Brad Domitrovich

PR Zealot, Speaker, Educator

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Random thoughts (or not so random thoughts) for school district social media use … Over the past week or so, I have been thinking about some guidelines that I believe are practical when school districts use social media as part of their marketing efforts. Some of these guidelines have been learned the hard way, others have been through trial and error, and some guidelines I just lucked in to. Here they are in no particular order: Develop a social media schedule. Put together a timetable when you’re going to post. Are you posting after hours? How about weekends? Think of the ramifications. Even though it’s a 24/7 world, do you want to on call 24/7? Quality vs. Quantity. Who cares how many tweets you’ve tweeted. Are they significant ones? Anticipate issues. Think before you post. Are you prepared for any negative feedback? Do you have all the answers? Don’t use school district SM as your personal platform. School district SM should be school district SM. Make sure the stuff you are posting reflects the school district PR office, not the school district PR schmuck. Take advantage of your friends. Don’t be the first to respond to a negative comment. That’s why you have friends. First, see if your friends will rally on your behalf. If so, back off! A social media plan. Make sure you have policies in place before your SM endeavors begin. Is your blog allowing anonymous posting? Are comments being reviewed before posting? Re-purpose your content. You’ve already created a bunch of stuff. Why re-invent the wheel? Look for SM avenues that your stuff can be posted to. Remember not everything you create in the traditional marketing world should be used in the social media world. Situational awareness. Be aware of what is happening around you. How will your actions impact your goals and objectives? Don’t be a pain to your followers. Sometimes you can post too often. Widgets. If you are going to add widgets and buttons, make sure they work. There is nothing more frustrating then clicking a dead link. Visit corporate and public sector SM sites often. Get your ideas from others. See what works and what doesn’t. Followers. Treat your followers with respect. Give them pertinent information. Interact with them. # of followers. School district “A” has 350 followers and school district “B” down the road has more than 1,500. Who cares? FERPA. Yes, you still have to follow the law even when posting to Facebook. So, that was my list. I’m sure I’ll add some more. Do you have any you can add?

Random thoughts (or not so random thoughts) for school district social media use …

Over the past week or so, I have been thinking about some guidelines that I believe are practical when school districts use social media as part of their marketing efforts. Some of these guidelines have been learned the hard way, others have been through trial and error, and some guidelines I just lucked in to. Here they are in no particular order:

  • Develop a social media schedule. Put together a timetable when you’re going to post. Are you posting after hours? How about weekends? Think of the ramifications. Even though it’s a 24/7 world, do you want to on call 24/7?
  • Quality vs. Quantity. Who cares how many tweets you’ve tweeted. Are they significant ones?
  • Anticipate issues. Think before you post. Are you prepared for any negative feedback? Do you have all the answers?
  • Don’t use school district SM as your personal platform. School district SM should be school district SM. Make sure the stuff you are posting reflects the school district PR office, not the school district PR schmuck.
  • Take advantage of your friends. Don’t be the first to respond to a negative comment. That’s why you have friends. First, see if your friends will rally on your behalf. If so, back off!
  • A social media plan. Make sure you have policies in place before your SM endeavors begin. Is your blog allowing anonymous posting? Are comments being reviewed before posting?
  • Re-purpose your content. You’ve already created a bunch of stuff. Why re-invent the wheel? Look for SM avenues that your stuff can be posted to. Remember not everything you create in the traditional marketing world should be used in the social media world.
  • Situational awareness. Be aware of what is happening around you. How will your actions impact your goals and objectives?
  • Don’t be a pain to your followers. Sometimes you can post too often.
  • Widgets. If you are going to add widgets and buttons, make sure they work. There is nothing more frustrating then clicking a dead link.
  • Visit corporate and public sector SM sites often. Get your ideas from others. See what works and what doesn’t.
  • Followers. Treat your followers with respect. Give them pertinent information. Interact with them.
  • # of followers. School district “A” has 350 followers and school district “B” down the road has more than 1,500. Who cares?
  • FERPA. Yes, you still have to follow the law even when posting to Facebook.

So, that was my list. I’m sure I’ll add some more. Do you have any you can add?

    Filed under Brad Domitrovich social media thoughts