Flambeau may be a small school district in number (586 students), but they are large when it comes to geographic area. They cover 400 square miles in four counties, with six different villages in Northwestern Wisconsin.

Communicating in such a rural area has its challenges. There are not many media outlets. Even though the district overflows with great academic and extra-curricular opportunities for students, it is tough to get that story out to all of the communities. But one initiative has changed all that.

In August of 2014, the School District of Flambeau jumped into social media with the help of #SocialSchool4EDU. Typical worries of negativity and questions of effectiveness in a rural community were raised by the administrative team. Those concerns were quickly washed away with their Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube launch. They now have added an Instagram presence as well, and they are reaching thousands of people each week. This week we wanted to feature their story.

Erica Schley is currently the 6-12 principal at the school, and next year she will be taking over as superintendent. She has been working in the district since 2009 and took the time to help share its social media story.

Why has social media been effective in your district?
Our community is one where “everyone knows everyone.” For us, that is an incredible advantage, as we know we are posting the content that our community connects with. Parents, alumni and community members really get a kick out of being able to see what their kids are doing, reminisce about their time at Flambeau, or take pride in the great things the school is doing. It has been an incredible tool to keep our stakeholders informed, engaged, and interested in the school’s doings. We also aren’t afraid to show some personality in our content – from fun Motivational Monday posts that feature students dressed up to our comedic videos featuring myself! Parents and community members have sought us out to tell us how excited they were to see these things.

What types of posts do you find work the best?
We share a lot of fun photos, but the posts about our staff seem to do very well. We recently started highlighting our staff of 25 or more years of service to the district. Instead of your traditional written post, we decided to try video! These videos not only tell the story of the staff member and the time they’ve dedicated to our kids but also tells our fans why they love Flambeau! The community gets connected to these stories and gets a chance to reflect on why they love Flambeau too. You can’t give people enough reasons to love your school! So far, the feedback has been great. These staff members are being complemented through social media by the community, alumni, and their family! These posts have been a great way to get our staff more engaged and excited about our social media.

• 4,188 Reached
• 204 Likes, 11 Loves, 1 Wow
• 18 Comments
• 10 Shares

What is one way that you “took a chance” with social media?
We wanted to get our staff involved in some “fun” videos. We put together some silly back-to-school videos that I starred in. I wanted to lead by example and get involved. In each video, I (unsuccessfully) try to join each of our fall sports teams. Not only are the videos entertaining, but I think they show me as very approachable and down-to-earth. I got a chance to show my silly side and be more relatable to our students.

• 8,072 Reached
• 159 Likes, 3 Loves, 12 Hahas
• 16 Comments
• 19 Shares

What has the feedback been since you shared those videos?
Since our videos were shared, I have been overwhelmed with the amount of positive feedback they have generated—students, parents, teachers, community members, and people I haven’t met stop to talk to me whether we are in or out of the school setting. Everybody wants to know when the next video is going to be posted and people are seeking me out to do videos with their group or club. I feel like a connection has been made with people that previously may not necessarily say ‘hi’ or spark a conversation when they see me out in the community—I enjoy that and hope that people feel like they can approach me anytime! Although my entire teaching career was in a Middle School setting, all of my administrative work has been in elementary, so I was a little bit nervous about being in the Middle and High School setting again after so many years. I am enjoying every minute of it and feel as if the students know that it is ok to talk to me about what is going on in their lives besides just coming to me with “school talk.”

Can you describe your partnership with #SocialSchool4EDU?
The team at #SocialSchool4EDU has become an extended part of our school district staff. They helped to successfully launch our social media channels back in 2014 and have continued to provide their expertise in using these channels for our school. We now rely on them to help us keep our website updated and looking great too. All school districts are facing shortages, with many staff members wearing multiple hats. The ability of their team to help us engage with our community is key.

The #SocialSchool4EDU team makes it so easy for us to have an effective public relations presence while we balance the day-to-day operations that we all deal with.

What social media advice would you share with other small districts?
Social media gives all school districts a level playing field. We can now get our stories out to the world as they happen and we don’t have to compete for the front page of the newspaper.

Communication is so important in a school, and we feel social media has dramatically improved our efforts – so it can for your district too.

You also don’t have to do it alone. #SocialSchool4EDU has become an extended part of our staff, and we rely on them to help with social media and website updates. This keeps us on the cutting edge of what is working for schools and our communication channels are always up to date. The expertise and peace of mind the partnership brings is valuable, and the investment is more affordable than you may think.

If your school needs help with social media, contact #SocialSchool4EDU to learn more about our management, training and coaching programs. Get the support, encouragement, and expertise you need to tell your story! Call 715-205-0429 or e-mail Andrea at andrea@socialschool4edu.com.