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 

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.

5 Awesome Articles to Boost Your Facebook Live Broadcasts

Do you want to improve your Facebook Live Strategy?

Are you looking for ways to standout on social media?

In this article, I share five of the most popular posts from around the web that will help your company excel using Facebook Live.

Streaming video is becoming a vital part of an organizations social media strategy. Engagement using streaming videos on platforms like Facebook and Instagram is much higher than a traditional post.

Click the Titles to Read the Articles...

5 Awesome Articles to Boost Your Facebook Live Broadcasts

#1: How to Easily Broadcast Multi-Camera Live Video for Facebook Live

Discover how to integrate visuals and work with multiple camera angles to broadcast professional-quality live video to Facebook and YouTube.

Published on Social Media Examiner by Erin Cell

#2: How To Use Live Streaming To Grow Your Brand

Facebook and Instagram live are the newest trend in many social media platforms. It’s used not only for personal purposes, but it can also grow your brand.
Published on Socialmediaweek.org by Jeff Yonata

#3: Your Marketing Strategy Needs Facebook Live (Infographic)

If your marketing strategy doesn’t include Facebook Live streaming—it should. Not convinced? These stats speak for themselves.

Published on Wowza.com by Holly Regan 

#4: Six Facebook Live Tips to Drive Engagement

Wondering how you can improve your engagement using Facebook Live and streaming video? In this blog post, you'll learn about six tips that will improve your audience engagement using Facebook Live and Streaming Video.

Published on Socialmediaschoolhouse.com by Jason Wheeler 

#5: How to Rock Your Facebook Lives for Maximum Exposure 

HOW TO ROCK YOUR FACEBOOK LIVES FOR MAXIMUM EXPOSURE I swear live video is the best thing to happen to online marketing! I embraced live video early on in my entrepreneur journey and I've seen it...

Published on brandmerry.com by Michelle Knight 

Conclusion

The best way to master Facebook Live is to learn from successful companies and individuals that are doing it right. Facebook Live is not complicated, bu there are simple ways to boost your engagement on the platform.

Do you have any questions about Facebook Live? Leave them in the comment section below.

How to Boost District Enrollment Using Facebook Ads

Is your district looking for ways to boost enrollment?

Are you looking for ways to increase engagement on social media and your website?

In this article, you can watch my presentation on

How to Boost Revenue Using Facebook Ads

This video is for small businesses, but can be used to attract families to your school district.

Here are slides form my presentation:

The Power of Facebook

Facebook has 1.94 Billion Active Users!

Remember... Facebook is a Business

Organic Page Reach is Declining. You will need to "Pay to Play"

But remember... Marketing is an Investment. Facebook gives great ROI.

How to Get Started with Facebook Ads

What's Your Objective for your campaign?

Who's your Audience?

Facebook Audience Insights is a great way to determine what your audience likes

Hyper-Target Your Audience

The great thing about Facebook, is the ability to drill down to your core audience. You can reach very specific groups using Facebook ad tools.

Designing Your Facebook Ad

I rank in importance what to include in your ad. Watch my presentation above for the breakdown and specifics for each part of a Facebook ad.

Feel free to email me with any specific questions

 

How to Have Enormous Professional Success at NSPRA 2017 [Podcast - Episode 8]

 

How to Have Enormous Professional Success at NSPRA 2017

Professional conferences are not only to learn, but they are also a great networking opportunity. What better way to expand your professional presence in the School PR World then at the biggest conference of the year?  

NSPRA 2017 is a great place to build "Brand You".

Here are my Seven Tips to Expand Your Personal Brand at NSPRA 2017: 

• Tip 1: Announce Your Arrival [1:05]
• Tip 2: Challenge Yourself to Meet New People [1:55]
• Tip 3: Have a Plan [3:06]
• Tip 4: Live Tweet a Presentation [4:00]
• Tip 5: Help Others [5:02]
• Tip 6: Facebook Live a Group Discussion [5:34]
• Tip 7: Interview a School PR Professional [6:49]

Make yourself stand out at the conference. Learn as much as you can, and expand your circle of friends.

Follow these tips and become one step closer to becoming the go to source for School PR.

Do you have other tips? Make sure to leave them in the comment section below, and make sure to visit iTunes for the rest of our great Social Media Schoolhouse Podcasts.

How to Improve Your School Marketing with 8 Easy Techniques [Part 1]

Is your district putting more emphasis on marketing this year?

Are you feeling the pressure from private and charter schools in your area?

School marketing is becoming more important as competition is increasing for public schools across the country. It is time for school districts to embrace marketing and think of it as an investment to increase brand awareness and increase enrollment.

Podcast for this Article can be found here: Podcast Link

In this article, you’ll discover simple tips to improve your school marketing.

 

 

What is Marketing?

School Marketing is about using tools to get more parents to enroll their children in your schools and keep them there. School Marketing is also about getting more community members to support your schools more often so your school district succeeds.

Knowing our goal of marketing, let’s look at eight simple techniques to improve your school marketing. Look for Part 2 coming soon.

1. Using Live Video for Marketing

You read it everywhere; video is the new “King of Engagement”. Two years ago Meerkat and Periscope burst onto the scene making live streaming a reality for amateur smartphone videographers. A year later, those clunky platforms laid a path for the debut of the highly engaging Facebook Live.

If your district is not using Facebook Live, you better get started. Research shows that Facebook Live broadcasts create three times more engagement than the standard Facebook news feed post.

It is very simple to broadcast from Facebook using your smartphone. There are also software programs and hardware that allows broadcasts using multiple cameras.

My district (CFBISD) used the platform to hold a live question and answer with expert kindergarten teachers for interested parents. The broadcast reached 30,000 viewers and drove many parents to our kindergarten website. It was a huge success.

Here are some additional ideas for using Facebook Live:

12 Easy Facebook Live Ideas for Your District

39 More AwesomeFacebook Live Ideas for Your District 

2. Use Google Analytics to Create Successful Campaigns

Smart marketing is all about data. If you are not tracking your marketing campaigns, website and social media analytics your marketing is going to suffer. You have to successfully combine art and science when creating your district’s marketing campaigns and strategies. Analytics helps with this science.

“Like a scientist, I collect data, I look at it, and then I change my activities to reflect what I’ve learned” – Sergio Zyman, Former CMO of Coca Cola

Installing Google Analytics on your district and school websites is pretty simple. Here is a step-by-step guide created by Google to get started:

Get started with Analytics

Google Analytics allows districts to track such things as visitor page views, time on site, traffic sources, location of visitors, demographics of visitors and much, much more.

By tracking these statistics, your district has a better idea of which campaigns are truly working. Waiting three to six months to determine a campaigns success is a thing of the past. Now we can use real time statistics, which gives us the ability to adjust our campaigns on the fly. Marketers can use analytics to determine what is working and what is not working during important campaigns.

Here are some awesome articles about what stats to look at first:

7 Essential Google Analytics Reports Every Marketer Must Know 

6 Custom GoogleAnalytics Reports You Should Use for Every CRO Project

3. Marketing Success with Facebook Ads

Your districts Facebook Fan Page is not organically performing as well as it use to. Facebook is throttling engagement with algorithms that change daily. Always remember that Facebook is a business. Sometimes you have to pay to play.

In my opinion, Facebook ads are the best paid marketing a school district can do right now. They are fairly inexpensive, and drive nice engagement from highly targeted audiences. No other marketing campaign has the ability to target specific groups, and then provide very specific analytics on the success of your campaign.

My district has been using Facebook ads for our  Open Enrollment Campaign and we have seen awesome results. We are able to target parents in certain zip codes that have expressed interest in making a change in school districts. 

  

Our ads have driven thousands of visitors to our Open Enrollment Landing Page, with hundreds of people enrolling in our district who live outside our district boundaries.

Our advertisements target very niche audiences, which is very hard to do using traditional advertising. Especially at the cost we are paying for Facebook ads. For as little as $25, we can engage with 2,000 parents with very specific needs. The Return on Investment using Facebook ads is phenomenal.

Before you start, here is an informative article about Facebook ads:

How to Set Up an Effective Facebook Ad Campaign

4. Using the Facebook Pixel

According to Shopfiy.com, a Facebook Pixel is used to drop a cookie that will track visitors on your website so you can advertise to them later. This is commonly called retargeting.

Retargeting is a very powerful technique to target audiences that have shown interests in your district, schools or specific programs that you offer.

For example, you can use a Facebook Pixel to target audiences who have visited a program page, but have not applied to join the program. Much like Google Analytics, the Facebook pixel tracks the movement of Facebook users on your website. It use this data to help you create a more powerful Facebook ad.

Installing a pixel on your website is simple, and is hidden within the code; not visible to your audience.  

Below is Facebook’s installation guide:

Facebook Pixel Implementation Guide

After your pixel is installed, you can use retargeting through Facebook ads to narrow your audience to create higher performing campaigns.  

Conclusion

All school districts should start thinking about school marketing. It's an investment that all districts will need sooner than later.

With increased competition from all types of educational establishments, it is better to start now to be ahead of the game. Remember, you are investing in the future of your school district.

What do you think? Will you try these school marketing techniques? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.