A school with great tradition, wonderful staff, and a supportive community. What more could you ask for?

Well, a year ago, the School District of Reedsburg wanted to “up” their game. They decided to make social media a big part of their communication strategy.

And it has transformed things – to a whole new level of awesome!

Reedsburg is a district of about 2,600 students. They work hard to keep class sizes small, giving students the personal attention that is so critical.

Their mission? To prepare their students for the future, instill a sense of respect and a passion for learning. I can now see firsthand how they are doing just that. Social media has given the world a window to look through.

Recently, Heidi Feller, Website and Social Media Coordinator for the School District of Reedsburg, took some time to talk about their social media journey.

When did the school start using social media?
The district’s “official” Facebook page launched in April of 2016, with the help of Andrea Gribble from #SocialSchool4EDU. We hosted a kick-off event where Andrea explained the ins and outs of social media and encouraged our staff to jump on board to help tell our story to the world. This was a logical next step for us, as we had just completed a new branding and logo project, as well as a complete overhaul of our website. While this was a district-wide approach, there were pockets of social media posting already happening in classrooms and schools, especially at our high school, which uses Twitter to communicate with students and teachers.

Our page was an instant hit, a clear indicator that our families and community wanted to hear and see the great things happening in the School District of Reedsburg. Now, almost a year into Facebook we have over 2,000 page likes and it’s growing every day!

What strategies do you use to gather content for your social media channels?
As a former teacher, substitute, and volunteer coordinator for the district, I make it my business to be “nosy.” I pride myself on ferreting out a story that crosses my desk. The personal relationships I have with staff, administrators, and students are integral to my job. What they do is amazing, and I am honored to tell the world how great they are!

We have a social media email that staff uses to send photos, stories, and other ideas. I follow various teacher Facebook pages and closed groups. When I see something cool (which I do on a daily basis – our teachers do an EXCELLENT job of using Facebook to communicate with families), I will send an email to that teacher asking for more information.

Visiting schools on a regular basis helps me stay in touch with what is happening. TweetDeck is a great resource. Mine is always up during the school day and I also refer to it when looking for a great post. The Tweet of the Week is something I am experimenting with this spring. I use a great Tweet as a Facebook post and then encourage readers to follow that particular person by including their Twitter handle. Sometimes a simple email to a teacher telling them what a great job they are doing is all it takes to “win” them over to social media. Teachers have a difficult time tooting their own horns. A nudge in the right direction helps them feel pride!

Your page following grew extremely fast. Why do you think this happened?
The growth of the page is directly related to the support our community shows for the great work our teachers do! Some great posts provided by the staff really did the trick as well. Unfortunately, a few serious events also added to the page likes. Clearly, a growing number of parents look to social media for event updates, reminders, and news.

Using a platform such as Facebook has had a huge impact on the number of page likes. Our staff has done an amazing job of getting the word out by liking the page themselves and then liking and sharing their colleagues’ posts. To showcase what a true community we live in, check out this post about one of our teachers having a baby!

I love the #FirstFridayFunday campaign! Describe how it works.
This fall, we launched a #FirstFridayFunday for our staff. For the second year in a row, each staff member received a district t-shirt that proudly displays our logo on the front and our district hashtag (#ReedsburgPride) on the back. On the first Friday of each month, we encourage ALL staff to wear their t-shirt, then take selfies with fellow staff members and students. We post them to our Facebook page all day long. Those with Twitter accounts also Tweet photos.

It has been great to see our staff having fun with each other and students. The community loves to see this fun-loving, personal side of our teachers. Students are showing our teachers some tips and pointers on taking the best selfie. All in all, it has been a great team-building activity! We’ve even tweaked the day a bit to reflect Veteran’s Day and a Packer Pride Day.

What impact has social media made on the school and in the community?
Trust and communication have grown. More parents look to our page for news and information, which helps us reach them when something serious happens. The bonus is that many times they like our page, which helps us share the amazing things happening on a daily basis. Our page is probably too young to make conclusions, but we are excited to see what the future brings.

It’s not always easy. What have been some struggles that you have faced?
The biggest struggle seems to be keeping the playing field equal. We have five elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. At any given moment, there are a million cool things we could report about in each of those buildings. I would post twenty times a day if I thought that was a good idea. I know it isn’t; there is a limit. Picking and choosing is SO difficult!

What advice do you have for other schools using social media?
Jump in slowly. Take your time. Hone your craft. Most importantly, get out there and get the story! Personal interaction is key!

Wowzers! That is one powerful story. Thanks so much to Heidi for sharing the journey that she’s been on with Reedsburg.

If you are looking for help in getting launched on social media, or maybe just redirected a bit with your strategy, contact #SocialSchool4EDU for help. A one-day working session is affordable, fun, and you’ll know that you are on the pathway to success!

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