How do we cut through the noise on social media? How do we get our parents, our community and our alumni to engage with us? While we see the viral nature of the latest snow day post, our everyday content seems stagnant. Why?
A recent meme may be the answer for your school.
Me: Also Me.
The meme has been used to suggest that many of the challenges we face are within us. I would suggest that one of the ones we see in schools goes like this:
Me: Why is my school not getting more engagement on social media?
Also me: Students should never use social media.
We know instinctively that student’s capacity for social media is so high. Their quick judgements about what will gain traction and what won’t are brilliant. So, how do we shift the paradigm of this meme?
Trust is not without restrictions
We can review student-generated content before it gets published. Having students creating content doesn’t mean we blindly hand them the keys (or passwords) to our school’s social media accounts. Students need to know that we trust their opinions, but we don’t have to trust that their content fits perfectly without any edits.
It is not about selfies
One of the first paradigms that gets shifted when we encourage students to begin generating content about their school’s brand is the understanding that it is about someone other than themselves. When we encourage students to think about brands and how to highlight stories from their peers, we begin to see the power of selfless social media vs. selfies.
Nostalgia is gold for alumni
When we are reaching out to our alumni, the authenticity that students produce places alums back in the places where these memories were formed. Simply showing the score of the latest game isn’t the answer, sharing the stories of students, their struggles, their triumphs and relationships are impactful. We know there are so many benefits in engaging alums, but moving them into action means showing them how students would benefit from their involvement.
Meme or not, your students have answers and questions about social media. Giving them the freedom to create will inspire engagement in your community.
