Summer break shouldn’t mean silence on your school’s social media channels. The quieter summer months are a great opportunity to keep your students, families, community and prospects engaged and excited for the next school year.
This is the first in a two-part summer series on creating social media content during summer break.
Beat the Summer Slide with a Content Calendar
Plan a summer social media calendar in advance to avoid scrambling for content. Schedule a mix of engaging posts to ensure a steady stream of information and fun throughout the break. While you might post less frequently during summer, try to maintain a consistent posting schedule. This keeps your audience engaged and coming back for more. To ensure that you are creating content that resonates, use social media analytics to track which types of content resonate most with your followers and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Transform your Feed into a Summertime Learning Hub
School may be out, but exploration continues. Show your school is a year-round learning hub with content that encourages intellectual pursuits. This strengthens your connection with the community and positions you as a valuable resource.
Some ideas to try:
- Ask your media specialists for summer reading suggestions.
- Do a series with your head of school and faculty of selfies with their favorite summer reads.
- Share educational apps or fun science experiments families can try at home.
- Feature student book reviews or host virtual book clubs to keep the literary fun going.
- Host a virtual book club series with your media specialists/librarians featuring summer reads for students of different age groups.
- Ask your school’s food service manager to share some fun summer recipes to try or, if your school has a garden that faculty are maintaining over the summer, take pics of the teacher in the garden with a link to a recipe.
- Promote local educational events, museum exhibits or library programs that families can explore together. This strengthens your connection with the community and positions you as a valuable resource.
Here are some additional ideas to make your school’s social media accounts a summertime hub:
Leverage User-Generated Content:
Encourage your followers to get in on the summer fun. Be creative with content that will encourage participation, comments, posts and shares. Hashtags should be a key part of your. Learn more about using them effectively to gain digital traction in our guide to hashtags.
Try these social media campaigns:
- “Summer Bucket List” Challenge: Encourage students and families to share their summer bucket lists using your school hashtag. This creates a sense of community and excitement around summer adventures.
- “School Spirit on Vacation” Photos: Ask followers to share photos of themselves sporting school gear while on vacation to showcase school pride and extend your reach. Be sure to share your school hashtag.
- “Guess the Teacher” Throwback Photos: Post funny or nostalgic photos of teachers from their younger years and have followers guess who they are for a lighthearted touch to encourage interaction.
- “Where am I?” Photos: Post a photo of a spot on campus from a not-so-recognizable angle (close-up of the door molding on an older building, a corner of a campus mural, etc.) and ask followers to comment on the campus location.
Embrace the Power of Stories and Live Videos:
What are your students and prospects carrying this summer, no matter what they’re doing or where they are? Their phones! And they are watching videos–up to three hours a day, according to Exploding Topics. Include live videos and stories in your summer content mix like:
- Virtual Summer Camp Tours: If your school offers summer camps, host live video tours of the camp facilities and activities. Potential campers can experience the camp virtually, and if you time these earlier in the summer to accommodate later camp sessions, they can boost enrollment.
- Summer Team Practices: If your teams are practicing this summer, livestream them at practice and have a few players talk about how excited they are for the season.
- “Ask Me Anything” Sessions with Staff: Hold live Q&A sessions on Instagram or Facebook Live with school staff, such as college counselors or librarians. This allows families to get answers to questions they might have about registration or upcoming events.
Expand Your Reach with Strategic Partnerships:
Consider collaborating with local businesses and organizations that cater to families, like bookstores or museums, to offer exclusive discounts or giveaways to your followers. This benefits both parties and strengthens community ties.
By incorporating these ideas, you can create a vibrant and engaging social media hub for your school throughout the summer. Remember, the key is to focus on fun, interactive content that keeps your audience engaged and strengthens your connection with the community.
Are you looking for some additional ways to transform and expand your independent school’s social media presence online? Reach out to us here. Our experts are ready to help you!
