Getting your school’s message out there is easy. Getting your school’s message heard through the clutter of everyone else’s is the tricky part.
Whether your school’s marketing budget is zero or a million dollars, viral marketing remains one of the most effective tools for getting potential parents through your front door. If you were one of the pioneering schools when social media first started to explode, you know how successful it was in increasing your reach. You probably saw how easy it was to "tweet" a simple phrase or post a statement on Facebook and grab the attention of those in your community. And, even if you weren’t one of the first to buy into the social media craze, if you joined one of the networks within the last five years, you’ve probably had the pleasure of exploring different methods and post types to keep your families and community up to date with your school’s functions. But, it’s not as easy as it used to be. Today there are thousands of people posting, tweeting, and sharing news, updates, and stories online. It’s harder and harder to be seen through all the clutter.
Harder it is, but this doesn’t mean it’s time to throw in the towel. Instead, let’s look at some steps for viral marketing success followed by leading companies.
Keep it simple. Send the same message through all your communications. Simple and consistent. If it’s not simple, it can’t survive being passed via word-of-mouth. And, you want those people who see your messages to talk about them.
Be specific. Your school has a mission—a unique mission. Product and service providers strive to establish themselves outside of a general category by focusing on their most needed attribute. Ask yourself what makes your school unique and craft your messages around it.
Be outrageous. Listen to what your students and faculty members are talking about. The more incredible the story, the more people will find it worth sharing. Don’t be afraid to brag!
Recruit social butterflies. Ask active social media supporters to team up with your efforts. If there’s a local celebrity willing to retweet your tweets, great! But active parents and students willing to repost, retweet, and reconfirm your school’s updates will work just as well.
Additional articles to inspire
10 of the best social media campaigns from 2012
The 8 best social media campaigns of 2012
7 Creative and Successful Social Media Campaigns
Additional ISM articles of interest
ISM Monthly Update for Admission Officers Vol. 11 No. 2 How to Get People Talking About Your School
ISM Monthly Update for Division Heads Vol. 8 No. 3 Thinking Differently, Change the “Rules”
ISM Monthly Update for Development Vol. 10 No. 7 Pinterested?
ISM Monthly Update for Admission Officers Vol. 10 No. 3 Pinterest—A Visual Solution to Social Sharing
