3 Simple Twitter Reminders for the New Year

Can you believe that 2016 is upon us?

What have you done to make 2016 a great year? Do you have a plan to be a better professional? Do you have a plan to be a better School PR Professional?

Here are three quick Twitter tips to make your 2016 tweets shine:

1. Share Great Content Using #SchoolPR

There is great power in a hashtag. The #SchoolPR hashtag is an awesome resource to find tips to take your school PR and school marketing to the next level. I am sure you are doing great things in your district. Why not help a colleague and share some of your successes using #SchoolPR. Let's build a top notch learning community.

2. Retweet Great Content

What you share on Twitter does not have to be your own content. Did you see something great tweeted by a friend or colleague? Why not share it? Retweeting is a great way to spread great content. Liking a Tweet is nice, and great for archival purposes, but retweeting is key. Spread the awesomeness of great content.

3. Follow Follow Follow

Make one of your New Year's Resolutions to follow 10 #SchoolPr Colleagues. There is some great things being shared by your colleagues. Probably some great stuff you have never considered to implement in your district.  Make a pledge to follow, and when you read something great, share it to the world. 

Do you other Twitter tips for the new school year? Share them in the comment section below. 

Become a School Marketing Master During the Holiday Break: 15 Educational Videos

I know, I know... You are worn out from a busy first semester. All you want to do is take the next two weeks to hibernate in an eggnog induced coma. I don't blame you.

However, we all know about three days in we are going to start getting bored. And what better way to break the holiday rut by bettering ourselves through video?

In this post I have included 15 videos; two weeks of content that will help you become a better school marketer.

15 Videos to Make You a Better Marketer

Day 1: December 21 - Storytelling with Gary Vaynerchuk
[Warning: Adult Language]



Day 2: December 22 - Andrew Stanton from Pixar Discusses Storytelling
[Warning: Adult Language]



Day 3: December 23 - Creativity with Monty Python's John Cleese



Day 4: December 24 - The Social Media Revolution



Day 5: December 25 - How to Amplify Your Social Media



Day 6: December 26 - Getting Started with Google Analytics



Day 7: December 27 - Filter Your District's IP Address in Google Analytics 



Day 8: December 28 - The History of Content Marketing



Day 9: December 29 - Into to Content Marketing w/ Buzz Feed



Day 10: December 30 - Coca Cola's Content Vision Part 1



Day 11: December 31 - Coca Cola's Content Vision Part 2


Bonus Videos for the New Year

1. Video Tips
2. How Search Works: SEO
3. What is a Landing Page
4. Inbound Marketing from HubSpot

Tis the Season of Giving: Bring the Joy of Content Marketing to Your District

Does your district have a giving attitude going into the holiday season?

Do you want to tap into the exciting world of content marketing?

Using content marketing to form a trusting relationship with your target audience is a powerful way to motivate your students, parents, staff and community to engage with your schools and school district.

In this article you will discover ways you can create a more giving marketing approach using useful, engaging content.

 

Your Blog is Your Foundation

In the book Born to Blog, authors Mark W. Schaefer and Stanford A. Smith present that blogs help attract a loyal following and generate new, engaging customers.

A blog should be the cornerstone of your content marketing strategy. Born to Blog states that blogs are the content engine that’s driving the social web and businesses digital marketing initiative (p. 1).

Your blog must provide useful information that educates and helps your readers.  Blogs are not a platform to brag that your football team won the district championship.  A blog should be your way to give useful, sought after information to your audience. 

For example, instead of writing about football awards, write an educational article about concussion in football. This type of useful information is what your audience is craving.

Schaefer and Smith offer six common traits of successful bloggers:

1. Find Your Voice – clarifying your niche makes your focus clear

2. Tenacity – don’t give up. It takes time to find your voice.

3. Focus on Passions – your words will be full of energy if you write about what you love.

4. Flexibility – be willing to change to find your voice

5. Consistency – your reader needs to be looking forward to hearing from you.

6. Courage – put yourself out there. Write and hit publish.

Video Killed the Print Guy

Video has always been a powerful platform.  YouTube revolutionized how people consume and interact with information.  Facebook recently allowed their users to upload video directly on their platform, which is one the best ways to get your content in front of viewers, and produces very high engagement returns.  And now with Periscope and Blab, it is time for your district to get serious about their video strategy.

And speaking of strategy, different videos are needed as your customers work their way through your marketing funnel. In Gary Lipkowitz’s article, Plain Talk About Video for Marketing Executives, he walks marketing professionals through video marketing uses relevant to content marketing.

Here are Lipkowitz’s thoughts for each part of the sales funnel:

1. Top of Funnel – advertising (not exactly content marketing) drives your audience to your content.  Posting videos on Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube gives you the “fuel” to drive your viewers to the next step in the sales funnel, which might be blog content or a specific landing page offering premium content.

2. Mid Funnel – educational content is what content marketing is all about.  This should be your sweet spot to win-over your customers. Lipkowitz suggests posting your videos on your blog, your landing pages and inside your email marketing.  If you are educating with your videos, your audience won’t think you are invading their space and trying to sell. They will look forward to your videos instead of hiding from your sale’s pitches.

3. Bottom of the Funnel – Lipkowitz states that when your customers or your community reach this part of the sales funnel they are very interested in the “who” rather than the “what” or the “how”.  When two competitors are close on quality, trust can be a big deciding factor on which company or school district they choose. Video is an excellent medium to brag about the “who”.

4. PR and Communications – Lipkowitz’s last category has to do with communicating and moving your customers quicker through the sales process.  Sometimes you have to remind your audience to take action.  Great video does a excellent job moving your customers to action.

What Other Content Might Look Like

Your district or company needs to find the right mix of content to appeal to your different audiences and where they might be in the sales cycle.  Finding the right mix is key to developing the perfect content marketing strategy.

Here are five examples of other content you might consider:

1. Online Newsletters – sprinkle in blog posts with links to drive engagement

2. Webinars – hosting an educational, online town hall is a great way to educate the public

3. eBooks – we take all of our blog content and create monthly online magazines. This is the “Netflix Binge Blogging Approach”.

4. Infographics – tell your stats in a visual, creative way.

5. Microsites – important programs need their own website and content.

The Magic that Helps Us Convert

One of the best investments we have made in the last couple months in regard to our content marketing strategy is purchasing a plan through Lead Pages.  They are a landing page management system with engaging templates to create quality landing pages.

By having a centralized online location to offer premium content, we are able to build valuable email lists.  Our emails lists give us the power to send targeted messages to groups who are interested in certain topics and programs.  By having someone sign-up to get valuable content, they give us permission to send other content and invite them to events.

Two Ways We Have Used Landing Pages This Past Month

1. Gifted and Talented Parent Tour 

By using a landing page, we were able to target specific parents who might be interested in our specialized program.  Through the landing page, parents signed up to attend a tour of our program while giving us their email address for further correspondence.

We were able to follow-up with these parents sending them educational content as well as inviting them to other events to push them along the sales funnel in hopes of joining our district.

2. Build Our Newsletter List

Lead magnets can be a very powerful tool to convince parents to engage with our content.  To collect more email addresses from our parents and the community, we offered the first three issues of our blog magazine if they provided us an email address. The key was to offer them something of value in exchange for their email address.

Conclusion

Content marketing is not easy.  If it were, more people would be doing it.  If you make the commitment and work hard, content marketing provides a great return on your investment.

Even if you don’t have time to implement all of these suggestions, focusing on one or two will help improve your marketing.  As you get more comfortable you can grow your content marketing strategic plan.

What do you think? Have you tried content marketing? What were the results? What tips do you have to share? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

How to Create an Interactive Tweet that will Drive Engagement for Your Company

Have you ever noticed when you post a picture on Twitter that parts might be cut off in the in-stream preview in your timeline?  This can be a curse or it can be your golden ticket to create interactive tweets that create huge audience engagement.

In today’s post, I will walk you through the steps to create your own interactive tweet on Twitter.

Step 1: Develop an Engaging Question

Before you begin to create our images for your interactive tweet, you must create an engaging question that will cause your audience to want to click on your images and play the guessing game.

Do you have a theme or an area you are trying to highlight in your company or your school district? Interactive tweets are great way to communicate your message. 

In our district, we have been developing content that debunk myths about public schools. One area of concern in our state is that graduation rates are dropping for public schools in Texas. So for are interactive tweet, we asked the simple question: Do you know the graduation rate for high schoolers in the Carrollton- Farmers Branch School District.

After we developed our question, the answers were equally important.  And for the interactive tweet to work, we needed four answer choices for our audience to choose from. We choose a low graduation rate, the national graduation rate, the State of Texas graduation rate, and then our last answer choice was the graduation rate for CFBISD, which happens to be the highest.

Step 2: Creating Your Images

**Disclaimer – I use Photoshop, but there are free programs that can achieve these steps

Guessing at what Twitter’s in-stream preview dimensions are not going to work for creating an interactive tweet. Instead of playing a guessing game, you need to remember that Twitter’s in-stream preview always has a 2:1 ratio. Which means that any horizontal image will be cut-off at the top and bottom (Social Media Examiner)

Knowing this 2:1 ratio, you can calculate exactly where Twitter is going to cut your image, which makes creating a interactive tweet much easier.

Social Media Examiner has a wonderful article on creating the perfect image for your tweets. Their article is what I followed to create my answer choices for my interactive tweet.  The article can be found here:

How to Make Twitter In-Stream Images Stand Out

Here are Social Media Examiner’s instructions from that article on how to create the perfect image:

Before you start, find out the dimensions of the image you’re working with, and then find the center of the image.

The full image, divided horizontally and vertically.

Divide the width of your image in half to find the 2:1 ratio and the number of vertical pixels you have to work with.

For example, if the original dimensions of the above image were 2048×1536, the dimensions of the in-stream preview would be 2048×1024. That gives you the number of vertical pixels (1024) and the 2:1 ratio that Twitter will shrink down to 440×220.

Now divide the in-stream preview height in half. Using the same example as above, you would divide 1024 in half to get 612.

From the horizontal line in the center of your image (the Y axis), move up that number of pixels (e.g., 612) on the Y-axis and draw another horizontal line. Do the same thing again, but moving down the Y-axis from the center of the image.

Boom! Everything inside that blue box is the in-stream preview. The blue box aligns with Twitter’s 2:1 template and is centered vertically to keep the best part of your picture visible.

Here are the dimensions I choose for my answer choices:

When you are creating your answer choice images, you must think to yourself what do you want to be shown to your audience (their guesses) and what do you want o reveal to them when they click on an answer choice.

For my images, I put the percentage (my answer choice) in the in-stream preview, and then above and below the preview I let them know if they were correct, and then gave them a hint if they were wrong.

You can see from the dimensions we spoke of earlier in the article that the “93%” will be visible in the in-stream preview, and everything else above and below the blue lines will on be visible when the reader clicks on the image.  In this case, “Incorrect. That was last year’s number” and “try again” were only visible when someone clicked the image.

Step 3: Construct Your Actual Tweet

Once you have your four images created, it is time to construct the tweet you are going to post to your timeline.  And with Twitter introducing the option to post four images in your tweet instead of just one last year, creates the perfect scenario to create your interactive tweets.

The first step is to type your question you created which will be the foundation for your interactive tweet.  Try not to make this too long. Remember that Twitter only allows 140 characters and your four images will use 25 of those characters.

My question was short and sweet:

"Do you know the graduation rate in CFBISD in 2015? Click the correct number. #cfbisd"

Make sure to include a hashtag to classify your tweet and maybe a link so your audience can get more information about your topic.

Next you need to attach your four pictures to your tweets.  Examine the order when you attach pictures.  It might be important for you to have your answer choices in a certain order. 

Once you feel comfortable with your Tweet it is ready to post. Don’t worry about what it looks like before you post.  Some apps or Twitter publishing programs will make it look like too much of you image will be revealed to your audience, but if you followed the above dimensions, it should look great once it is published.

I wrote a post on creating the perfect Twitter post that you might find useful during this step which can be found here:

5 Very, Very, Very Simple Tips to Build a Tweet

We saw awesome results in audience engagement with our interactive tweets.  Hopefully you will see that same type of engagement with your audience.

If you have any questions, or would like to share your own interactive tweet, leave me a message in the comment section below.

My Top 3 School PR Posts of Last Month

The following posts have performed very well during the months of September and October. Thanks to all of my readers. Let me know if there are other topics you would like to see on this blog.

7 Awesome Ideas to Kick Your District Instagram Account into High Gear

I provide seven tips to help stimulate your school district's Instagram account. Instagram is a great social media platform to reach your student population and younger parents.

3 Things Every District Should Be Doing on Social Media

Social media can be overwhelming, but there are certain things every district should be doing to be successful. Not only should you post... and post with visuals, but you should take these three extra steps to help promote your district and your schools.
 
The Year of Useful Content: 3 Ideas to Spark a Content Marketing Revolution

The content Marketing Institute defines Content Marketing as:

“Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”

 

Thanks for reading... Let me know how I can help...

 

7 Awesome Ideas to Kick Your District Instagram Account into High Gear

1. Back Stage Pass

Do you have a big, awesome event each year? Why not show off all the hard work it takes to get this event ready for the big day. 

People love to see stuff they are not supposed to see. We all crave that backstage pass to the New Kids on the Block, right? I am sure your fans would go equally as crazy to see volunteers and your staff putting the extra effort to make you event a success.

Not only will parents and students share pics of their favorite teacher, but also people love to share pics of they take. What an excellent way to get engagement on your Instagram account.

2. Construction Progress

Are you building a new school or putting an addition on one of your campuses?  Let the public know of its progress through Instagram.  They did pay for.

A "Construction Picture a Day" on Instagram informs the public of their investment.  Cool pics of architecture and the building functionality will help your community get behind your construction.

For even more engagement, get your campus or district leaders to pose in the pictures with their hard hats on.  Get creative, and show-off your new learning facilities.

3. Fine Arts Gallery Showing

This is one of my favorites. Not everyone can get to all of your events, and there are many talented, young artists in your district. Why not display their talents using a digital online Instagram art gallery.

Post a piece of artwork a day for the biggest bang for your buck. Tag your posts with engaging hashtags and link the picture back to your fine arts website.   On the fine arts website, you can have the whole gallery for your community to view.

4. Instant Replay of Football Game

This is might take two people to make this work.  During a football game take action shots of exciting plays or crowd interaction.  Have the second person make notes of each shot so you can put them in chronological order on your Instagram account.

When the game is over, post the pics in order of when they happened and call them "Instant Replay on Instagram". It’s a great way to recap your Friday night football games for the community and fans that missed the game.

Don’t forget to take pictures of the band, cheerleaders and drill team.  They are an important part of the game as well.

5. Alumni Hall of Fame

The community wants to know their investment (tax dollars) is paying off. Instagram is an excellent tool to post pictures of how your alumni are impacting the community and making a difference in the world.

Do you have doctors who fight cancer? Do you have heroes in the armed forces? Do you have business people making a difference? Do you have alumni who are teaching in your district? Show them off to the world.

6. Attendance Zone Shots

This is a cool idea I thought of to inform parents and the community in your district where their neighborhood schools are located.

Gather your school mascots and have them take pictures all across the district in neighborhoods and in front of local business and city landmarks. In the pictures you take, have the mascots hold a sign that lists the schools students would attend if they lived in the area where the picture takes place.

This is an awesome way to make your community aware, but also shows off the beautiful areas of your city.  Now city Instagram accounts will share your pictures for higher engagement.

7. Fan Submitted Images

Now last, and certainly not least, you must showcase user submitted photos. I would even setup a separate Instagram account to showcase these pics.

Fans are more likely to share their own pictures.  They want to show off they were featured and it was their own shot.  You can even have a contest for the best user submitted picture of the week or month.  Have some fun with this campaign. You could have themes of the week to help get certain type of content on your account.

Always make sure you get permission to use the pic.

Do you have any other awesome Instagram ideas? Leave them in the comment section below.

Meet Jennifer DiBella - School PR Pro

1. How did you get your start in education and School PR?

My background is in journalism. Several years ago I put my skills to use online using social media as a platform and began working as a consultant/marketing strategist for individuals, companies, and organizations that needed social media training and assistance with managing their social accounts and brand online. I was recruited to volunteer at my children’s school to assist the parent organizations with their online communication. Two years ago, my work experience and volunteer service led to a full time position as the Electronic Communication Specialist at Adlai E Stevenson High School located in Lincolnshire, Illinois. At Stevenson, I work closely with the school Public Information Coordinator to generate valued communication across all e-channels for students, staff, parents, and the greater community.

2. What is your favorite part of the job? 

My favorite part of the job is information sharing and relationship building. Fostering relationships with community members/organizations and being a liaison between the school and my community is what I value most in my role at Stevenson.

3. What piece of advice can you give other School PR pros?

Social media must be a part of your communication mix. Invest in social training. Provide workshops and guidelines to teach your staff and faculty how to navigate the social scene online.

4. What are three things you think will change the landscape of School PR the next five years?

Mobile technology will continue to change the landscape of social communication. If your website isn’t mobile responsive yet, it’s time to update.

Livestream social sharing will become more of the norm. It offers parents and the community a view of your school like never before. It also increases audience reach. The use of Livestream apps like Periscope and NomadCast will be used to share what’s happening at school with parents, families, grandparents and community members that are interested, but unable to attend in person or at that specific time.

Gone are the days of blasting out press releases and hoping traditional media outlets pick up the story. Video communication the future. Just as other forms of communication are changing, so is how new information is released to the public. Look for visual content to become standard.

5. Where can people find out more about you? Twitter? Blog?

For social tips and more, connect with me @JennQBrendan on Twitter. You can also find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JennQBrendan and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennydibella

Meet Kristin Magette - School PR Pro

 

Kristin Magette 

Eudora Public Schools

1. How did you get your start in education and School PR?

 

A product of the long-respected Shawnee Mission (KS) School District, I graduated from Kansas State University's School of Journalism with a degree in public relations in 1999. Before graduating, an internship at the Sprint world headquarters in Kansas City helped me discover that corporate life was not really my thing. Once I had my diploma, I worked in the higher education and non-profit worlds, including two stints with my alma mater. But a relocation across the state in 2006 meant looking for a new job. Married to a fantastic high school science teacher, we chose a new community when he accepted a job teaching anatomy and physiology at Eudora High School. As much as I loved higher ed, I focused on finding the next right thing, without worrying too much about finding the exact right thing. But when an ad ran just a few days later that the school district in little Eudora (population 6,000) was looking for a communications director, I realized that this could well be more than just the next right thing.

In the 9+ years since, I have found school public relations to be my favorite thing and perfect fit. For starters, I've always loved school, and I especially love public education. The person and professional I am today is the product of public education in Kansas, and I want my kids (kindergarten and fourth grade) to have those same opportunities. Being married to a teacher makes my work even more rewarding, despite the challenges that come during salary negotiations and other natural times of conflict. I work even harder to ensure that we meet the needs of our internal audiences because I know first-hand how much it matters.

I never saw myself working in school PR -- like so many others, I had little idea these jobs even existed when I was walking across the stage with a K-State diploma! But now that I'm here, I can't imagine myself this professionally satisfied anywhere else.

2. What is your favorite part of the job?

 

Collaborating to solve problems! So much of what we do is focused around the tactical outputs -- website updates, news releases, special events. I enjoy those types of results, but my favorite moments in this work come when we explore ways we can solve problems and making things better. I am hungry for the chance to collaborate with my superintendent, support our board members and our principals, devise meaningful ways to engage parents and community members, and deliver both student support and employee recognition. These efforts are rooted in strategic thinking, research and planning.

I'd be completely remiss, however, if I leave out my other favorite part of my job, which is equally rewarding: my KanSPRA and NSPRA network of colleagues. To this day, I believe that my school PR colleagues are the smartest, hardest working, funniest and most generous professionals in the business. They are the most welcoming, connected and encouraging colleagues I could wish for, and they keep me going (and laughing!) whenever it feels like the walls are starting to cave in.

3. What piece of advice can you give to other School PR pros?

Be patient. In a system and world that's largely out of our control, it's easy to get discouraged when problems persist, leaders aren't listening, and needed change lags at a snail's pace. If there's one thing I've learned since July 2006 -- through the good, the bad and the (sometimes very) ugly -- it's that time is our ally. 

Certainly, there are critical times that demand responsiveness -- we must be able to act quickly and do our best thinking on our feet. (I can't imagine a great school PR pro who doesn't appreciate a good adrenaline rush every now and then.) But there is so much value in taking the long view because the seeds we plant every day take time to grow. The counseling we provide to leaders may not sink in until weeks, months or even years later. A brand requires time to be understood and accepted. Cultural changes in our school systems demand years to truly replace the status quo. At different times, this dynamic can feel frustrating, unfulfilling and futile. But knowing that we are a driving force behind meaningful, if incremental change -- that's an amazing opportunity we should never pass up.

So how do we get by in the meantime, when we feel stuck? Remember why we're here. It's the kids and the teachers. There are very few things in life that are as joyful and important as the things that happen in our classrooms every single day. Kids are inspiring. Teachers are heroic. Schools are incredible places. And no matter how slow moving the needle might be at any given time, I just feel flat-out lucky to get to do what I do.

4. What are three things you think will change the landscape of School PR in the next five years?

 

A change that immediately come to mind is the wide-reaching effects of the digital world on virtually everything our school systems do, including communication, professional development, teaching and learning, advocacy, stakeholder engagement. We must keep learning, adapting and embracing in order to remain relevant and effective.

Next, the growing diversity of our stakeholders -- our students, their families, our employees and all our other taxpayers -- means growing and changing needs. Like the broad impact of the digital world, the increasing diversity in our communities will challenge us to understand new viewpoints, value systems and life experiences, in order to communicate effectively and deliver value and meaning accordingly. Sensitivity, empathy and a genuine interest in serving others -- even when it feels unfamiliar or uncomfortable -- will be key to our success as professionals in school PR.

Finally, I recently read about the disappearance of the CIO function in some major American corporations. The argument was that, because communications is so fundamental to an organization, the role is inherent in every leader and, therefore, a shared leadership responsibility. It doesn't take much imagination to see school boards or superintendents following this same reasoning, especially when budgets are tight. Therefore, it has never been more important for us, as strategic communications professionals, to demonstrate that our value far transcends news releases and website updates. We must show ourselves as strategic thinkers and advisers who fill a niche role that cannot be absorbed by busy principals, directors and secretaries. We must work for our seat at the table, and we must consistently deliver value to the leaders and professionals across our district. 

5. Where can people find out more about you?

 

Twitter: @kmagette

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinmagette

Website: kristinmagette.com

Book: Embracing Social Media, A Practical Guide to Manage Risks and Leverage Opportunities (available through NSPRA and other online book retailers)

5 Fonts I Can’t Live Without

With the rise of social media and the popularity of visual storytelling, I use tons of pictures with headlines to attract the attention of my audience. A good font can make the difference in standing out among your competitors.

Here are FIVE Fonts I can’t live without:

This font is bold, yet a tad playful. I like the fullness of the font, which makes it stand out on the visuals I use in my Twitter feed or Facebook posts.  You can get the fontfrom Dafont.com

This font has a sports feel without being too sporty. The shape when in all caps allows for a balance in my visuals. The letters do not loop down and interfere with other text or pictures.  This appears to be discontinued on Dafont.com. Try a Google search to find it.

I have been using this font for over a decade.  Growing up during the Nirvana/Grunge music transition, this font holds a special place in my heart. Any time I want to be a little edgy, I use this font. This font can be found on Dafont.com

 

When I need something to stand out more than usual, this is my go to font. I like it because it does not look like a font. It looks like I used a label gun. Changing the color is also neat in certain circumstances.  This font can be found on Dafont.com

This font gives a tad more sophistication to my designs, yet is still playful enough to not be take serious.  This modern design gives my visuals a bit of a change of pace, but does not get too wild. This font can be found on Dafont.com

In Conclusion

Dafont.com is my go to place for great fonts. Changing your fonts can be a great way to stand out, but not get too crazy. 

My advice is to explore different fonts before settling on something.  Make sure the font aligns with your message and the overall design theme.

What fonts do you use in design? Leave some tips in the comment section below.

Meet Jason Wheeler (Me) - School PR Pro

Since I was doing these School PR spotlights, I thought I would introduce myself by answering the same questions as my colleagues.  Here are my thoughts...

 

Jason Wheeler

Marketing Coordinator, CFBISD 

1. How did you get your start in education and School PR?

I graduated from Texas A&M University in 2000 and still had no real clue as to what I wanted to do.  This was right after the Dot Com Bubble burst, and not many marketing or advertising firms were hiring.  In fact, no one was hiring.

Getting scared, and slightly embarrassed about being unemployed, I took a job as a salesperson for an image company in Dallas.  I worked for the company for little over a year doing fairly well, but hating every minute of the job.  While I was at my brother’s football game, I ran into my former assistant principal from when I was in high school and she suggested I apply for a teaching position at her new school.

Five years in middle school and eight years in high school I was everything from a Texas history teacher to the Director of a Video Production and Graphic Design Academy at a high school in Carrollton, Texas that was called AMAT.  It was this academy position that introduced me to the School PR World.  Having access to high quality video equipment, I was the go to guy to create video marketing pieces for the school district.

After partnering with the Public Relations Department for four years, I made the transition to my current assignment as Marketing Coordinator for the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District. This was the same district I grew up in, and the same district I have spent the last 14 years as an educator.

2. What is your favorite part of the job?

I love combing creativity with data and statistics.  I love being strategic in everything I do. I have a strong passion for marketing, and feel there has been a shift in public education where it is needed now more than ever. It is also a plus to interact with so many different people on a daily basis.  From community partners to other PR Pros, I have met many interesting people.

3. What piece of advice can you give other School PR pros?

Be passionate about what you do.  People know when you are faking it.  From building a newsletter to speaking in front 1,000 parents at a community rally, make sure you are excited about public education and the schools that make up your district.  The more excited you are, the more excited your audience is going to be.

4. What are three things you think will change the landscape of School PR the next five years?

First, I think we are seeing a big shift in public education. We have more competition now than we ever have before. From online institutes to private and charter schools, we can no longer expect children in our community to choose our schools. It is very important that school districts invest in marketing and public relations to spread the word of the great things public education is achieving.

Second, I think we can no longer win with traditional School PR. The days of just creating a newsletter and getting your parents and community excited is a thing of the past.  I feel the next breakthrough in school marketing will be the discipline of Content Marketing.  Direct advertising no longer works.  People want help solving their problems and concerns, especially when it comes to their child’s schooling. We need to create content that will make them confident they are making the best choice for their child’s education.

Third, I think social media is a great way to still reach parents, students and the community.  No other advertising medium allows us to target micro-groups like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Use these networks to have a conversation with niche audiences for the niche programs you offer. Right now it is the cheapest form of advertising and could possibly be the biggest bang for your buck, and create incredible return on your investment.

5. Where can people find out more about you? Twitter? Blog?

The best place to interact with me is on Twitter (@WheelerCFB) and you can read my blog at www.socialmediaschoolhouse.com.

You can also connect with me on LinkedIn

Meet Brian Woodland - School PR Pro

Brian Woodland, APR
Director of Communications & Community Relations

1. How did you get you start in education and School PR?

A long time ago. As #teenson would say "before the light bulb"!

After obtaining a masters in political science, I found a government grant job in 1983 working on a program to create an adult literacy hotline in Hamilton, Ontario.  I chose the tasks that interested me: doing media, advertising, fining new grant funds. I loved it.

And when the hotline was fully funded, I was the program coordinator.  As coordinator, I wrote a report that was fairly critical of the job local school boards did in terms of adult literacy. One of those boards said that they found it refreshing and so I applied and starred working in 1985 at the Hamilton Wentworth Catholic School Board as Manager of Communications in Con Ed. It was a great opportunity. That led to a Communications Officer role in the Halton Board-District of about 43,000.  I was there six years. It was an amazing opportunity for an under 20 year old not trained in public relations. 

Then, over 20 years ago, I moved to the Peel District School Board. It's the second largest school district in Canada with about 150,000 students. And I love it here. Hence the 20 years

2. What is your favorite part of the job?

First: the opportunity to make a difference every day. Our team mission is "what have you done for students today?" and it truly guides our work and inspires me no matter what the obstacles. I particularly love this work in a district that is highly diverse.

Second: my astounding, talented, caring and powerful team. They never settle for good work, never hesitate to innovate and truly focus on students.

Third: got to say I do love media relations and public affairs. Really.

3. What piece of advice can you give other School PR pros?

Don't limit yourself to PR: be in the operational, the real work of your district.  And be the powerful, endless, determined voice for real inclusion in your district. We have influence. We need to use it for good.  With great power....

4. What are three things you think will change the landscape of School PR the next five years?

Evolving nature of media.  You need to be organizationally and personally authentic on social media (not a robot). And the complicated, challenging and sometimes daunting task of building genuine inclusion for all staff and students. Including LGBTQ. In the future we will be judged on our success-or failure- to do so.

5. Where can people find out more about you? Twitter? Blog?

Always on Twitter. Always. Brian_Woodland.

3 Things Every District Should Be Doing on Social Media

Social media can be overwhelming, but there are certain things every district should be doing to be successful. Not only should you post... and post with visuals, but you should take these three extra steps to help promote your district and your schools.

1. Implement the Facebook "Call to Action" Button

On the right corner of your cover photo you might have noticed a button called "Call to Action". This button allows you to create actions that your fans can take to become more involved than just reading your posts on Facebook. You can have your fans sign up for your newsletter, book an appointment to an event, contact you, download your app, shop or even watch an important video.

This button is crucial to make your district's Facebook experience more engaging, as well as getting your fans to take the next step in the marketing funnel. My district uses the button to allow our fans to sign up for our weekly newsletter.  Since implementing the button, we have had hundreds of fans sign up for our newsletter and engage with our content.

2. Add a Trailer to Your YouTube Channel

Engagement is so important with social media.  Sometimes engagement takes a little extra action on your part to start the process.

Did you know you can setup a video on your YouTube channel to automatically play when visitors visit your channel? When a video automatically plays, it cuts the work your audience has to do to engage with your brand. Getting your audience to take the first step is sometimes the most difficult.  Why not do it for them?

3. Monitor Important Users and Hashtags on Twitter

Customer service has become a crucial part of the social media landscape.  We are not just posting anymore, we are interacting with our customers and helping them solve problems.

Sometimes parents are shy to ask for help, but they are courageous and very vocal on social media.  We must monitor for positive and negative mentions on social media, as well as spy on our competition.

TweetDeck is a perfect program to help you monitor what people are saying about your district.  The platform allows you create columns to monitor keywords, phrases and users on Twitter.  Just like Google, you can search for keywords and add this as a column that is updated in real time.

Get Started Today

These three tips are not that hard to setup. You will see great returns by implementing this advice into you social media routine. Do it today!

Do you have questions or other social media tips? Leave them in the comment section below.