It's Okay to Give a Shout Out on Social Media

The problem with social media is that we all think we have to be clever. We kill ourselves to deliver ultra cool posts, hip visuals, Twitter Cards, we link a SlideShare, or post an awesome video to Facebook. We are constantly pushing content marketing. But let me tell you a secret… it’s ok to a give a shout out every once in a while.

Did anyone’s school announce birthdays on the intercom during the morning announcements? Do you remember anxiously awaiting your name to be called, so all of your classmates could shower you with happy birthdays? Some of us played it off, but we all loved it.

It was World War Three if they forgot to call your name on your birthday.  Some parents would march into the superintendent’s if the office forgot to announce their child’s birthday.  It was a serious deal in my school growing up.  Why is this? It’s because we all love a little shout out. We love the recognition.
We do the same thing with our district’s social media**. We randomly recognize one of our 40 schools, making sure we hit each school during each semester.  We do this because just like the birthday announcements, people (schools, teachers and students) love the recognition. Even though they won’t admit it, students love it too. Most of the time we get great stats on our impressions and awesome engagement numbers from our students.

Here are some stats from a shout out I did this morning to a high school in our district. Short, to the point, and great engagement.

We have had many positive replies and comments in the five hours it has been posted. You will get the occasional rivalry between the schools, but most often it is very civil, due to the fact that the other school know we will probably give them a shout out next.

So the next time you are pounding your head trying to craft that perfect Tweet, just give a shout out. Your students will love it, and your analytics will love it too.

** Of course we will post the accolades, we post the state championships, and we post all of the events that take place at our school. And I wouldn’t be a “Marketing Guy” if I didn’t partake in Content Marketing. I do all the stuff we are supposed to do.