2021 Goal: Improve Your Paid and Organic Social Media
Call it our New Year’s resolution if you want, but we’re determined to strengthen independent schools’ social media presence this year. Too often, posts end up last on a long list of priorities or become a junior staff person’s task. But communicating your brand essence through paid and organic social media strategies impacts every marketer’s most powerful tool: word-of-mouth. Social media has been—and will continue to be—critical to your school’s brand-building efforts.
As our team partners with schools of all kinds to improve social media engagement, we focus on a few key goals to improve results:
More brand content. Your brand guide has identified what audiences value most about your school. Use it to inspire content, including visuals and captions. Allow your brand to guide the content strategy for your posts.
More authenticity. Keep the heart of your brand—your people—at the forefront of your strategy. While occasionally letting students take over your social media is exciting, the best way to create feeds that feel "real" is to capture and share authentic moments within your community more frequently.
More human interest. We can’t forget that social media is a form of entertainment. You can adhere to your brand’s guidelines while still creating more interest by creating content specifically for social media. Consider everything from animated graphics and videos to student- and faculty-submitted photos to keep your audiences entertained.
More statement-making. Researchers at New York University analyzed more than half a million tweets and found that those using “moral-emotional” language were more likely to go viral. Without angering audiences, share what’s bold about your brand.
More strategic placement. Customize your content for specific channels. It matters. So do audience targeting, hashtags and tag selection, post timing, Instagram reels vs. stories, and link promotion. A well-planned placement strategy will positively impact your reach, clicks and engagement.
More data. Refining your strategy depends on analysis, so you need to collect performance data. Classify your posts and ads by content type, review analytics regularly and make adjustments based on the content audiences engage with most.
Our digital partner, Connect.ED, shares the same ethos as Creosote: produce results, exceed expectations, deliver personalized attention—and strengthen educational brands.
Here are a few highlights of how we gave these schools “more.”
Pomfret School,
Paid Social Media
Shortly into our partnership, 43% of audiences reached over 10 weeks watched 50% or more of our video ads.
The Academy of the Holy Cross, Organic Social Media
In five months, link clicks increased 19.9%, engagement increased 23.4%, impressions increased 28.3%.
The Masters School,
Paid Social Media
After testing and reviewing initial ad performance analytics, we were able to make detailed targeting adjustments, leading to an increased campaign reach of 20% and a 50% increase in impressions. All without increasing the monthly ad spend.
Old Trail School,
Paid Social Media
Comparing November 2020 to December 2020, we were able to make creative and targeting adjustments that resulted in:
40% more link clicks
14% increase in CTR
50% increase in video watch time
6% more clicks
The Meadowbrook School, Organic Social Media
Creosote believes everything you do is branding. Whether your organic and paid efforts are developed in house or outsourced to a partner, your social media is an important part of your school’s brand-building efforts.
Written by Emily Hajjar, Creative Director and Brand Strategist at Creosote Affects
Creosote Affects helps schools, colleges and universities nationwide find their brand voice in highly competitive markets. We are a comprehensive branding firm—executing research, strategy and creative.