Increasing parent engagement is a common goal among schools. Even though this objective lives on the mental vision boards of countless K-12 professionals, achieving this aim is easier said than done.
We know that high parent engagement is linked to positive outcomes like better academic performance and smoother school-to-home communication. So, how can we invite parents to engage in a way that’s convenient, easy, and fun? Get ready to stop, drop, and scroll, because we’re talking social media.
- Promote Your Presence
First things first—you need to meet your audience where they are. Then, you need to let them know you’re there!
While not every parent is on social media, a sizeable chunk of them log in every day. In fact, about three out of four adults in the U.S. are active social media users! So, take a look around and see where your audience is online.
A few simple tricks can help you increase awareness (and followers!):
- Add icons and links on your parent-facing communication channels
- Include links on your newsletter to content on your channels to drive traffic to your social media pages
- Plug your accounts during the enrollment process
After all, your social pages can help families to stay up-to-date with important announcements and alerts—things every parent is interested in!
Provide Value
Now that families are aware of your social media presence, you need to make them want to stick around. Why would parents want to follow and interact with your school’s social media content? Ask yourself this and be sure you have a clear understanding of your answers.
When in doubt, go right to the source—you can always ask your audience what they’d like to see!
What’s more, with an endless stream of content available, parents and guardians have a limited amount of attention while scrolling. Your job is to give them a reason to stop, consume, and interact with your school’s content—no easy feat when there are plenty of other posts they could be looking at.
Here are a few ways schools provide show-stopping value:
- Share important dates, events, reminders, and alerts
- Provide fun behind-the-scenes content
- Celebrate your successes
Pro Tip: Be sure to follow your school’s guidelines regarding the use of student likenesses in photos or videos.
- Encourage Engagement
Now that your pages are chock-full of value, it’s time to optimize your posts for engagement. This might seem too good to be true, but if you want to boost engagement, just ask for it! By actively inviting families to participate in posts, your pages will be less of a sounding board for your school and more of an active conversation stream for stakeholders.
To spark engagement, you can:
- End a caption with a question
- Leverage interactive content
- Add “stickers” to Facebook and Instagram stories
Always remember the golden rule of engagement: the easier it is for someone to engage with a piece of content, the more likely they are to do it!
- Engagement Is a Two-Way Street
It’s not enough to post valuable content that’s primed for engagement—your school needs to engage right back! Acknowledge individuals when they engage with your accounts and content. One easy way to do this is to respond to direct messages. Also, react and reply to comments.
By now your head is probably buzzing with great ideas to implement on your school’s social media accounts. Try new things, find inspiration in peers, and share your school’s successes with the online world. Your classrooms and hallways are already an engaging place to be full of meaningful conversations—let’s bring that energy to your social media channels, too!
Lexi Beecher is the social media specialist at Skyward, whose SIS and ERP solutions have helped more than 2,500 schools save time, connect with families, and empower success, www.skyward.com.
