This fight is set for 5 rounds, our contenders are:

Despite several public backlashes in recent times, Facebook remains to be the world's largest social media platform, with an astounding 2.38 BILLION monthly active users as of 2019.

With that many eyes on Facebook, the advertising opportunities make the platform one of the biggest shop windows in the world.  Using Facebook for paid advertising is not only highly targetable, but is also a cost effective and trackable method to get users onto your website.

Haven’t used Facebook ads as part of your school marketing before? No problem! Let’s start with the what and why...

What is a Facebook ad?

• Posts that a business has paid Facebook to show to a targeted user based on information provided by a user’s Facebook account. 

• A user could be targeted for a number of reasons.  It could be age, gender, location, and even interests. 

Why should my school pay for advertising on Facebook when I can post on my page for free?

• Posting organically (non-paid) is limited to the people that already know about you and their friends. Paid advertising allows you to reach a significant amount of new people, that are targeted specifically by their demographics and interests. 

• Advertising on Facebook doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. It is a much more cost-effective marketing channel than more traditional approaches.  Bare in mind a higher budget will result in higher click-through rates to your website, but a budget of £250-£300 for a four week campaign can be successful. 

What could my school advertise on Facebook? 

• Open days and events 

• Public events

• Staff Vacancies

• Overall awareness campaign of your school

Let’s get started with creating a great Facebook ad campaign in five steps! This example is running a campaign for an Open Day: 

1. Optimise your website for the campaign

Before setting up an ad, there’s a little bit of ground work to optimise your website for the campaign. Humans are naturally impatient and will leave the website if they can’t find what they’re looking for, so ensure the landing page is highly engaging with clear information and calls to action. 

Use the calendar for event itineraries and booking forms. Any booking forms should be as simple as possible, embedded onto your website and redirect to a thankyou page on submission to make completions trackable.

E.g. www.yourschoolwebsite.com/open-day/thank-you

2. Set up your campaign within Facebook ads Manager

Despite several public backlashes in recent times, Facebook remains to be the world's largest social media platform, with an astounding 2.38 BILLION monthly active users as of 2019.

Thinking about starting a school podcast but not sure where to begin? We recently started our own podcast over on our Soundcloud account and wanted to share what we learnt along the way! This easy guide will take you from zero to hero. In April, we released a blog on 5 great ideas to start a school podcast but how do we put those great ideas into practice?

A good content strategy is key to sharing your #SchoolStories across the world. However, there always seems to be certain channels that continue to cause confusion. In this new series of #SchoolBytes we will be taking a look at the aspects of your content strategy that may still leave you scratching your head.

In this first edition, we will be looking at how to master Pinterest and make your #SchoolStories stand out.

You may be wondering how to use Pinterest in your school? Before we share how to become a master have a look at our suggestions for where Pinterest could be used in your school.

Food and Drink - Hungry? Pinterest's stunning visual platform is the perfect recipe for when it comes to sharing creative and innovative food ideas. Consider using Pinterest to fuel the inspiration for your future food tech classes.

Do you know your stories from your highlights? Your showcases from your boomerangs? I hope you’ve brought your lightsaber because this 5-step guide will take you from a #SocialPadawan to a #DigitalJedi on Instagram!

You were tempted by The Dark Side in stage 4 but it was clear to see that there was still good in you. Now grab on to your lightsaber for the final stage of your #DigitalJedi Instagram training! This one is sure to test even the best of you.

Do you know your stories from your highlights? Your showcases from your boomerangs? I hope you’ve brought your lightsaber because this 5-step guide will take you from a #SocialPadawan to a #DigitalJedi on Instagram!

You’ve passed stage 3 of your training. Now #DigitalKnight you’ve been tempted by The Dark Side but there is still good in you! Come forth and complete stage 4 of your training to become a #SocialSith