Over the past decade, social media has become an integral part of our lives: there is no putting that genie back in the bottle. This means that social media needs to be as much a part of a school district’s communication strategy as postcards and email.
While it may seem easy to tweet a quick message or add a fun classroom post to Facebook, there is actually a great deal of evaluation and strategy that must go into when, where, and what you post through various social media outlets.
Which social media you use will depend on your community. Each community is different: some can be found mostly on Facebook, while some live and die by Tweets. Understanding what mix is going to be best to reach your community is key to ensuring your investment of time and money into social media will reach as many people as possible.
In addition, what segment of your community is on each type of social media is also key. Perhaps your parents are on Facebook or Instagram, but your business community is on Twitter. This means that you would segment and direct the type of information you share in each outlet based on who is most likely to be seeing it.
Finally, when is your audience on social media? For some organizations, posting at 10 am on a Tuesday reaches the most people; for others, it may be 7 pm on a Wednesday. Determining when your messages are most likely to reach people takes consistent testing and adaptation, as well as factoring in the changing algorithms that govern how information is shared on different platforms.
If done correctly, you’ll find that social media is a powerful way to reach and engage your audience. But all these aspects must come together to create as successful a social media program as possible for your unique district.