Making Social Media Work for Your School

The way we use social media in the private K-12 school setting is a bit different from the way social media is used by businesses. Businesses are looking to develop a client list from their social media efforts. They need clients in order to sell them their products and services. Private schools, on the other hand, seek to promote their community to attract new families and students. Let's look at some more differences and also some strategies and techniques that will help make your school's social media program successful.

Dedicate resources to social media.

My first bit of advice is simple but really quite necessary: devote some resources to your social media program. Your school's website used to be the only front door your school had. It was the first thing people saw. Now it is the first thing parents or anybody over the age of 40 will see. Facebook and YouTube are your new front doors for folks under the age of 30.

This video gives you a comprehensive overview of social media and what it can do for your school.

You have never been casual about creating your catalog, have you? Remember catalogs? Your catalog and other printed materials you give prospective families are always professionally produced, aren't they? They also cost a fortune, don't they? Your social media deserves the same professional approach. Therefore, allocate staff time and money in your operating

A private school handbook is essentially a set of guidelines for life in the school community. The reason why I am devoting an entire article here on Private School Review is to underscore the importance of handbooks. Both you and your child need to understand that the school's handbook is linked to the contract which you signed with the school. Private schools are not like public schools in this very important regard: students have rights in a public school; but they do not have rights in a private school. They are governed by what is known as contract law. That contract which you signed with the school spells out all the obligations of the parties to that contract. Somewhere buried in the fine print will be a statement to the effect that one of your child's obligations is to abide by the rules and regulations of the school and its community as set forth in the school's handbook and elsewhere.

Most handbooks are comprehensive, very detailed documents which seek to cover every conceivable aspect of school life. They are generally rather lengthy documents too as you will see when you review the examples listed at the end of this article. Take time to review your school's handbook. Discuss and confirm that your child understands the seriousness of this document. While the school will explain the content of its handbook at the beginning of school, assume nothing. Make sure that she understands that failure to abide by the terms

In Why Should I Admit Your Child? I looked at the admissions process from the school's perspective. We discovered that schools were looking for specific criteria in their applicant pool. They wanted to make sure that any student they admitted was capable of doing the academic work. They also wanted to make sure that applicants would be a good fit for the school.

Now let's turn the tables and look at the question from a parent's point of view. There are many specific reasons why you would want to send your child to a particular school. You also want to make sure that the school is a good fit for your child. Let's examine the principal items on your school selection bucket list.

The school offers the amount of financial aid I require.

For most of us, financial aid is at the top of the list. It is a top concern when it comes to selecting a private school. Whether you need everything paid for or just a bit of help to make attending private school viable for you and your family, you need to calculate the amount of aid you need. Then be very clear with the schools which you have on your shortlist precisely what your financial requirements are.

Completing the Parents' Financial Statement as soon as you can before the end of a calendar year will help immensely. That data is sent to only the schools which you select. Each school then

In this overview of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for private schools, we take a look at what your readers see each time they visit your website. SEO for Private Schools - Part 1 explained some of the elements of SEO which have to happen behind the curtain. Now we are focused on the exterior or what your readers see and experience.

Message

What is your message? If you don't have a message, then how can your readers determine whether your school is a good fit for them and their requirements? I hear you saying, "Parents have to visit our school to truly understand what it is we do." That's true, but in this age of instant answers, parents make snap decisions based on their perceptions and first impressions.

So, right there on your first page, or Splash Page, as it is called, you need to make sure your message appears. Let me give you an example: A reader will first see the Title Bar at the top left of his browser. That's one place where what you do behind the curtain with meta tags is actually visible to your reader. Take a look at Andover's website to see how this works. As soon as the page comes up, the title in the top left corner identifies Andover as an independent boarding school. If that's not the kind of school you are looking for, you will know at a glance.

The next thing which puts your message front and center