I just attended the coolest conference ever.
Social Media Marketing World, hosted by Social Media Examiner, brings together thousands of marketers from around the globe to San Diego for networking, learning, and FUN! Emily Schutte, Marketing Manager at #SocialSchool4EDU, and I packed in 39 sessions in 3 days. Our minds are exploding with amazing social media and marketing ideas.
Now – we can’t unload all of the goodness we took in. We write blogs, not books.
But we did want to share 5 key takeaways that easily apply to schools!
1. Video
Have you noticed the rise of streaming platforms like Disney+ and others? Companies are spending millions – probably billions – of dollars to create them. Why? Because consumer behavior is changing. People read less and watch more.
Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner, opened the conference with a keynote challenging marketers to use more video. He said we need to learn to create video stories that are entertaining and educational. And he doesn’t just talk the talk, check out his YouTube channel to see how he’s using video for his own brand.
So how does this apply to your school? Now is the time to embrace video. I’ve been stressing it to our school partners for years. Video builds trust and loyalty. It increases your organic reach on social platforms. And it doesn’t all have to be high dollar production.
If you are just getting started with video, Instagram Stories is the place to get your feet wet. It only lives for 24 hours and you can show up in 15-second increments. Many school districts across the country are using Instagram Stories consistently. Check out this channel for inspiration:
(Yes – we know Instagram Stories are both video and still shots – but try your hand on video! And remember, you can link them over to Facebook Stories, making it a two-for-one effort. If you share something worth saving, you can add it to your highlights!)
The next step is longer content that can be shared on channels like Facebook and YouTube. Here are some ideas from the breakout I attended with Ben Amos.
- Ask yourself: What questions do you get all the time? Such as:
- How do I contact my child’s teacher?
- What do I do if I need to add lunch money?
- What resources do you have if my child is struggling?
- How do I know what is for lunch?
Then, create short videos explaining answers to those questions. Create once, and use thousands of times. Could you type out the answers? Of course. But video is a great way to build a relationship.
- Show behind-the-scenes moments
- What does your staff do during a teacher development/in-service day?
- What does the bus driver route look like – from when they get up in the morning to after they drop off the kids at school?
- What does summer prep for a new school year look like?
- Show student stories
- What is a senior’s plans for after graduation?
- Can you show a student who has overcome adversity and is now thriving?
- Try foreign exchange student or new student interviews!
- Share staff stories
- Why does a teacher love teaching at your school?
- What is a teacher’s “calling” to teach?
- Check out more ideas from this blog: 9 Ideas for Leadership Videos (besides snow day announcements)
If you need more help with video, stay connected to our upcoming content. We will be sharing specific tools and video strategies very soon. You’ll ever miss a helpful article if you sign up for our free newsletter – click here.
2. Storytelling
Day one of the conference was all about storytelling. There is incredible neuroscience research behind how and why stories are so impactful on social media. And schools are FULL of stories!
Author and Microsoft brand storyteller Miri Rodriguez delivered a passionate presentation all about stories. Her approach is simple: When you write a piece of content, start with the emotion in mind.
“This story is dedicated to ___ so they feel ____ and do ____.”
Put this statement in front of you as you write. Emotions can include words like warmth, pride, inspired, motivated, and compelled. The sky’s the limit!
How can you apply this to your school?
Writing a story about a retiring teacher: “This story is dedicated to Mrs. Smith’s former students, so they feel sentimental and share their memories.”
Writing a story about the end of a basketball season: “This story is dedicated to our community, so they feel proud and congratulate our hard-working students.”
Writing a story about the need for school funding: “This story is dedicated to our retirees, so they feel shocked and are compelled to action.”
Need more? Park Howell, founder of Business of Story, shared a session called “How to Craft Your Irresistible Brand Story for Epic Growth.” His formula was the “And, But, Therefore” method, or ABT.
This framework helps your audience immediately grasp the point of your story.
- Set the scene
- AND (raise the stakes)
- BUT (identify the problem):
- THEREFORE (reveal the solution)
He shared a ton of examples, including Airbnb and even Carly Rae Jepsen (Call Me Maybe – the chorus uses it perfectly)! Check out this video commercial from Airbnb and this written version here:
But let’s back it up a second: Have you ever struggled to start your story? Whether you’re writing a video script or a social media post, the struggle is real! Here are two tips, shared by Mike Kim, to overcome that blank screen phobia:
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- Write this at the top of your page: “I never thought it was possible, but…” and then continue your story. When done, delete that first line. This helps you start strong.
- Write your “Big Idea” first, then tell a story, and finish with a call to action.
3. User-Generated Content
Consumers trust brands less but listen to others’ opinions more. Tyler Anderson, CEO at CasualFridays, shared a bunch of stats behind this – but I’m betting you believe me. Think about it – when you buy something on Amazon, do you simply read the description of the product from the manufacturer? Or do you scroll down to the reviews?
The trick is, how do we get more people talking and sharing our school on social? And of course, we mean the good stuff! Well, Tyler shared these methods:
- Ask for it
Simple enough. You need to ask for your students, staff and community to share the good stuff. But to illustrate it, he shared the example from a restaurant. The servers are trained to ask to take photos of the group at their table. Once they take it, they say “Great photo. If you post it, will you tag us? We might share it on our page!” Guess what they do? They post it and tag the restaurant.So when you are at school events where announcements are made, let the audience know what your Instagram handle is and ask them to tag the school. If you’re at a big athletic match-up, let fans know that if they capture a great photo or video – to tag your account. It may seem obvious, but most schools are not making the ask. - Offer incentives/contests
It’s a method that works to get your toddler to start using the potty, and it also works with older kids and adults on social media. Offer a prize and people are willing to take action! Soapy Joe’s Carwash had a carwash karaoke contest. It was brilliant – and here is my favorite submission.We’ve seen lots of school examples of incentives and contests. When the polar vortex hit the midwest last year, there were about 10 days of school where kids had to stay home. We did the Reading Fort Challenge and got a ton of engagement with photos of kids reading at home inside of their blanket-built forts. The prize? Lunch with the principal!
Could you do a carpool or bus ride karaoke contest? What about a TikTok that features school spirit? Even if you aren’t on TikTok for your district, you can still get exposure on this channel through others, such as teachers and students! - Create remarkable experiences
This is all about doing a little bit extra when you are in-person with your stakeholders. If you do, people will talk about it. The example shared was from the Savannah Banana baseball team. One look at their website and you’ll see why they’ve had every game sold out for the last eight seasons.So what can you do at your school? Providing new staff members a T-shirt, hat, and other school swag is nice. But what about if you dressed up their entire family?
Your school also gets new students. How do you make them feel welcome? Parents and students are both excited and nervous when starting a new school. A $10 T-shirt could go a long way in creating that remarkable experience that they will tell others about. If you want some other awesome ideas of school swag, check out this article! Or maybe your school goes above and beyond in welcoming students to school every morning. I’ve seen some dancing crossing guards and singing principals show up on social media. Those fun “extras” are shareable moments that your community will broadcast on social media! - Make your students/staff/community members successful
When a Universal Studios worker went above and beyond to help an autistic boy through a meltdown, the boy’s mom couldn’t help but share it. It’s a great story, click here for the specifics. Applying this to your school, when your staff is trained to help out in moments of stress, people will notice. And when they take note, make sure that people have a way to give feedback.Maybe you have a spot on your homepage for positive shoutouts. And then, don’t be afraid to share those great things on your social channels. Schools deserve to share stories like that, just like a business would! - Develop a talk trigger
If you give people something worth taking a photo of or talking about, they will! Check out Graduate Hotels, where they give their guests a reason to take a photo of their room key.
Think about great branding and photo-op spots within your school.- “Meet the person behind your success” with the mirrors.
- Be the “I” in Kind – and ensure your school’s social handles are in the background.
- Banner or mask props, like this idea from Sun Prairie School District in Wisconsin.
- Feature it
Once you see it, it’s time to share it on your social channels. You don’t have to share it all, but you should definitely use the great stuff. A few rules before you do:- Get permission if sharing outside of Instagram Stories
- Give attribution to the original creator
Pro tip – ask your community to use the Instagram handle versus a hashtag because you get notified (instead of having to search for the hashtag).
4. Visual Tips and Tricks
Need some smiles in your life? You need to check out Jeff Sieh!
Most of us can probably tell when something “looks good” but we aren’t all professional graphic designers. Jeff proved that even beginners can create scroll-stopping imagery. These tips are especially important for visual platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, but every social media platform benefits from an attractive image.
Here are some FREE apps and platforms to add to your arsenal:
- Visme is perfect for creating infographics and presentations, even adding animations.
- Sick of Canva? Easil is an excellent alternative for easy-to-change design templates!
- If you already use Photoshop, Creative Market provides free templates.
Another tip from Jeff is to curate your creativity. Always watch for things that catch your eye, from billboards to digital ads to storefronts. Grab a photo or screenshot and save it for later. Why did it catch your eye? Was it the color, the composition, or the lighting?
Refer back to these images the next time you need some inspiration on a design. Jeff recommends apps like Evernote to keep track of these curations.
And you can also go to places like Dribbble or Pinterest when you’re feeling stuck.
5. Consider attending Social Media Marketing World 2021
This conference was certainly an investment, but both of us agreed that it was worth every penny. The life-changing sessions and workshops, the potential for meeting dynamic communicators from across the country, and the high-quality, generous atmosphere created by the conference organizers all exceeded our expectations.
An investment in yourself is an investment in your school. Conferences are an amazing way to learn, network, and grow. Our 5th game-changing takeaway for your school is to make sure that your budget allows for you to attend at least one annual conference each year. I think this conference would be great for any school communications person – especially if you are in charge of social media or marketing.
Another great seminar is the National School Public Relations Association annual event, which is in July this year in St. Louis, MO. I’ll be there – as a front-row attendee and a presenter – and I’d love to meet you there as well.
So which of these 5 key takeaways are you going to focus on in the next 3-6 months? I’d love to hear from you. Comment below or shoot me an email at andrea@socialschool4edu.com.
And if you are looking for more in-depth training and support on the topics we just covered, we are diving deep in upcoming skills sessions that happen each month inside of our membership group. It is THE PLACE for #SchoolPR social media managers who want to know what works and how to make it happen in their school. Learn more at this link!
Not quite ready for a full-on membership? Join my newsletter list for timely, relevant social media tips for schools – click here.
Andrea
Andrea’s passion is helping schools recognize their daily awesomeness and sharing that story with the world. She’s built a team that celebrates hundreds of schools across the country! #SocialSchool4EDU provides full social media management, personally coaches social media teams and individuals, and offers a vibrant online community that provides ongoing professional development for school social media champions.
Emily
Emily Rae Schutte is a small business owner who left her corporate job to serve other small businesses with content marketing services. Emily loves her role on the #SocialSchool4EDU team. She finds working with schools to be incredibly rewarding. Emily also enjoys working with members of the Social Media Crew for Schools Facebook Group as they develop their skills and share ideas as communicators.
