After reading this headline, you may be thinking “but I don’t have a back-to school social media campaign.” Well, here’s the thing. Back-to-school is relevant for almost any business or industry. As a parent or guardian, think of all the time spent in the preparation for getting kids back to school. Think about what kids want for the perfect back-to-school experience. Sometimes that preparation goes beyond school supplies and clothing. Now that we’ve got that cleared up, it’s time to give you some ideas to work with.
Segment your audience
The great thing about the back-to-school campaign is that it’s so broad. Your target audience can be divided into three main groups: kids, parents, and teachers. Choose one or more and maintain a focus on your audience. Doing so will keep your campaign cohesive and is more likely to generate positive results.
Segment the timing of your campaign
Back-to-school is generally that elephant in the room throughout the summer. Come August, the elephant’s presence is well-known to all. Decide when you want to launch your campaign and then plan accordingly. The key is to make sure you’re timely. If your campaign is launched in October, then it won’t be relevant.
Celebrate with parents
Back-to-school is a time many parents celebrate. They are no longer hearing the words “I’m bored” from their kids. Well, at least not as often. If your target audience is parents, then it’s time to get creative with the ways in which you can market your products or services. Maybe it’s something as simple as saying “Feeling stressed from back-to-school preparations? Then treat yourself to a spa treatment.” Thoughtful touches like these will be well received by your audience.
Post staff photos on social media
Similar to the way in which parents post photos of their kids on their first day of school, encourage your staff to do the same. But rather than posting photos of kids, you can post photos of your staff holding a sign saying what grade their child is going to school. People do business with people and your followers are more likely trust the people they’re doing business with if they get to know a bit about them.
Post photos of the products that are relevant for back-to-school
In doing so, you’re helping to make preparations a little bit easier. If you’re in the food industry, you can post photos of a school lunch with your product in it. School lunches are one of the biggest pain points for parents and photos such as those may help to remove some of the guess work.
Promote the idea of making the home back-to-school ready
Back-to-school is about spending more time indoors and less time outdoors. The weather gets cooler and kids tend to spend more time indoors doing homework or playing inside after school. If your industry is focused on home comfort or home renovations, then you can inform your audience on the products and services that make your home a welcoming environment when the kids come home from school. If your campaign is targeted to parents, then maybe your messaging is focused about the products and services parents have more time to take advantage of.
Ask questions
This tip applies for any social media post. Posts with questions invite the opportunity for comments. When it comes to back-to-school, make sure your question is focused on back-to-school but also relevant to your industry. Let’s say you sell books. Rather than asking a broad question such as “how do your kids get ready for back to school?” you could ask “what book will you be reading to your child as a bedtime story the night before the first day of school?”
What ideas have you used for your back to school messaging on social media? Leave a comment below!
4 Types of Negative Posts and How You Can Handle Each One
Ah negative posts. We’ve all seen them. Do we all love them? Not so much. Do we all know how to deal with them appropriately? Also, maybe not so much. Here’s how you can handle each type of negative post.
Troll
A troll is known for deliberately posting inflammatory or irrelevant comments that can be harmful to the wider community reading those comments. It’s a good idea to monitor the post for any follow-up responses. Alternatively, the post can be deleted or hidden if there is any derogatory or vulgar language in the comment itself.
Misinformed User
Misinformed posts are those posts which contain content that is inaccurate. These posts are generally regarding news and events. It’s a good idea to jump into the conversation and provide accurate information.
Unhappy Client
While it’s unfortunate that your unhappy client is expressing their feelings on a public domain, it’s important to provide a response to the individual with a solution to the problem. The general rule is to respond twice with the second response containing a phone number or e-mail address for the user to have a private discussion with you. This is your opportunity to shine and provide superb customer service to resolve the issue
Ranter or Rager
These types of posts generally come from someone who comments with the intent to cause a debate or stir the pot. The best solution is to monitor these posts with the hope that other social media users will provide a medium to create a healthy debate. If the user continues to fuel a debate with you, then follow the suggestion mentioned in the previous point.
Silence or lack of action is often not the best solution, especially on a public domain such as social media. While it may be tempting to block a user or delete a negative post or comment, you’re missing out on an opportunity to rise above.
Do you have any tips for managing a negative post? Share your them in the comments below!