Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr – Where do I start with social media for my school? I know it can be overwhelming, especially if you feel that you're not a very technologically savvy person. I can help though – follow the simple advice of walking, not running, with social media to ensure that your social media campaign will be successful.
There are four steps to begin your walk with social media: 1. Create, 2. Listen, 3. Publish, 4. Launch. Let's begin..
1. Create
The first decision you'll have to make is with which social media channel you would like your school to participate. I've written that your school should participate in Facebook or Twitter. After you decide which channel to use, the next step is to create the social media account for your school. I would also suggest that you create an account for yourself. I like to use my own account as a testing vehicle to try new techniques or methods before I use those methods for our school's official accounts. My thought is if I make a mistake it only effects my personal account and not the school's account.
2. Listen
The second step when beginning your walk with social media is to listen. What do I mean by listen? Depending on your platform choice, you should do the following:
- Twitter – You should follow a number of different accounts including other schools, famous people, brands you like, personal friends, and colleagues. Watch what they share and how they use the platform to learn the vocabulary and rules of Twitter.
- Facebook – I'd suggest listening through your personal Facebook account as opposed to your school account. Similar to Twitter, friend numerous different constituents and “like” numerous causes, people, and other schools. By connecting with all of these different groups you will be able to see how people use the platform effectively as well as the rules of the channel.
3. Publish
The third step in walking with your social media channel is to begin to publish content and to participate. This step in the process will hopefully move you from passive listener to active participant. I would suggest using both your personal account as well as your school's official account. The idea is to experiment by posting a variety of links, photos, and videos to see what your audience will engage with more.
4. Launch
The final step in your walk with social media is to being to promote your social media channel. I would conduct your promotion both online and offline. The reason I think you should publish before you launch is that you need to build up interesting content on your channel so that when people find you online there will be “stuff” for them to consume and hopefully cause them to engage.
As you begin your walk with social media remember these 4 easy steps in order for your campaign to be a success. I would love to hear any advice for school's beginning their journey with social media by using the comment section below.
photo credit: Jon_Marshall
