Here’s a question you probably never thought I’d ask: Is social media worth it? 

As someone who has been helping schools and school communicators with social media since 2014, I sure hope it is! In my experience with hundreds of school districts and tens of thousands of social media posts, I can confidently say that social media is a key cornerstone for building engagement and connection within your school community. 

But if you’ve ever found yourself pondering this question – especially after a particularly rough bout of comments or if you don’t feel like you have staff buy-in for submitting content – you are definitely not alone. School leadership may also be pressuring you to prove the validity of your efforts, so you are trying to wrap your head around proving ROI. 

I know that when someone asks, “Is social media worth it?” they are really asking, “Is all this time and effort producing a return on investment for my school?” 

So today, let’s dig into five ways social media CAN produce a positive ROI for your district!

#1: Increasing Enrollment

Social media gives you a platform for showcasing everything that makes your school special, which can encourage new families to enroll. Social media is also meant to be social, so when people share your content, they’re pushing it out to all their friends and followers, too! 

Word-of-mouth marketing is the most powerful form of marketing. Social media stories give people something to talk about! That’s why the number one way you can experience a positive ROI for your school, using social media, is through increased enrollment.

I recently wrote a whole blog about the importance of marketing/communications for schools and encourage you to read it when you have some time. One key data point from that article is that every additional student you add to your enrollment could mean $10,000+ in funding. 

That number will be unique to your type of school (public, private, charter, etc.) and the state, county, and city in which your school is located. I encourage you to ask your leadership team for an estimate so you have a better understanding of how enrollment impacts the school’s bottom line.

Here’s what one school communicator shared: 

“Literally, earlier this week, I had a new parent (who moved to our district from out of state) tell me they selected our school district over another because of our social media. She said, ‘From your Instagram page, it was obvious that your teachers care about your students, and the district is doing everything possible to provide students with opportunities to succeed. I wanted my kid to be part of it.’ I tell my teachers all the time that today’s school is so much different than it was 10, 15, 20 years ago. And, if we aren’t the ones showing and telling our story, someone else will.” – Ashley-Michelle Thublin, Director of Strategic and Crisis Communications, Dublin City Schools, GA

It’d be great if we could directly measure where every single family comes from. But you know as well as I do that it’s almost impossible to attribute every new enrollment to just one marketing tactic! The marketing “rule of 7” states that someone needs to hear/see something seven times before they take action on it. 

How many of those seven touches come from social media? You may never know for sure, but I do know that if you’re NOT posting, you’re missing a big area of opportunity. 

#2: Improving Retention

If your only goal for social media is to increase enrollment, I think you’re underestimating its power. Social media also plays a large role in retaining your current students. 

Social media can help you share about all the programs you offer, giving your elementary school families excited about the opportunities their kids will experience in high school. When you post about the various learning environments within your school, you’re helping families picture their kids in each classroom as they grow. 

All of this helps strengthen the connections between your enrolled families and your school, increasing the likelihood that they will keep their kids enrolled. 

Here’s what a school communications professional shared about the link between social media and retention: 

“Joyful social media helps with RETENTION and serves as a validation point for prospective families! And every student that stays is one less (costly) student you have to find (ie one less new butt in the seat). That’s why I promote posts to reach prospective families. I do a lot of work on ‘student recruitment,’ and a strong social presence is a differentiator.” – Chris Gonzalez, Mango Strategies

#3: Reaching Stakeholders

An easy way to show the success of social media is by tracking the number of people your posts reach. My small district has only 300 students, but each month on Facebook, I reach over 25,000 people. That is AMAZING! And that reach is free – I’m not paying Meta for reach. 

If you work at a public school, you are supported by the wider community. And 70% of your community doesn’t have a student currently enrolled in your district. So when the time comes for your school to pose a ballot question, does that 70% have a positive view of your school? Their votes could make or break the success of your referendum/bond campaign!

The average Internet user spends over two hours on social media, every single day. Showing up on social media is a critical way that you can connect to all your community stakeholders. 

Here’s how my Director of Membership puts it: 

“Social media is ALSO key in connecting with community members – letting them see all the great things the school is doing every day for the students. It’s so important to create those connections, especially when it comes time to pass a referendum/bond/millage. Many of the voters in your district do not have students in the school, but we still want them to know how their tax dollars are being spent and why the school is a worthy cause to support.” – Melissa Marti, Director of Membership, #SocialSchool4EDU

#4: Building Brand Loyalty

The concept of “brand loyalty” can feel nebulous to measure, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less important. This helpful article from Sprout Social provides 10 metrics that all contribute to brand awareness – and social media engagement is one of them! 

Engagement on social media is a powerful strategy for amplifying your messages. Every like, comment, and share gets your content in front of more people, further spreading your positive stories! 

When people feel bought into a brand, they support it even more! Schools that make the entire community feel like they are part of the school have the most support. We know that people support brands they can get behind, and social media is a powerful way to build that loyalty. 

Even hashtags can help with this! I love these examples: #OurHighlineStory, #WEareONE10, and #HCPSfamily. 

Here are a few additional insights from school communicators about the power of social media in boosting brand awareness: 

“Social media gives you the ability to show off your school culture and pride! That is just as valid of a marketing tool in my opinion.” – Jason Laz, Communications Specialist, Troy City School District, NY

“We’re creating and selling sentiment. Yes, social data is a proxy for sentiment, but it’s the best proxy we have.” – Terry Rombeck, Director of Communications, Andover Public Schools, KS

“Social media may support other goals that the district has, such as sustaining or improving the district’s overall reputation within the community. Both things can be true. I see social media as a relationship-building tool, and it should never be the only one, but it can be a valuable one.” – Emily Farmer Propek, Nichols Strategy

#5: Recruiting and Retaining Staff

The fifth way that you can experience a positive ROI is by recruiting and retaining school staff members through your social media efforts. 

I LOVE seeing schools celebrate and recognize their teachers, support staff, and leadership teams on social media!! These posts make staff members feel good, especially when encouraging comments start to roll in, and boost internal morale. 

Plus, those staff appreciation posts show prospective employees what it’s like to work at your district. They see how much your team is appreciated, and they will want to be part of that environment, too. 

Finally, LinkedIn is a platform often underutilized by school districts. I encourage you to learn more about leveraging LinkedIn for recruiting school staff, and make it part of your social strategy. 

Get Support for Improving Your ROI

I hope these five factors have increased your confidence in the power of social media! While it can be hard to measure an exact ROI down to the dollar, I believe that your efforts on social media will never be wasted. 

If you’re looking for ways to save time and increase efficiency around your social media efforts, check out my membership program! As a member, you’ll experience: 

• Improved consistency on your social media platforms
• Content creation using proven systems
• Resources and tools to improve your results
• Support to step out of your comfort zone with new ideas
• A like-minded community so you never feel alone