Every educator in the country is counting down the final days of the school year, eagerly anticipating summer break. It’s been an intense year, and I know you’re all looking forward to a bit of a breather!

Yet most school social media managers I know are still working through the summer. But if content is slowing down, what can you do to keep your social media chops up-to-date? Here are six summer projects you could tackle!

1. Take time away – that’s an order!
   This project is #1 for a reason. Every human deserves the opportunity to rest and recharge. Social media can eat a person alive. Mental health needs come first. Here is a free guide on 10 practical tips to avoid burnout in #SchoolPR.

2. Tackle a post batching project.
   Be honest, how many times have you thought to yourself, “I will start #TBT posts and grab pics from our yearbooks… NEXT week.”? Us too. Summer presents the opportunity to sit down in a quiet space and actually complete a project like #TBT posts, staff features, or even #MotivationalMonday graphics.

Carve out time on your calendar, take time to gather information, execute your new feature, and schedule those posts. At the time of this blog, Facebook allows you to schedule out 10 weeks in advance. Take advantage of that; your future self will thank you!

Need some ideas of features that you can start for next year? This blog features 5 Social Media Features for your School.

• Get a system.
  Systematizing social media is our superpower here at #SocialSchool4EDU. Your system could be as simple as setting aside time each day for social media in your calendar. Maybe this is the summer that you are finally going to set up a social media email address for your staff to send stories and photos to, or perhaps it’s making the commitment to post each day at specific times on Facebook. When you set up the system and follow-through, you will be using your time effectively.Here is a helpful tool that our team uses to track the scheduled posts. Click here for the PDF.
• Prepare your back-to-school presentation.
  Waiting until the last minute to think about your fall message is a mistake. Spend time this summer getting ready to fire up your staff to be social media storytellers. Confirm that you are added to the lineup of speakers at fall in-service.

In your presentation, show staff examples of great social media posts. Offer easy-to-digest tips and tricks on how to celebrate students. Leave them fired up, not bored out of their gourds. The goal here is to educate your team members about what you do. Here is a great resource: Back to School – Checklist for Getting Staff Involved in Social Media.

• Master a new app or two.
  There are so many cool apps out there! The school year is chaotic, so summer is the perfect time to sit down, reread old #SS4EDU blogs, and pick a few apps to master before students return. Here are a few ideas: The Business Suite app for Facebook (tons of shortcuts to make posting easy), Word Swag, Canva, iMovie, the list goes on and on! Taking the time to investigate a new app will definitely result in an uptick in your storytelling efforts.This year, Instagram Reels became the latest sensation – and boy, have we seen schools take off by embracing Reels! Learn how to use Instagram Reels for your school and snag 10 hot ideas by reading this blog.

  

• Soak up Audio Lessons.
  One of my favorite things to do in the summer is catch up on audiobooks and podcasts. Whether I’m tackling a mindless task like dishes or administrative work or just spending time in the car, audio learning is the way to go! Mastering Social Media for Schools is the go-to podcast for anyone working #SchoolPR. Download a bunch of episodes, today, and you have your summer binge-list ready to go!

What’s on your summer project list? What will you tackle? Tell us in the comments below!

A guest post from Heidi Feller, our Chief Inspirational Officer. She is a former teacher and district website/social media coordinator, but now she spends her days inspiring the #SocialSchool4EDU school partners with the encouragement they need to tell their story. In her own words, “Our teachers and students knock their socks off learning and growing each school day and the world needs to know about it!”