For years, LinkedIn has been known as the professional social media network.
A spot to highlight your resume and search for a new job, but little else.
Well, all of that changed when Microsoft purchased LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in 2016. Significant upgrades have been made in the way the platform works, making it easier to interact with others and build a vibrant, engaged network!
Your school has a lot to gain by utilizing this platform. Consider who you can reach on LinkedIn: Parents, alumni, local business connections, and much more. As a bonus, you are more likely to reach men on this platform!
Read on for five simple ways to start using LinkedIn for your school district.
- Create a business profile for your school
This is different than a personal LinkedIn profile. I see many pages for school districts or HR departments set up incorrectly.Specific instructions on how to set up a business profile can be found here. Make sure to include your district logo as the profile image and complete the “about” section. Here are a few examples of pages that are set-up correctly:
I love this profile because they utilize the cover image space to highlight the diversity of their students!
- Post job openings
This should be obvious, but you definitely want to post job openings on LinkedIn. You can do this via your business profile – or, if you are well-connected in your community, you can share job openings on your personal profile!The key is to build up your connections so that you reach the most people as possible. You can do this by promoting your school’s official page to your parents, community, and alumni.
Here is a “now hiring” example from Kenosha Unified School District:
And here is another example from the Chambersburg Area School District in Pennsylvania:
- Share photos from your district
Just like posts on Facebook, your school page or school leaders can share everyday happenings from your district. A community fundraiser, a special classroom project, or simply an older student reading to a younger one – these all make great LinkedIn posts!Here is an example from Jerry Almendarez, Superintendent at Santa Ana Unified School District in California.
The Superintendent of Saint Paul Public Schools in Minnesota does a great job of sharing photos and strategy in his posts. Check out this one and follow him for great ideas on how school leaders can use LinkedIn!
And finally, Dr. Deb Kerr shares a great story that highlights her amazing staff in this post, talking about their United Way campaign donation.
- Promote business partnerships
LinkedIn is a great place to connect with businesses in your community. I love how Joey Page, Ed.D., Superintendent at Byron Public Schools, uses his page to share this opportunity. You should follow him for some great ideas on how leaders can use LinkedIn to promote their school district!
You can also use LinkedIn to share connections with local and state government officials. Dr. Joseph Macharola, Superintendent of Muhlenberg School District in Pennsylvania, shared this photo recently.
- Share videos
That’s right, LinkedIn also allows you to share videos! Similar to sharing videos on Facebook or Twitter, you can now upload them to LinkedIn. Here is a great example from Byron Public Schools.
Coming soon: LinkedIn is rolling out LinkedIn Live! You can learn more at this link.
Here is another example of a video that relates to #2 – promoting openings at your school. Joe Sanfelippo shared this video on his own LinkedIn profile.
There you have it: Five easy ways to use LinkedIn for your school district. If you’re ready to dive even deeper, I recommend another article from my friends at FinalSite.
LinkedIn For Schools: How To Build Strong Connections With Your School Community
If you know of other great schools or school leaders that I should connect with on LinkedIn, comment below! I love to learn. And if you loved what you learned today, make sure that you are signed up for my free newsletter. We share tips, tricks, and strategies to make your job easier with social media for your district. Sign up here.
