may find its way into the classroom, or there may be concerns around privacy and safety. Some students may use social media as a platform to bully or harass others, which can create a negative environment for everyone. Schools need to have policies in place to manage these risks.
Creating a firm policy on what is allowed and what is not tolerated and sticking to it is the simplest way to monitor and moderate content. Making rules clear will set proper expectations as to what will be tolerated on your school’s social media pages.
What Are the Benefits of Social Media Make It Worthwhile for Schools to Use?
Despite the challenges, social media has many benefits that outweigh the risks for schools. It can help create a positive school culture, encourage collaboration, and build relationships with parents and the community. Social media can also be an effective tool for promoting events, sharing information, and improving communication between teachers and students.
Benefits of Social Media in Education
Legacy schooling isn’t fit for the modern world. Over the past 50 years, the world has changed in incredible ways, and in many ways, schools haven’t fully caught up. Students are a part of a digital-first generation that consumes information and learns through new media platforms.
Prioritizing using social media will allow you to connect better with your students and enhance their ability to learn. It can help students learn and connect with each other. They can also learn about new things and share ideas. Social media can also help teachers connect with their students and other teachers. Some of the most important benefits to using social media in education include:
- Increased student engagement and motivation
- Access to information and resources
- Improved communication and collaboration
- Promotes creativity and critical thinking skills
- Encourages a positive school culture
How to Use Social Media in Your School
Understanding the nuances and applications of different platforms can feel daunting. But, utilizing social platform’s most useful features will allow you to get the most out of social media, and create an engaging environment for your students. Here are some best practices for using social media in your school:
Facebook is an excellent platform for sharing updates, events, and news with your community. Here are two ways to use Facebook in your school:
Use a Facebook Page to broadcast updates and alerts.
A Facebook page can be used to share important updates and alerts with parents and the community. This could include news about school closures, changes in schedules, or important announcements. Pairing your social media feed with your own school app can be a powerful integration that will keep all of your school’s info in one simple location.
Use a Facebook Group to stream live lectures and host discussions.
A Facebook group can be used to stream live lectures and discussions. This is an excellent way to engage students and encourage participation. These live streams can keep students engaged during school breaks or canceled classes by sharing lectures and assignments. It can also be used to host discussions about class materials, homework assignments, or other related topics.
Instagram is one of the most popular social media apps with over 2 billion monthly active users . Younger students use visual apps like Instagram and Snapchat more than others so it’s important to utilize different platforms. You’re catering to both parents and students when using social media so you’ll want to cover all your bases. Here's how to use leverage Instagram in your school:
Utilize Instagram Stories
Instagram stories is a feature that lets you post images, videos, boomerangs, and other media on your “story” that lasts for only 24 hours. It’s a simple feature to use, and offers high visibility and click through rates. You can quickly share instant updates, daily reminders, and snapshots of your school and save them to your highlights reel.
Use Instagram for photo essays.
Instagram can be used to create photo essays that showcase student work, events, and other school-related content. This is an excellent way to engage students and build school spirit. It allows students to flex their creativity in a way that might not feel like a normal school assignment.
Twitter is a great platform for sharing news, updates, and announcements. The platform known for its quick updates and conversational usage can be a great way to engage students who are already using the platform. Here's how to use Twitter in your school:
Use Twitter as a class message board.
Twitter can be used as a class message board to share updates, homework assignments, and other important information with students. Teachers can create their own Twitter handles for each class they teach where their students can follow and interact with it like a message board. Accounts can be reused every year with a fresh timeline, and the 280 character limit helps students refine ideas and communicate in a more effective, concise way.
Many jobs of today require skills on modern platforms like Twitter so helping develop these skills now would benefit students in the long run.
YouTube:
YouTube is a video-sharing platform that is used by 2 billion people around the world . It is a great tool for schools to use to share educational content. Teachers can create videos that provide information on various lessons that students can watch on their own time. For example, a teacher can create a video that explains a difficult concept, and students can watch the video as many times as they need to until they understand the topic.
Teachers can also create videos that showcase classroom activities and experiments, allowing students to see what they missed or to review the material covered in class. Some students prefer learning concepts through video. Sites like Khan Academy share useful videos that students turn to when struggling with difficult courses. You can adopt a similar strategy for your own classroom.
Youtube Video Assignments
Another way to use YouTube is to have students create their own videos as assignments. For example, a teacher can assign a video project where students create a short film that summarizes a book they read, or that explains a science experiment they conducted. This allows students to use their creativity and practice their communication skills.
Create a classroom blog to share ideas and start discussions
Class blogs are an interactive medium for students to engage with each other and push their learning in new ways. Students can use the blog to discuss topics related to their coursework or to share their own ideas and experiences. Teachers can assign blog posts as essays or as a way to encourage students to think critically and share their thoughts with others. Blogging can also improve students' writing skills and help them develop their own voice.
Create Pinterest boards for each class
Much like teachers creating specific Twitter handles for each class, they can leverage Pinterest to create and share visual content such as photos and videos. Teachers can use Pinterest to create a class-specific board where they can share visual content related to their curriculum or assignments.
Beyond making learning more fun and interactive, using visual platforms can help students that are more prone to visual learning to engage with your curriculum in new ways.
What About Other Social Platforms?
Other social media platforms exist and are popular among younger generations like Snapchat and TikTok. Snapchat enables users to create and send temporary posts and stories that disappear after a short period of time. TikTok is a short form video platform that’s widely popular with over half of Gen Z reporting using the app daily in 2021.
These apps could be highly engaging for your students. Some parents have hesitations about using these platforms or don’t use them themselves. In an attempt to include students, parents, and families, it’s a better strategy to get started with the platforms outlined above before utilizing Snapchat and TikTok.
In many ways, a class blog, Twitter post, Youtube video, or any social media assignment is the future of education. Not only do students learn and engage in this way outside of the classroom - so it’s already familiar, but learning to utilize these platforms and develop skills will better their future employment opportunities.
Use Social Media to Advertise Your School
We’ve already discussed the value of social media in the classroom, but social media can also be used to advertise to potential students and their families. Students and their parents are going to check out their potential school’s website and social media channels first thing.
By leveraging social media to make your school more attractive to potential students, you’ll harness powerful recruiting tools and gain an advantage over competing schools when it comes to enrollment and thus, funding. Here are some tips on how to use social media to advertise your school.
Include social media links on your school website
Make sure to include links to your social media profiles on your school website. This will make it easy for visitors to find and follow your school on social media. Students and families can quickly click through and find everything they need. The simpler you make this process, the more attractive your school is. They’ll love the simplicity of the user experience and think of your school favorably if you’re up to speed with social media and technology.
Showcase your selling points
Use social media to showcase your school's unique selling points, such as your academic programs, campus facilities, and extracurricular activities. Don’t be bashful. Boasting your school’s best qualities online will help attract potential students and expand your enrollment.
Share up-to-the-minute information
Use social media to share information about school events, important dates, and deadlines. This will ensure your message reaches more of your community. Leveraging apps that parents and students already check and use will increase the odds of them seeing these notifications. This can help keep students and their families informed and engaged with your school.
Create an engaged community
You can foster a better sense of community through engaging on social. In addition to engaging with students and their parents more, you can reach aunts, uncles, grandparents, and extended family with social media. This creates a stronger sense of community by bringing in those that aren’t as up to date with a student’s daily life.
Share school events and photos
Sharing photos and videos of your school's events like sports games, performances, and graduations are great ways to attract new students. By giving them a glimpse into daily life at your school, you’re helping them envision their time there. You’re also setting yourself apart from other schools that might only follow traditional and outdated marketing strategies.
Promote sports and extracurriculars
Promoting sports teams’ accomplishments is an obvious choice for social media posting. By promoting school club activities, class projects, and student creativity in action, you can use social media to promote your school's uniqueness and include more of your community. This can help increase student participation and build school spirit as well.
Get Started Using Social Media for Education
If social media seems foreign to you, don’t worry. Following the tips in this article will give you a good base of strategies to implement right off the bat. Before you get started, here are some tips to implement first.
Establishing and measuring goals
Before you start using social media, think about your goals and what you hope to achieve. Do you want to boost school pride and engagement from current students? Do you want to engage with more students and families? Do you want to attract more students? Establishing your goals and developing a plan to measure their effectiveness will help you make informed decisions as you progress through using social media.
Promote your first post
You’re ready to get started. Begin by creating your first post on one of your school's social media accounts. This can be a simple introduction or a post about an upcoming event. Make sure to include relevant hashtags and images to make your post more engaging. Kickstart your campaign by promoting your school’s social media accounts in your current newsletter, emails, and parent communications.
Create a social media crisis strategy
We’ve talked about different ways social media can help your school. But, there’s always a chance that you run into a negative or inappropriate comment. It's important to have a plan in place in case of a social media crisis such as these. Make sure to have guidelines for how to respond to negative comments and how to handle any potential issues that may arise.
Encouraging social proof
Encourage your current students, parents, and faculty members to share positive reviews and feedback on social media. By fostering this feedback, you’ll receive a solid foundation of social proof that will boost your school’s reputation on social media and quickly start to attract potential students.
Manage your accounts in one place
While this all might seem like a ton of work for a school administrator on top of your everyday responsibilities, software has made this work easier for you. Use social media management tools like Hootsuite to manage all of your school's social media accounts in one place.
This will save time and make it easier to stay on top of your social media presence. If you’re weary of managing social media for your school, it’s a good idea to consult a company that specializes in school marketing .
Building your community
Once you've decided to use social media for your school, it's important to get started building a strong community. Here are some tips on how to do it:
- Engage with your followers. Respond to comments and messages, ask for feedback, and encourage conversations.
- Post regularly. Consistent posting will keep your followers engaged and informed.
- Showcase your school culture: Highlight your school's values, traditions, and achievements.
- Share student work. Celebrate your students' accomplishments by sharing their projects, artwork, and other work.
- Use hashtags. Use relevant hashtags to reach a larger audience and to connect with other schools and educators.
- Collaborate with other schools. Partner with other schools to share resources, cross-promote content, and build a stronger community.
- Stay positive. Social media can sometimes be a negative space, but as a school, it's important to maintain a positive and respectful tone. Encourage kindness and respect in all interactions.
Why You Should Get Started With Your School’s Social Media Plan
The world looks different than it did in past decades. Students and families spend more time online on social media platforms. Meeting them where they already spend time will ensure they get important school information and will boost engagement between families and their school.
In addition to engaging with your current community, social media is an effective way to advertise to prospective students. Your reach goes further by leveraging these platforms, and with every post, you increase the chances of a new student learning about your school.
Thinking about social media as a recruitment tool is a useful framework to use. If a school’s funding is determined by its enrollment, then leveraging social media’s reach is a no brainer. Investing in a strong digital presence is the first step in building a strong community of students and families at your school.
