It’s really a great thing that you’re planning to promote your school or educational institute through social media in 2024. Promoting a school on social media can be an effective way to reach a wider audience and engage with current and prospective students, parents, and the community.
Remember, building a successful social media presence takes time and consistent effort. Be patient, adapt to the preferences of your audience, and continuously refine your strategy based on feedback and analytics.
Let’s get started.
Why is it important to grow a school business on social media?
The ever-changing world of technology and human communications has given birth to a universal phenomenon, and social media platforms have emerged as the largest online forum of interactive community spaces. According to global surveys conducted in 2020, approximately 3.8 billion people worldwide use at least one social media platform on a regular basis.
So, if you are still not engaging your institution on Social Media Platforms, you are simply passing up a lot of opportunities.
Knowing that social media is an important part of inbound marketing, leveraging social platforms for schools is not only beneficial, but also required. From attracting potential students to having effective interactions with parents and students, social media marketing can upgrade and improve your school’s digital reputation.
Here are the reasons why growing a school business on social media is important-
1. CREATE A BRAND FOR YOUR SCHOOL
Social media platforms are the most effective way to create and grow a brand name for your school in the online community. Social media platforms can assist you in marketing various aspects of your school, ranging from values and principles to special events.
2. BRAND AWARENESS
After successfully developing a brand image for yourself on social media platforms, you can market the image and brand value of your school on the same platforms. Your demographic and enrollment numbers, in particular, can be a huge motivator for many of your social media audience and attract online traffic to your school after seeing a solid image on social media.
3. PARENT ENGAGEMENT
By maintaining an active social media presence, you can not only engage with the online community but also maintain better communication with your students and their guardians. In contrast to traditional and often time-consuming methods of communication with parents such as emails and newsletters, social media platforms provide the ideal means of keeping parents up to date on all the latest news and events at your school.
4. ATTRACT QUALITY EDUCATORS
Social media marketing can be a boon to the visibility and outreach of your brand. It can not only attract potential student enrollments, but also top educators who may want to join your school faculty after learning about your prospects. This can not only add quality to your teaching staff, but it can also be a great brand attribute to have good and well-known educators join your institution.
5. INCREASE YOUR REACH TO REMOTE-LEARNING AND ONLINE COURSES
If your educational institution also offers courses for remote learning and online studies, you can market these through social media platforms and generate leads to attract students who may be interested in such courses.
Here’s how to promote your School on Social Media in India
1. Build community with organic posting
What exactly are organic social media examples? Every brand that wants to kickstart its digital communications strategy must use social media. It is the core pillar around which everything else can be erected.
Expected monthly user base for each platform:
Facebook has 2.7 billion users.
Instagram has 1.6 billion users.
2 billion views on YouTube
Twitter has 353 million users.
That’s a large group!
With such a wide audience appealing, marketers are constantly looking for ways to harness those platforms to strengthen consumer interactions.
Naturally, the platforms are well aware of this. They are, after all, companies, and advertising is their principal source of revenue. This means that you must “pay to play” if you want to reach your target audience.
Building a community through organic posting takes time and effort, but it can lead to loyal and engaged followers who actively participate and advocate for your school. Remember to listen to your community, be responsive, and foster a supportive and inclusive environment.
There are new social media platforms appearing everywhere we turn. Many have remained in our daily lives while others live and die. Even though it is among the oldest in the industry, Facebook still has more users than any other social network at the moment.
The channel can assist your school or district in reaching both current and potential families at every stage of your funnel from an inbound marketing perspective. In the end, applying general best practices and maintaining a regular posting schedule have produced successful outcomes.
With frequent Facebook posts, beautiful images, and regular links back to news articles from their website, M.L. Khanna DAV Public School, Dwarka, Delhi just gets it right. They are all over social media, so check them out!
Brahmavid the Global School is doing a lot of things on their Facebook page correctly. Look at all of those likes! They have also begun to use social media to share plans, campaigns, and so on. Providing a child-centered education that is integrated with life and prepares students for challenges
Choose a primary channel
Determine which social media channels are most popular with your target demographic in India. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn are popular in India, but you should also explore WhatsApp and TikTok.
Plan Content Calendar
Develop a content plan that aligns with your goals and resonates with your target audience. This can include a mix of engaging posts, informative videos, testimonials, and interactive content. Plan for a variety of content formats to keep your audience engaged.
Focus on Content that are visually engaging and behind-the-scene videos
Visual content tends to be more engaging and shareable. Incorporate appealing images, videos, infographics, and graphics in your posts to capture attention and convey your message effectively.
Take your audience behind the scenes of your school. Share glimpses of classroom activities, events, sports practices, and other interesting aspects of school life. This gives your community a sense of authenticity and fosters a stronger connection with your school.
One such school example is Billabong High International School is renowned for its commitment to providing quality education to students, fostering their holistic development, and preparing them for success in a globalized world. The school has effectively utilized visually engaging content on social media platforms to enhance their online presence and attract a wider audience.
Recognizing the power of visual storytelling and its ability to capture attention, Billabong High International School has leveraged various forms of media, such as images, videos, and graphics, to create an immersive experience for their social media followers. By incorporating visually appealing content into their posts, they have successfully managed to communicate their brand values, educational philosophy, and exciting activities taking place within the school.
2. Start Using Social posting and monitoring tools
There are several social posting and monitoring tools available that can help you streamline your social media management and effectively monitor your school’s online presence.
Here are top reasons to use them:
- Efficient content management
- Streamlined analytics
- Automation and scheduling
- Social listening and monitoring
- Audience targeting and segmentation
3.Reaching new audiences with paid ads
Reaching new audiences with paid ads can be an effective strategy to expand your school’s reach and attract prospective parents who may not be familiar with your institution.
Before launching paid ads, clearly define the new audience segments you want to reach. Consider demographic factors such as age, location, income level, and education level, as well as psychographic factors like interests, values, and parenting styles. This will help you tailor your ads and messaging to resonate with the specific needs and preferences of your target audience.
Choose the advertising platforms that align with your target audience’s behavior and preferences. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google Ads, LinkedIn, and YouTube offer robust targeting options and reach a wide range of users.
Continuously monitor the performance of your paid ad campaigns. Continuously analyze the performance of your campaigns and make data-driven optimizations.
Set a realistic budget for your paid advertising campaigns and allocate funds based on your objectives and expected returns.
Run Seasonal ads when parents think about school admissions
Running seasonal ads during the times when parents are actively thinking about school admissions can be an effective strategy to capture their attention and generate interest in your private school. Run ads during key transition periods, such as the end of the school year or when students are about to move to a new grade level or educational stage. Highlight how your school can support smooth transitions, academic readiness, and social-emotional development during these critical periods.
Many parents use the summer months to research and plan for the next school year. Run ads during this time, focusing on your school’s summer programs, camps, or summer school offerings. Highlight the benefits of keeping children engaged academically and socially during the summer break.Identify local events in your community that attract parents, such as education fairs, community gatherings, or parenting expos. Utilize targeted ad platforms like Facebook Ads or Google Ads to reach parents in your local area or within your desired demographic parameters.
Create conversion-friendly landing pages to showcase your school community
Creating conversion-friendly landing pages is crucial for showcasing your school community and capturing the interest of prospective parents. Here are some key elements to consider
- Clear and Compelling Headline
- Engaging Visuals
- Testimonials and Success Stories
- Virtual Tours or Interactive Features
4. Share Success Stories of Alumni
Share success stories and achievements of your students, alumni, and faculty members. Highlight their accomplishments and recognize their contributions to the school. This not only motivates your current community but also attracts prospective students and parents.
5. Find Unique ways to Engage With Your Followers
Engaging with your followers on social media is essential for building a strong online community and fostering meaningful connections.
Conduct Q&A Sessions:
Host live Q&A sessions on platforms like Instagram or Facebook where followers can ask questions about your school, programs, admissions process, or any other relevant topics
Virtual Campus Tours:
Conduct virtual tours of your school campus, facilities, and classrooms through platforms like Facebook Live or YouTube. Allow followers to explore different areas of the campus.
Alumni Spotlights:
Feature success stories of your school’s alumni on social media. Highlight their achievements, career paths, and how their education at your school has impacted their lives.
User-Generated Content Contests:
Encourage followers to share their experiences, artwork, or creative content related to your school through contests.
Share Fun Facts and Trivia:
Share interesting facts, trivia, or historical information about your school, faculty, or campus. This helps followers feel more connected to the school’s heritage and fosters a sense of pride and community.
6. Show Parents How Your School can Build the future of their Children
Schools are an important part of our children’s lives. Children are regarded as the future, and their development is critical to the advancement of society. As we all know, school plays many roles in a child’s life.The role of school in the lives of children is multifaceted, ranging from practically transforming their personality traits to morally grooming them.
To demonstrate to parents how your school can help shape their children’s future, you must effectively communicate the unique qualities, values, and opportunities that your school provides.
1. Highlight academic achievement:
Showcase your school’s academic achievements, such as high test scores, college acceptance rates, and student awards.
2. Set emphasis on a well-rounded education:
Show how your school provides a well-rounded education that goes beyond academics.
3. Showcase innovative teaching methods:
Demonstrate how your school embraces innovative and modern teaching approaches that prepare students for the future.
4. Promote a nurturing and inclusive environment:
Highlight your school’s supportive and inclusive community.
5. Provide opportunities for parent involvement:
Highlight the various ways parents can actively participate in their child’s education, such as parent-teacher associations, volunteering opportunities, or family engagement events.
How long does it take to organically build my school’s social media authority?
The number of people who have seen your content on social media through organic distribution, or without you allocating money to target a particular audience, is known as organic reach. Not much has changed in terms of organic reach over the past few years.
Gaining organic social media reach can be very challenging. There is a very high level of competition between brands and businesses across social media platforms.The time it takes to organically build your school’s social media authority can vary depending on several factors, including your existing social media presence, the content quality, the size and engagement of your target audience, and the consistency, ofcourse.
It is no secret that the majority of social media platforms use a pay-to-play business model for brands. Increasing your advertising budget is the simplest way to increase distribution and direct sales.Because of this, companies frequently undervalue the significance of organic marketing.
Why Choose a reliable Marketing agency to grow a school business on social media?
It’s crucial for schools to partner with a reliable marketing agency to effectively utilize social media for marketing purposes.
Their expertise, strategic planning, content creation and management, effective advertising campaigns, and analytics capabilities can significantly enhance your school’s online presence, engagement with your target audience, and ultimately, drive growth and success in today’s digital landscape.
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