TIPS FOR USING SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECTIVELY IN COLLEGE COUNSELING Meeting Students/Families Where They Are: Meredith Britt, New Community Jewish High School Nicole Thompson, Sage Hill School Aviva Walls, Shalhevet High School

AGENDA Why even try? Available Platforms Types of Content Show, Don’t Just Tell Building “Likes” Best Practices Inspiration

WHY EVEN TRY? It’s where they are, why not use it? A way to share more engaging material (articles, pictures, videos) without overloading Feeding the hungry sharks Another way to advertise the great work we do with the larger school community

Platforms Photo heavy School Based/LMS Blogging Platforms

Original Material Outside Resources College of the Week Lingo - definitions Trivia Announcements Reminders Good Luck messages Articles Shared content Scholarship Links Gap Year programs Links to outside programs/fairs Types of Content

College Visits and Social Media Before the visit  Post a few sentences about each college along with time and location  Advertise with the school’s logo  Could also use a relevant article/picture to draw interest RSVPs  There are pros and cons to having students RSVP to a visit using social media  Might get more/younger kids interested, but harder to then push to Naviance During the visit  Take pictures of the rep engaged with students to post later After  Gives the school community a better sense of the wide variety of schools visiting

Show, Don’t Just Tell By far the most popular content  See a surge in engagement with sites when post pictures  Increase in followers when post pictures of a college tour or event Pick Great Profile and Cover Pictures Post Pictures whenever you’re away visiting a college When in doubt, link a picture  Articles – use a thumbnail  Find pictures for colleges using google images or use a screen shot You can also post inspirational memes and funny videos Be careful about posting photos of your kids  check if your school has photo waivers on file

Building a Following Likes beget likes  When close to a “milestone number” advertise it Spread the word however you can  Class meetings/Advisory  Parent programs  signature Make it easy  Put the direct link in an  QR codes on your handouts that link to your page Use the resources of your school  Links/shares from the school’s account (if available)  Weekly roundup  Advertise to incoming students?? Incentives  A raffle or coupon to school store  Give away college swag

Best Practices – Consistency is Key Posting regularly builds credibility and “likes” Pre-Schedule Posts when Possible  Take advantage of slower times in your office to post ahead of time  Use the clock icon or ads.twitter.com Stay on track even when you’re away from the office  Use the Pages app on an iphone/ipad to do mobile uploads and even schedule posts while you’re on the road Stay Organized  Keep a spreadsheet of what and when you’re posting  This way you won’t post the same thing twice and you’ll know you’re covering every topic, event and reminder

Best Practices – Cont Only Post Monday – Friday Use your data!  You can figure out the days/times that are most popular for your families If a post is for a specific audience, announce that  ex: JUNIORS, SENIORS, PARENTS, etc Create a fictional person for your facebook account  Jenna Jaguar at NCJHS  Will make it easier to pass along to another staff member Avoid posting private and proprietary information Have a Succession Plan and Emergency Plan in Place Take advantage of outside resources  “like” or follow as many relevant pages as you can

Inspiration Professional OrganizationsColleges High Schools

Contact Information Meredith Britt – Nicole Thompson – Aviva Walls –