Avoid The Summer Silence: 9 Things School Marketers Can Do Over The Summer Break
Published on 18/07/17
Do you find it hard to think of things to post over the summer? Do you spend most of your time planning and preparing marketing strategies for the next academic year? Do your school blogs and social feeds become slightly barren? Here are a few examples of how you can avoid the summer silence and keep the content flowing.
New Starters
Ask all new staff to write up a short bio, introducing themselves; where they came from, what they enjoy doing in their summer holidays, what subject(s) they teach and the journey they took to get to the school. Their likes, dislikes and favourite holiday destinations.
Summer Activities
Find out if any of your staff are doing anything particularly amazing over the summer holidays. Are they doing any charity fun runs, visiting far away lands, experiencing different cultures, climbing mountains? Teachers are blessed with having a long summer break and they are usually out there making the most of it.
Reading Lists
Make suggestions for some great books to read over the summer. Include fiction, non fiction; educational, entertaining; happy, sad. You could also suggest some films to watch to give with some background information.
Oh Hi, Alumni
Summer is the perfect time to engage and interact with your alumni. You could do a "Where they are now" piece to show what past students of the school have gone on to achieve. Human interest stories perform especially well on social media platforms.
Throwback Thursday
Look back over the academic year and build the "Top 10 Moments" posts along with images and testimonials of staff and students. Before the summer break, plan an exercise in the classroom for students to write about their most memorable moments and BAM - you've got some material to seed out over the summer.
Up To Date
Keep audiences up to date with any developments at the school; are there any new buildings or facilities being built? What changes can students expect when they return to school? It's important to share any investments or developments with parents, which will be beneficial to their children's education.
Plan Ahead
This is a great opportunity to build your content marketing calendar for the next academic year. Think about seasonal topics, sports days, open days, and parents' evenings. Make sure they are all in the diary and on the notice board so you never miss a moment.
Newcomers
Make the transition easy for every student starting a new school. What did you worry about on your first day? Maybe it was finding your way around or what time you are expected at registration? Put together a comprehensive "First day of school" guide for both parents and students with little tips, maps and reminders so the first day isn't the worst day!
Refresh Your Website
Bring your school website up to date with a new design and functionalities. As so many parents start their decision making journey online, your website should act as the 'shop window' of your school and let me tell you... first impressions really count on this one! If your website appears dated or is difficult to use, your website visitors won't hang around long enough to hear about your wonderful values, ethos and offering.
Building Your Trust's Brand
Does your Trust have a clear, consistent and concise brand? In this complete communications toolkit you will find everything you need to devise and develop a holistic brand for your Trust, taking into consideration all visual and verbal elements.
