Social Media and School Districts: More Tools for Communication and Engagement

Tom Eiland Hannah Smith

Partner Associate

Conkling Fiskum & McCormick, Inc.503-294-9120 www.cfm-online.com

Social Media:More Tools for

Communication and Engagement

Public Affairs | Public Relations | Research

Public Affairs | Public Relations | Research Social Media: New Tools for Communication

The Good Old Days

Evening newspaper deliveryKnowing the reporters by namePress releases that made the news

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A new era?

• Life changes as we know it.• Shift in the Earth’s axis.• Cats and dogs no longer fight.

September 26, 2006

Facebook opens to everyone age 13 years and older.

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Understanding change

Internet surpasses newspapers and radio for news.

News consumption is a socially-engaging and socially-driven activity, especially online.

Participation by consumers comes more through sharing than through contributing news themselves.Pew Research March 2010

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Information and the Internet

Use of the Internet to get information about local schools is widespread.

2009

All 53%Parents 80%18 to 54 years 63%King County 52%Puget Sound 57%Clark County 55%Other Western 52%Eastern 48%

87% of voters have Internet access at

home or work.

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Social Media

Key education supporters are using social media.

FaceBook users:

18 to 34 73%35 to 54 40%55+ 27%

Parents 48%Dems 45%GOP 44%

Social Media use among Washington voters.State- ClarkWide County

FaceBook or other social networking sites 39% 44%YouTube or other video sharing sites 13% 14%Linked-In 12% 8%Flickr or other photo sharing sites 10% 13%Twitter 8% 10%None 54% 51%

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So many choices

Blogs/ConversationsBlog ConnectionsBlog PlatformsMicromediaLifestreamsSpecific to TwitterSMS VoiceSocial NetworksNiche NetworksCustomer Service NetworksLocationsVideoVideo aggregationDocumentsEventsMusicWikiLiveCasting – Video and AudioPicturesSocial BookmarksComment and Reputation

Theconversationprism.com 7


Now What?

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Now What?

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Forget the hypeEmbrace the changeIt’s all good

It is just marketing


Six Steps to Success

Determine your goals•Awareness

•Information

•Positioning

Determine your goals•Awareness

•Information

•Positioning

Determine your goalsDetermine your goals

Target and SegmentTarget and Segment

ID and assess toolsID and assess tools

Develop planDevelop plan

Keep it interestingKeep it interesting

Measure resultsMeasure results

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Target and segment•Who will help meet your goals

•No one size fits all resource

Target and segment•Who will help meet your goals

•No one size fits all resource







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Audit/Inventory tools•Traditional

• Newspaper, TV, Radio, Events

•Contemporary

Audit/Inventory tools•Traditional

• Newspaper, TV, Radio, Events

•Contemporary







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Develop the plan•Multi-media approach

•Consider traditional and contemporary tools

Develop the plan•Multi-media approach

•Consider traditional and contemporary tools







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Keep it interesting•Think like your target audience

•Make information and content group specific

Keep it interesting•Think like your target audience

•Make information and content group specific







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Measure results•Set realistic expectations

•No silver bullet

•Use tool specific metrics

Measure results•Set realistic expectations

•No silver bullet

•Use tool specific metrics







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Public Affairs | Public Relations | Research Social Media: More Tools for Communication

Tools and Metrics

Top 5 most used tools

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Tools and Metrics

E-Newsletters• Benefits• Best Practices • Metrics• Limitations

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Tools and Metrics

Facebook• Why use Facebook? • Fan Pages vs. Groups• Determining Success• Limitations

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Tools and Metrics

Twitter• What to consider before using Twitter • Why use Twitter• Measurement• Preventing Twitter burnout

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Tools and Metrics

Blogs• Developing good content• Promoting your blog• Is your blog healthy?

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Tools and Metrics

RSS• Finding good content • Twitter monitoring • Blog Subscribers

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Other

Business connectionsOne-on-oneAdministration/leadership

Internal micro-blogTwitter for internal communicationGeneral or sub-groups

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Web site

Command Central

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Resources

The Digital HandshakePaul Chaney

The New Rules of Marketing and PRDavid Meerman Scott

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Presenters

Tom Eiland, [email protected]/in/tomeilandwww.twitter.com/tomeiland

Hannah Smith, [email protected]://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahelainesmithwww.twitter.com/HannahESmith

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Bonus Information

The following pages summarize results from an online survey conducted by CFM among 36 of 95 WSPRA members. WSPRA provided CFM with email addresses. Interviews were conducted February 25 to March 1, 2010.The survey was designed to assess if and how school districts are using social media tools for external and internal communications.CFM recognizes the sample is not representative of Washington state school districts. Readers should use the results as a guideline for what social media tools are used and what issues school district communicators face.

Survey Distribution

Actual Distribution* (295 districts)

Less than 1,000 2% 41%

1,000 to 4,999 19% 29%

5,000 to 9,999 27% 10%

10,000 or more 50% 10%

* Source: JLARC analysis of 2008-09 OSPI enrollment data 26


Social Media: External Communications

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Social Media Tools:External Communications

Which social media tools are you using for external communications for your school district?

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Social Media: Internal Communications

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Social Media Tools:Internal Communications

Which social media tools are you using for internal communications for your school district?

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Education

Social Media and School Districts: More Tools for Communication and Engagement