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When used properly, social media can be a powerful tool to help schools increase applications and engagement. Here are ten ways that schools can utilise social media to help increase engagement:
Create Engaging Content: Develop a content strategy that includes a mix of visuals, videos, blog posts, and infographics that highlight the school's strengths, achievements, programs, and school life. Engaging content can attract prospective students and their parents.
Virtual Campus Tours: Conduct virtual campus tours using platforms like Instagram Live, Facebook Live, or even pre-recorded videos. This allows prospective students to explore the campus and facilities from the comfort of their homes.
Student Takeovers: Allow current students to take over the school's social media accounts for a day or week. They can provide an authentic perspective on student life, classes, events, and more, which can resonate with potential applicants.
Alumni Success Stories: Showcase the achievements of your school's alumni through posts, videos, and interviews. Highlighting successful graduates can emphasize the value of the education provided and encourage prospective students to apply.
Interactive Q&A Sessions: Host live Q&A sessions on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or Reddit. Answer questions from prospective students and parents about admissions, programs, scholarships, and school life.
Hashtag Campaigns: Create and promote unique hashtags related to your school's application process or campus life. Encourage students, alumni, and staff to use these hashtags, increasing visibility and engagement.
Influencer Collaborations: Collaborate with social media influencers who align with your school's values and target audience. Influencers can help showcase your school to their followers in an authentic and relatable manner.
Scholarship Announcements: Use social media to announce scholarship opportunities and deadlines. Sharing success stories of previous scholarship recipients can motivate potential applicants to strive for excellence.
Behind-the-Scenes Content: Offer a behind-the-scenes look at faculty, departments, and campus facilities. This provides an inside view of the school's environment and can pique the interest of applicants.
Engage with User-Generated Content: Encourage current students, alumni, and parents to share their own experiences, memories, and stories related to the school using a specific hashtag. Reposting and engaging with user-generated content can foster a sense of community and authenticity.
Remember that each social media platform has its own strengths and audience, so tailor your content and strategies accordingly. Regular posting, consistent branding, and meaningful engagement with followers are key to building a strong online presence that can attract more applicants to your school.
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Company Ten helps schools all across the United Kingdom do marketing better. From video production and photography to social media management and training, and a lot of things in between - we are specialists in helping schools use ‘digital’ to their advantage. We’re not just flogging our services either, we actually want to help! So that’s why we offer free monthly training in digital marketing - to help you and your school improve and do better. We want you to be able to utilise everything that the world of marketing in education has to offer.
10 Tips for schools social media. (6 minute read)
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