Candace, the Communications & Development Manager at Monterey Bay Charter School, was swamped. Although she made a valiant effort to post to Instagram and Facebook whenever she had a moment to spare, she did not have a social media strategy in place. She would post pictures of the fantastic events on campus but felt she could be doing more to help her school grow.
I had reached out to Cassandra, their Executive Director, through email to see if there was anything I could do to help their school. Within a few days, they had set up a meeting.
Candace and Cassandra knew they could be using social media to attract new students to campus, but they did not have the marketing background to implement it. An over-extended Candace was relieved to outsource social media, and two weeks later, we took over creating content and managing their Instagram and Facebook accounts.
By implementing a hashtag strategy, using a call to action in every post, and enlisting our community to help us spread the word, we were able to increase reach, followers, and engagement on Monterey Bay Charter School’s social media channels. The thoughtful content we implemented shined a spotlight on the extraordinary events on campus and cranked up the volume on school pride!
Yes, we created engaging graphics and gathered images, but our main focus was to create compelling posts that attracted prospective parents AND put current parents at ease. Each post showcased the thoughtfulness, strong community, and singular experiences their children would only find at Monterey Bay Charter School.
We aimed to demonstrate the mission, feel, and purpose found at Monterey Bay Charter School as well as create an emotional connection with our audience. After implementing these changes, more parents were compelled to engage (e.g., like, comment, follow), take action (e.g., begin the application process), and share our posts with a broader audience, getting us in front of more prospective families.
How do prospective families find a school on social media? From the school’s website header or footer, word of mouth, our current community members sharing our posts, or through Hashtags.
Before we took over social media management, Candace was not using hashtags. When we began implementing our hashtag strategy, we discovered that our Impressions (how many people saw our posts on social media) nearly quadrupled!
We used location-based hashtags, as well as hashtags that reflected the school’s educational philosophy and hashtags that our parents of our community generally resonate with.
This strategy attracted more followers, boosted our engagement, and got us in front of more protective families.
Being on top of the social media accounts 24/7 allowed us to answer inquiries, and move the enrollment process forward.
Frequently asked questions from prospective parents came through in direct messenger and the comments, and we made it our focus to respond swiftly and thoughtfully.
Using powerful CTAs (Calls To Actions), we could enlist the community to spread our message. In one of our first posts for Monterey Bay Charter School, we saw the impact of this messaging. The post prior to us taking over the account received 1 share, while our post received 13 shares.
When parents and teachers shared the posts with their communities, this 13xed our posts reach and potentially attracted families to start looking to see if our school is the right fit for their families. What could be more compelling than current families singing your school’s praises?
By implementing a hashtag strategy, using a call to action in every post, and enlisting our community to help us spread the word, we were able to increase reach, followers, and engagement on Monterey Bay Charter School’s social media channels. The thoughtful content we implemented shined a spotlight on the extraordinary events on campus and cranked up the volume on school pride.
I am always amazed at the depth of research, attention to detail, and intentional messaging they put into our posts. The posts that K12 Social Media create for us are beautiful and meaningful for our community. Working with them is a gift.
Communications & Development Manager
We would love to learn more about your school and your social media goals and share ways we think we can help!
We'll send over a proposal that meets your school's needs. Once you pick one of our packages, we kick things off!
This is the fun part! After gathering a bit more information, we will begin creating your custom social media strategy and start posting in two weeks!
Helping schools shine, one stellar social media post at a time! Some of the most inspiring stories come from within the four walls of your classrooms.
Our mission is to help schools safely, efficiently, and confidently share their stories on social media, attract prospective families, and boost school spirit.
