From Instagram to Twitter, social media has a powerful way of connecting users from around the world. But how can you start using social media platforms to tell your school’s story in local and global ways? As you think about all of the wonderful things happening at your school this year, you have stories, images and quotes to share from every corner of your building.
Earlier this year I hosted a webinar on sharing your school stories. It included a shout out to one of my favorite branding tools as well as tips for getting started. If you missed this webinar, check out my Events Page to learn about a few more things on the calendar (including live and virtual events). Here are the ten tips from the webinar, so you can start thinking about how to get started telling your school’s story.
Using Social Media
Clear branding
We can often recognize a logo, color, or font of a favorite brand from far away – whether we’re driving down the road or walking down a busy street. Use your school colors and fonts consistently across all social media platforms. Not sure what the HTML color codes are for your school colors? Use this tool to upload an image and find out. I use this mobile app and website for my social media images because it lets me add my logo too.
Prioritize platforms
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter… where should you start? If you’re starting from scratch or committed to using new platforms more strategically, choose one place to get started. I’ve been using Facebook and Twitter for a long time and only started using Instagram this year. I always saw the value in Instagram but didn’t have the time to invest in it until more recently.
Share student work
You may have heard me use the phrase “give eyes to the exit slip” which is my way of saying – celebrate all sorts of student work. If you’re not sure what to snap, tweet or post on social media, use these platforms to share student work from small everyday moments. Make sure to have permission granted by families before sharing student work publicly.
Capture quotes
Your students, teachers and community members all have important things to say. Maybe there is a quote from a student about something new they learned or a quote from a family member after a school assembly, capture these quotes and share them on social media. This is a great way to amplify voices and celebrate the great work happening at your school.
Plan ahead
The idea of “keeping up” with social media is one reason some people decide not to get started in the first place. Instead, create a schedule of a few things you want to share over the course of the week. You might also try out a scheduling tool like Buffer to make sure your account is sharing content regularly.
Prepare for “in the moment”
If there is a special event on your schedule, make a plan for sharing it! You might have a point person during events who is in charge of posting. It may also be helpful to brainstorm a list of what to “look for” during an event so you can be sure to capture every special moment.
Use video recordings
Instead of just snapping pictures during the event try capturing video too. Filming a few short clips will give you a few options of what to share. You can review the clips after the event and share them over the course of the following week.
Try out a live feed
Live video is becoming increasingly popular, and it may be something you decide to use at a special event. I’ve used Instagram Live and Facebook Live to share stories and interviews from different events in the past. Preparing for a live feed might include practicing your introduction or jotting down a few things you don’t want to forget to say.
Filter images
Want to make your pictures stand out? Try using a mobile app like Snapseed. It’s perfect for moments where you want to crop an image from a classroom visit or make the colors of a picture pop.
Share snapped stories
Instagram and Snapchat let users take images and add them to a “story” feed. This means you can snap multiple pictures in a short amount of time to spotlight a special event. Instead of writing a dozen Facebook posts during a school fundraiser or recording a live video, you can snap a bunch of pictures for people who want a more detailed idea of what’s happening.
As you get ready to tell your school’s story? Use these tips to help share the great work happening at your school with the world! Have another suggestion to add to the list? Share in the comments below!
