Does our school really need another social media channel? We are on Facebook; isn’t that enough?
Schools need to be where the community is. Of course, that includes parents and grandparents. They are on Facebook.
But where are your students? Have you asked them?
It is always changing, but right now I believe Instagram is the biggest social media channel where your school can effectively participate to reach students. Pew Research shows that more than half (52%) of all teens report using Instagram to share photos and video with friends, with girls substantially more likely to use it than boys (61% to 44%).
So why are kids on Instagram?
- Its visual – all pictures or videos. Kids love that. Every post has to include an image, so there is no text-only drama that goes on for miles.
- Parents aren’t on as much. Kids want to be somewhere other than Facebook because that is where their parents hang out.
- Fun editing tools. Users can feel like artists with the color and contrast that they can add to each photo with a touch of a button.
- Ability to “heart” other photos as well as leave comments. This means, even though it is photo-based, social networking is possible.
- Easy to use hashtags to follow certain topics. Love your dog? Using #cutedog can instantly get your photo in front of other users who love their dogs too!
There are always dark sides to social media, so we have to proceed with caution. However, schools can lead our students in the right way by using it positively. By having your own school page and promoting awesome things your students are doing, you lead by example and can initiate a ripple effect that can touch the entire community.
Another reason I love Instagram for schools? It made it so easy to share images on other platforms. With one post on Instagram, you can easily share it on the school’s Facebook and Twitter pages. This “additional” platform will actually save you time!
Jump on board. Promote your new school channel and enjoy the new way of connecting to your students!
