Introduction
Pacific Church Schools (PCS) are encouraged to use Facebook as a tool for communicating with their local school communities as needed. Facebook is fast becoming a favourable communication platform in the islands due to its accessibility, user experience, and popularity.
Facebook is currently the preferred social media platform for PCS, but schools may also use additional communication methods such as newsletters, messaging platforms, radio etc in conjunction with Facebook as needed.
NOTE: A big plus for using Facebook in the islands is that students and parents do not need an email address to use the platform. If an email address is not available, new users can sign-up for the service using a phone number instead. This is helpful in the islands where email addresses are not always common.
Please use the guidelines outlined in this article series to get started on Facebook, or to refine your Facebook strategy if you are already using the service.
Getting Started
Make a Plan
The first step in using Facebook to communicate with your school community is to create a plan. Your plan need not be complicated. At the very least create a simple plan (a Facebook strategy) to answer questions such as:
- Who will manage the page?
- How often will we post?
- What types of content will we post?
- How will we respond when negative posts or comments are shared on the page?
- How will we encourage our staff to use the page?
- How will we encourage our students and parents to use the page?
- What rules will we establish for using the page?
Establish a Communications Committee
A communications committee should exist to help with delivering any type of communication in Pacific Schools, including Facebook. In small schools, this committee may consist of just 2 people. In large schools, the committee may have several committee members. Some committee members may take care of school newsletters and events. Other committee members may take care of digital communications such as Facebook posts and school emails.
There is no hard rule for the size or structure of a communications committee in PCS, but even for a small school please ensure that there are at least two people involved in any communication efforts. This might mean that one person is in charge of managing the Facebook page and its content and that another person is used to "approve" or "review" content before it is published. In other words, be sure to select at least two key contributors:
The Social Media Manager: This is the main person who will manage the page as well as make posts, uploads, and monitor conversations. Note: There may be multiple people contributing to the page, but one key person should be selected to "manage" the page. This person would normally be a school office assistant or another tech-savvy member of the faculty.
The Communications Committee Chair: This is the person who will approve or review content before it is posted as well as lead the communication strategy. This person would normally be a Principal or Vice-Principal, or another member of the faculty.
There is much wisdom in having at least one other person review content before it is published. This does not mean that schools undergo a thorough review for every post, it simply means that schools should use at least one other set of eyes to briefly review a communication before it is posted. This can prevent small mistakes such as spelling errors, or larger problems such as copyright infringement or discussing sensitive topics appropriately.
Establish a System
Be sure to establish a clear and simple system for collecting information, pictures, and stories to share on your Facebook page. A very simple way to do this is to have all staff and faculty send their suggestions and photos directly to the social media manager via email. The social media manager can then collect and discuss all proposed content with the communications committee for approval.
Optimize Your Page Profile
There are lots of settings to check, and fields to fill out when creating or updating your Facebook page. It is important to use settings and page fields in a way that promotes your school but also protects your school, the Church, and the safety of your staff and students.
Some simple guidelines for setting up your school Facebook page are outlined in this article but feel free to contact the PCS Communications Manager to help ensure that your Facebook page has been set up and optimized correctly.
Sharing Content
Engage Your Audience
When making posts on Facebook there are two general rules to help ensure that you keep your audience engaged:
1. Always try to use an image, video, or flyer when you post
2. Keep the text short
Also, keep in mind that even though it's important to share information and news about your school, also remember that your school is often a major hub in your community and your page can also be a way to share helpful community information or learning resources. For example, if there is a local organisation offering free support for people affected by the pandemic, then it might be appropriate to share information about this service on your page. Similarly, it might be appropriate to share a link to an education app or website that could help students and parents.
NOTE: School Facebook pages should not be used as a promotional platform for businesses or individuals. Sharing information about helpful services in the community should be carefully considered to ensure that the page is not perceived as a promotional platform for professional products and services.
Use the Rule of Thirds
Generally speaking, the type of content your post on Facebook can be grouped into three broad categories. Try to balance your page with posts from each of these three categories to keep your audience engaged:
1. School Information and Events: This category includes general school news, announcements, events, activities, calendar dates, weather warnings, Government MOE updates etc.
2. Educational Ideas and Resources: This category includes educational resources, quotes, and ideas from educational thought leaders, Church leaders, and other sources. These types of posts can help maintain page interest when a good selection of interesting topics is shared.
3. Inspirational Stories and Successes: This category includes inspirational stories from the classroom and school community. Be sure to celebrate the successes of students, parents, teachers, school leaders, and members of the community in order to build an online community with lots of engagement.
Use a Variety of Post "Types"
As you keep the above categories in mind, also be sure to use a good mix of post types on your page. Schools may share helpful information and content in the form of:
Helpful or Interesting Links; Pictures and Videos; Blog Articles; Student Work; Success Stories; Calendar Reminders; Facts and Stats; Community Questions; Advice or Tips; Inspirational Quotes; Student Artwork; Gratitude Posts; Job Openings; Student or Class of the Week; Teacher Recognitions; Citizenship Awards etc.
Be Responsible When Re-Sharing Content
When "re-posting" other people's content on your page, be sure to act responsibly:
1. Personalize the post by providing some context. In other words, don't just reshare a post without typing a brief explanation as to why this might be helpful or inspirational to viewers of your page.
2. Give credit where credit is due. In other words, be sure to always give credit to the original author of a post if it is not already clear.
3. Never post other people's pictures without their written permission. Sharing other peoples pictures is only okay if you are "re-sharing" their post using the "share" button on Facebook. It is against the law to download someone else's pictures and then repost them on your page unless you have their written permission.
Managing Your Page
Interacting and Responding to Followers
If you have a Facebook page it is important that you respond in a timely manner to questions or concerns posted on your page. This can be difficult to manage and moderate if you have a busy page, but responding regularly and appropriately to your audience is important. Quick engagement and timely responses are necessary to project a professional image.
NOTE: Staying "engaged" with your audience does not mean that you must respond to every like or comment on your page. Page managers and moderators should be scanning to see which comments or posts need additional interaction or response and then act in a quick, professional manner.
Handling Negative Comments
Unfortunately, negative comments may surface on your page from time to time. Whether the comment is mild or severe, you need to act on it quickly. The key is to have a plan for responding. A simple plan may look like this:
1. Scan daily for negative or inappropriate comments and posts
2. Address negative comments briefly and professionally
3. Remove inappropriate comments immediately
4. Seek help from the school Principal or the Area Office if the situation escalates
Some additional tips for handling negative comments can be found here: How to handle negative comments on social media
Measuring and Improving
Facebook has built-in analytics that makes it easy to determine what is working best on your Facebook page. Simply select "Insights" from the left-hand "manage page" menu to view your page insights. Take a bit of time now and again to review your page insights to learn how to communicate better with your audience.
Promoting Your Page
School Facebook pages do not usually take long to gather a steady following. If you are still building your page audience, you may want to do some of the following to speed up the process:
1. Ask page followers to share your page on their personal social media profile
2. Include a link to your school Facebook page in the email signatures of teachers and faculty
3. Advertise the school page on school notice-boards and newsletters etc