The global world is now interconnected. That is a great step forward for boarding schools. The secretiveness is gone and replaced with an open field in which a school can effectively market itself. One of the most effective tools is social media, and beyond that, Facebook. Why Facebook in particular? It is a social media site that people know and trust, especially the generation of parents who are looking to put their children in the best boarding school. Facebook has a familiarity to it that is highly marketable.
Boarding schools, when approaching online marketing, may utilize a Facebook page. Before doing so, it is recommended to receive the consent of the students’ parents, so their images can be used online. Oftentimes, students are shown in the midst of activities such as a sporting event or charity drive. These images are harmless to the students and parents, yet display the character and values of the school. For example, if the school is faith-based, a Facebook page is a good way to show how important faith is to the school’s community. Photos and video may include religious services, Bible quotes, etc. Photos and video are crucial for any boarding school Facebook page, because nowadays, attention spans are short. A quick glimpse of a photo or 10- second video gives the user a quick experience that encapsulates everything.
Posting regularly and daily is a huge benefit. The same time everyday can give users a sense of expectancy. Another idea is to study how schools in a similar caliber promote themselves on Facebook. What do they post, who follows them, and what are they doing to impress the user? A factor in posting is also organization. If things are laid out for the user in an organized manner, the Facebook page will be easier to follow.
An administrator or public relations or marketing employee of the school should be responsible for posting. This way the correct message is sent to users and across the globe to potential parents and students. The message should reflect the image, values and character of the school. For instance, if the school focuses on environmental concerns, the posts should be about green activities and projects the students are doing. If an exciting announcement happens in real time, post it immediately for the newsworthy effect. For example, if a student wins an environmental competition, posting about it shows the school’s character and strength.
Hashtags are crucial. A hashtag is a link that consists of keywords, a keyword or a short phrase. The hashtag sign (#) precedes them. For example, if the school is named: Sunny Environmental Prep, a hashtag can be created like so: #sunnyenvironmentalprep. It would be used in each post. To gain a wider audience, more generic hashtags can be used to accompany a post, such as #gogreen or #savetheenvironment.
At Qthinker.com, we can help you create and/or increase your Facebook presence and marketing efforts online. We’ve had years of expertise in managing Facebook and other social media for private schools. If you’d like to improve your boarding school’s visibility, please contact us at 617-816-2969 or use our contact form.