Can a small district have a big reach? Absolutely!

Case in point: Superior Public Schools. They have been working with us since August 2018, and although they may only have 430 students, they now have a whopping 1,400 Facebook fans and reach 6,600 people in the average week!

So what is the secret to their success? We had the chance to pick Sara Fuller’s brain about how this tiny district manages to reach so many people with their story. Sara has been the high school business teacher for Superior Public Schools for ten years, and she does an outstanding job of using this position to involve her students in the district’s social media.

Keep reading to get her best tips for boosting your social media game.

What impact has social media made for your school or district?
With our 1,400 followers and 6,600 people reached in the average week on Facebook, we are communicating with nearly everyone in our community, which is particularly important for showing people in this small community where their tax dollars are being spent and dispeling any myths about what is happening in our schools. We are in control of our own story, and we can use social media to be as transparent as possible.

What strategies do you use to gather content for your social media channels?
As soon as school started this past fall, our staff was very positive about contributing to our social media platforms, so we have been very lucky in terms of staff submissions. Additionally, I try to pop into classrooms to capture great moments while they are happening so that our teachers don’t always have to write up an email.

One of our biggest assets is having two high school students who do our Instagram stories, and they are also in charge of communicating with staff members and students to get content. The content from their fellow students is much more authentic, as it is being requested from peers rather than teachers. (Check out this blog for more information about these student contributors!)

What is one of your biggest success stories surrounding social media?
As previously mentioned, our student contributors on Instagram are truly priceless. They are always looking to take the next step in boosting our social media presence and are constantly on the hunt for new ideas.

One great idea that they put into action was a first grade classroom feature. They made an introductory video to explain to the first graders that they would be in charge of taking photos by themselves using Ipads – the first graders loved seeing the older students and were so excited to be responsible for providing pictures.

Then, the photos the first graders took were sent to the high school students, and they added stickers and captions to the stories and uploaded them to Instagram. This not only allowed them to take control of the project, but they also got to interact with younger students whose “week in the life” experiences were shared with all of our followers.

What type of social media campaigns or features do you use?
We have a multitude of features including bedtime stories, senior spotlights, staff features, #TBT, student of the month, “day in the life of” Instagram stories, and a military alumni spotlight. For our bedtime stories, we get the video production class involved in filming teachers and students reading books, and they edit the videos by splicing clips together and adding intro and outro segments.

One teacher also reached out recently to ask whether these stories could have a monthly theme – and we said yes, of course! February was Black History Month, so the bedtime stories that month were centered around this theme, while March was for Dr. Seuss books. This is a prime example of how we try to involve the ideas of all of our students and staff in our social media efforts.

What is your school or district hashtag? How do you promote it?
Our hashtag is #NebraskaWildcatNation, and I had one of my classes design promotional posters advertising all of our social media channels to hang up in the school as well as around town. This was a great way to let our community know where to find us on social media and for students to dabble in branding and marketing. Our staff members also use the hashtag when they post on classroom Facebook pages or individual Twitter accounts, and they are very proud of themselves for doing so!

What advice do you have for other schools using social media?
Try to highlight everyone in your district. The best way to do this is to personally reach out to people who may be reluctant to share, rather than relying simply on emails sent out to a large group. Often when you ask everybody at the same time, you reach nobody.

For instance, our staff features had been primarily about classroom teachers, but that did not paint the full picture of our district. I reached out individually to cooks, paraprofessionals, and bus and van drivers, and was able to feature them on our social media as well. Asking people one-on-one will make them much more likely to share!

How has #SocialSchool4EDU helped your school tell your story through social media?
Prior to teaming up with #SS4EDU, we already had a decent following, but we weren’t showcasing all of the amazing things going on at SPS. #SocialSchool4#EDU helped us to broaden our message, reach even more people, and give a well-rounded impression of all of our students and staff.

Thanks so much to Sara for answering these questions – hopefully, you are motivated to implement some of her unique tips in your own district!

A guest post from Hannah Feller, our youngest account manager! She is currently completing the BA program in English Literature and Linguistics at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. She is thrilled to be able to apply the theory she works with at university to social media for schools.