School Marketing and the New Media Drivers License

School Marketing and the New Media Drivers License Businesses have begun to recognize the importance of marketing and communicating using social media. K-12 public school districts however, have been hesitant to open what many districts consider the Pandora’s Box of social media. With social media sites such as, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter currently blocked in many districts, it’s no surprise that they have been slow to recognize the marketing and communications potential of this media.

School districts leaders have an opportunity to learn how to best utilize social media by attending Michigan State University (MSU) New Media Drivers License Course, a popular course in MSU’s Advertising, Public Relations, & Retailing program. As a current student in this course, I’m learning about how businesses have created social media policies to guide their company and employees to use social media appropriately. The policies we have reviewed articulate expectations for how social media should be used both internally and by employees outside of work. A common theme is employees are seen as representing their company, even when they post privately. The policies include statements about how employees may not share proprietary information nor make statements which negatively reflect on their company, their fellow employees, or the customers they serve.

School districts typically have no such policy or guideline about the use of social media. In addition, districts have the added responsibility of how social media should be used in regards to their most important responsibility: children. Many districts do not have a written policy regarding teacher/student communications through social media outside of school. The wiki: Social Media Guidelines for Schools is a good starting place for a district K-12 social media policy.

In addition to defining a social media policy, districts must consider how to best utilize the potential of social media for marketing and communicating to their customers - their students, parents, and community. In this course we also analyze strategies from businesses to benefit from social media.

Districts can learn from these strategies as they begin to explore using Facebook and Twitter.

Andy Mann is an educational technology consultant for a regional service center in Michigan. He will share what he has learned in the course as he presents at the 2010 MACUL Conference a presentation titled, “School Marketing in a Social Media Jungle.”