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I HAVE A NEW BLOG

I have recently upgraded to WordPress. My new website can be found at www.jasonawheeler.com

Please visit and give me your thoughts on the new design. Thanks for being a loyal reader.

My Thoughts for the Week - Now in Video

I have been trying something new this week. When I have an idea or have some thoughts on marketing, I pull out my smartphone and make a video. It is my "Marketing Thought" journal for the 21st Century.

Like Gary Vaynerchuk says... "F@$&!*% Document!

1. True Engagement on Social Media

Your goal is to get share and comments over likes

Shares > Comments > Likes

2. The Importance of School Marketing

Let's face it... Ninety-five percent of your parents don't care about your school district. They care about where their kids go to school.

On average, children spend about 35 hours inside their schools per week. It is their second home. It is their second family. Because of this, parents are more likely to care about school communication and marketing than the district.

3. "I Don't Know"... Giving Power to the Parent

Telling the stories of your classroom gives parents the power to engage in conversation with their child when they get home each day.

4. Marketing is an Investment

It is critical that you convince your higher-ups through data that marketing is an investment, not an expense. 

So many people put marketing into the category of an expense on the balance sheet. This is not right. If done correctly, you should see a Return on Your Investment or ROI. 

Social media ads are a great and inexpensive way to do this. 

5. How Do I Reach Generation Z Part 1: Content

"In a meeting this morning the topic was how to reach 17-24 year olds that are not enrolled or interested in college. The person leading the meeting showed the brochure they had printed. Probably not the best way to engage that age group, but what is? Any ideas out there? Thanks."

I think this generation is very anti-ad and would rather have content that is going to help them make an informed decision about college or help them break barriers to college.

Here are some ideas you could implement:

Part 1: Content

1. Guide to College Blog Written by Current Students
2. Guide to College Podcast or Video Series
3. Find Key influencers (not celebrities, but real Gen Z students) to help spread your content
4. User-Generated Content from Students
5. Twitch Channel with College Helpful Content - A video blog on Twitch (IRL)

6. How Do I Reach Generation Z Part 2: Ads

I think this generation is very anti-ad and would rather have content that is going to help them make an informed decision about college or help them break barriers to college.

Here are some ideas you could implement: 

ADS or Social Media

1. YouTube Pre-Roll Ads 
2. Twitch Ads 
3. Snap-Chat  
4. Get on Instagram and Tell a Story
5. Instagram Ads 
6. Events 

Using Content Marketing to Drive Engagement | Part Three: Real World Examples

NSPRA 2018 Presentation - Part Three

This is PART THREE of an audio recording from my presentation at NSPRA 2018. 

Using Content Marketing to Drive Engagement

Part Three discusses how CFBISD found success using Content Marketing to attract young parents to the district. I walk the audience through our kindergarten content marketing campaign from start to finish.

We live in a fragmented media landscape where the consumer is in control of the buying process. It is time to change the way we market.

NSPRA Presentation with Audio: Part Three

Traditional marketing is dying a slow death. With increased competition in public education, school districts must use innovative approaches to market their schools and programs.

Explore the role of Content Marketing in driving audience engagement. Now more than ever, helpful content can move our marketing from mediocre to remarkable.

Click Here to Watch Part One 

Click Here to Watch Part Two 

Click Here to Download my Presentation and Other helpful resources 

Using Content Marketing to Drive Engagement | Part Two: Developing a Content Plan

NSPRA 2018 Presentation - Part TWO

This is PART TWO of an audio recording from my smartphone. Slides correspond to my dialogue. 

Part Two is about developing a Content Marketing Plan. 

Part two discusses the process marketers can do to develop a successful content marketing plan. I discuss the steps to developing an awesome content marketing campaign. 

We live in a fragmented media landscape where the consumer is in control of the buying process. It is time to change the way we market.

NSPRA Presentation with Audio: Part Two

Traditional marketing is dying a slow death. With increased competition in public education, school districts must use innovative approaches to market their schools and programs.

Explore the role of Content Marketing in driving audience engagement. Now more than ever, helpful content can move our marketing from mediocre to remarkable.

Click Here to Watch Part One

Click Here to Download my Presentation and Other helpful resources

Using Content Marketing to Drive Engagement | Part One

NSPRA 2018 Presentation - Part One 

This is PART ONE of an audio recording from my smartphone. Slides correspond to my dialogue.

Traditional marketing is dying a slow death. With increased competition in public education, school districts must use innovative approaches to market their schools and programs.

Explore the role of Content Marketing in driving audience engagement. Now more than ever, helpful content can move our marketing from mediocre to remarkable.

Part one explores the death of traditional marketing. We live in a fragmented media landscape where the consumer is in control of the buying process. It is time to change the way we market.

NSPRA Presentation with Audio

Using Content Marketing to Drive Engagement - NSPRA 2018 Presentation

Thank you so much for attending my session. Below you will find a link to my presentation as well as slide notes. I have also included some other goodies to help you start the process.

I would love for you to take the time to follow me on social media at www.twitter.com/wheelercfb

You can also subscribe to my newsletter on the left. Thank you.

Using Content Marketing to Drive Engagement

Traditional marketing is dying a slow death. With increased competition in public education, school districts must use innovative approaches to market their schools and programs.

Explore the role of Content Marketing in driving audience engagement. Now more than ever, helpful content can move our marketing from mediocre to remarkable.

Presentation Files

Click below to access the presentation folder:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ow_2eHvV_t4yP7EXev9pEp1u__n8uwx8?usp=sharing

6 Simple Tips to Have an Awesome NSPRA Conference [2018 Edition]

Do you want to get the most from this year’s NSPRA conference?

Looking for simple strategies for NSPRA 2018 success?

In this article, you’ll discover simple tips to get the most out of NSPRA 2018 in Anaheim, California.

NSPRA is different for everyone, but I still feel there are some general things you can do to get the most from the conference.

Here are my seven tips to have a successful NSPRA 2018… Disney Style!!! 

6 Tips for NSPRA 2018: MICKEY

M – Make Your Arrival Known

Before you do anything, you have to let everyone know you are here. When you land at the Orange County Airport or cross the California border in your car, take a moment to snap a pic and post it to your social media accounts.

I know “selfies” might be over-used, but do one anyway. Taking a picture of yourself tells everyone that you are in the building and it gives everyone an opportunity to put a face to your name.

Who knows? They might even recognize an article of clothing you are wearing in the pic and make an effort to say hello when you check in. Make sure to use the official NSPRA hashtag #NSPRA2018 for better exposure.

I – Introduce Yourself

Make sure you approach presenters after their sessions. If you attend a session that really aligns with your district strategy or you felt was just plain awesome, let the presenters know. They could have much more information after their session that they did not have time to go over in their allotted time.

Make a contact, and have them send you their slides or additional information that will help you implement new campaigns or strategies.

C – Challenge Yourself

Challenge yourself to breakaway from your tribe. There are so many great minds at this year’s conference; you really need to challenge yourself to find them. Talk to everyone. Make a connection each day you attend.

Some of your best sessions will be the ones where you are sitting in the hotel lobby sipping on Starbucks coffee. Make an effort to talk with a fellow School PR friend.

K – Kick You Social into Gear

To get the most out of your time at NSPRA 2018, you need to be in the social media loop. Follow the important hashtags on Twitter: #schoolPR and #NSPRA2018.

Make sure to like NSPRA’s Facebook page and Twitter account. They will be posting valuable content from presenters and presentations. And most importantly, interact with fellow conference goers. Learn from their insights.

Here are some other social media ideas you can do during the conference: 

• Live Tweet a Presentation
• Facebook Live a Group Discussion
• Interview a School PR Professional
• Gather Your Colleagues for a Instagram Live Roundtable
• Follow Five Fellow PR Professionals a Day

 

E – Energize Yourself

It is amazing how fun can energize your spirit. Take advantage of the extracurricular activities in Anaheim. Many school communications companies are having parties. Find them. Have fun.

Grab lunch or dinner with fellow conference goers. Make some friends and enjoy your time together.

Y – Your Conference

Make it a goal to take a strategy from each session you attend and make it your own. It is not stealing… it is creative peer collaboration. Find that one golden nugget that will help you transform one of your district’s communication goals from good to great.

Conclusion

Now go forth and conquer Chicago and NSPRA 2018! The power is in your hands. Make you school district proud!

Do you have additional tips you would like to share? Leave them in the comment section below

10 Simple Things You Can Do This Summer to Improve Your District Marketing [2018 Edition]

I have said it once, I will say it again... In school communications, there is no summer break. It is vital you keep spreading the great stories that make your district great. Summer is the time to hustle.

Summer is also a great time to do simple projects to improve your marketing.  It can be hard to get motivated during the lazy months of summer, but it is also the best time to be motivated. Most district are quiet during June and July.

Here are 10 simple things you can do this summer to improve your marketing, communications, and school public relations for your district:

10 Simple Things You Can Do This Summer

1. Spice Up Your YouTube Videos 

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. Millions of videos with billions of views. If any of you have children, you know how much time they spend on the platform. And to capture those eyeballs, you can't simply post your videos and hope for your audience to show up.

There are certain things you can do this summer to boost audience engagement on YouTube:

Create Custom Thumbnails for Your Videos - Larger Font and Creative Pics can make your videos standout while people skim your channel. We are creating thumbnails for all of our past and future videos on our YouTube page.

Add End Screens to Your Videos - Hopefully your district has mastered the art of storytelling and your audience is watching all of your video. A great way to boost engagement is to create an end screen to encourage people to watch more videos or subscribe to your YouTube channel.

Fine Tune Your Video Description - We always have a unique description of our videos in the first two paragraphs of our uploaded descriptions, but for the last couple of weeks we have added more to our description. We are encourage people to view our website, subscribe to our channel, like our social media platforms and much, much more.

2. Update Your Facebook Cover Page at Least Five Times

Is your social media manager on summer break? I hope that is not the case, but their are simple options to let you audience know you are still there. Take an hour this summer to create five original Facebook cover photos to change throughout the summer.

According to Hubspot, optimize your cover photo for the right dimensions: 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall for desktop, 640 pixels wide by 360 pixels tall for mobile. If your uploaded image is smaller than these dimensions, Facebook will stretch it to fit -- making it look blurry

3. Create Four Informational “Back to School” Videos

Some of best videos of the year are the informational "Back to School" videos we create for parents. We listen to our parent's most asked questions and create videos to answer the questions. They are short. They are sweet. And they produce big results.

You don't need anything fancy.  Just bust out your iphone and record a stand-up.

4. Build Your Instagram Presence

Take a day and go through all of the pictures you took during the school year. Choose engaging photos that tell a story. Close-ups are the best.

Now, choose 60 of your best photos from a wide-range of schools and programs. Take those photos and post one per day during the summer. Add a filter and make sure to write a funny description with plenty of hashtags that relate to the image. Here are some extra tips for Instagram posting:

How to Boost Engagement on Instagram with an Easy Hashtag Hack
How to Increase Your Instagram Followers Using Seven Simple Techniques

 5. Create at Least One Facebook Ad

If you are not already creating Facebook ads... please start now. For Return on Investment, they are the best bang for your buck. If you are scared, just Google Facebook Ads and thousands of tips and tricks will pop-up. If you need additional help, watch my presentation here:

How to Boost District Enrollment Using Facebook Ads

6. Contact Five Principals About a Story

Summer might be a slow when it comes to stories, but it does not have to. Before your principals go on vacation, ask them about interesting things their staff and students are doing this summer. One year when we did this, we found out one of our teachers worked at the Dallas Zoo taking care of animals. It was a great story.

Your teachers and students are doing interesting things this summer. Become a reporter and seek these stories. The best contacts to have are your principals. hey know their staff and students.

7. Schedule a Snapchat Geo Filter for the First Day of School

Some of you might be scared of Snapchat, Instagram and Snapchat are the big players with your students. It's probably a good idea to learn about the platforms if you are not already on them. The good news is that there is a way to play with Snapchat without having an active account.

Introducing Snapchat Geo Filters. You might have seen your students and children play with filters on their own accounts. They are basically layers that you can put over a picture they have taken. Although Snapchat puts limits on what you can create (logos always get flagged for us) it's a great way to interact and engage your students on the platform.

 Create Your Own Snapchat Geofilters and Lenses

8. Install Google Analytics on Your Website

I have mentioned this a million times on this blog, but it needs repeating... USE GOOGLE ANALYTICS!!! In the world of digital marketing, the great advantage is being able to easily track and analyze analytics from your district and school websites. It is very easy to install and operate.

I would also encourage you to browse their Dashboard Gallery where you can fine many professional dashboard that gives you great insight into your web data.

9. Rank Your Top 10 Posts on Facebook from Last Year

Don't let the critics fool you... the best social media platform for public education to engage parents is still Facebook. With 2 Billion active users it is a gold mine to interact with 25 to 55 year olds.

As long as people take trips, have kids, go to T-Ball games and go to class reunions, Facebook will be very popular. It is the best hub to interact with friends and family, which means people will gravitate to it. Take advantage of the platform. See what is working on your page.

Rank your top 10 posts from the 2017 - 2018 school and figure out what resonated with your audience. Was it a catchy headline? Was it an awesome picture or video? Was it a theme or topic? Use that knowledge and create more of that for next year.

10. Just Say Hi Sometimes

Not ever post on your social media has to have a marketing motive. It's okay just to say "Hello" or "Good morning" Have a conversation. Build connections with your audience.

Conclusion 

 

Summer is here. Don't let it pass you by.  Turn your lazy summer into a crazy marketing summer.

Use these 10 simple marketing tips to get things moving in the right direction for your district next school year. Summer is the best time of the year to get ahead of your competition.

I would love for you to share this article and subscribe to my newsletter. A revamped newsletter is heading your way in the next couple of weeks.

Quick Tips for a Successful Facebook Live Broadcast - Thought(fit) Ep. 2

Do you use Facebook Live to drive audience engagement???

Wondering how you can improve your engagement using Facebook Live and streaming video?

In this video, you'll learn about six tips that will improve your audience engagement using Facebook Live and Streaming Video. 

Click Below to Watch the First Episode of Thought(fit):



Thought Fit is a new show I created to get exercise while talking about School Marketing.

I hope you enjoy.

Leave your thoughts in the comment section about future episodes you would like to see.