Some have described it as the most wonderful time of the year and December means only one thing in the Interactive Schools HQ…

Have you ever been on your devices and found the screen brightness just way too much to handle?

It is nearly the end of the year, but not too late to get started on your video strategy for the new year! Video marketing can go hand in hand with paid advertising, or if you are wanting to showcase a specific event, like an important open day that might be coming up. Although there are many types of video all with different styles and methods of production, we have narrowed it down to five steps so that you can get started on your Video Marketing Strategy for your school.

A couple of months ago we took you through how to set up an ad on Facebook in 5 easy steps. This week we will be discussing how to write compelling copy for your Facebook Ads.

With 2.38 BILLION monthly active users as of 2019, the advertising opportunities make the platform one of the biggest in the world. Using Facebook for paid advertising is not only targetable, but is also a very cost effective and trackable option to get users onto your website or converting. Facebook ads will allow you to target only those who are likely to turn from prospective parents/students to bums on seats!

Do you regularly Google your school? Do you wonder why your school appears lower down the list than other schools in the area? It’s easy to get lost and be scared of acronyms such as SERP or SEO, but there are some simple steps you could take RIGHT NOW to be on the road to better search rankings.

Let’s start with SERP

SERP is just a fancy acronym for Search Engine Results Page. When you input a keyword or a phrase into a search engine (e.g. Google), the engine searches for the most relevant content that is created just for you, based on your browser history, social setting and location. You will notice two types of content come up; organic and paid results, along with a variety of features such as shopping results, knowledge graphs or reviews.

‘Organic’ results are pages that are shown to you due to the search engine’s algorithm based on your query. On the other hand, paid results are basically advertisements that the website owners have paid for that will only show up if their chosen keywords match your query. The sad reality is that if your school website does not come up on the first page of Google Search, you will receive fewer visitors.

Is there a better way to return to school than to find an email waiting in your inbox saying that your YouTube account has been suspended? Don’t fear! The @intSchools team of #DigitalJedi is here to help.

Your Marketing or IT department may have had an email from Google regarding branded YouTube Accounts. Google is no longer allowing YouTube accounts to be linked to G Suite for Education accounts. This should not be ignored and if not acted upon can result in suspension or deletion of your YouTube Account.

This is an issue with G Suite for Education that is affecting schools. YouTube is no longer allowing YouTube accounts to be connected to GSuite for Education primary/secondary (K-12) email addresses.

We have contacted Google for the solution and you will have to transfer ownership to either a consumer account (@gmail.com) or a G Suite account holder that is not in a G Suite for education primary/secondary (K-12) school domain.

It’s back to school month here at Interactive Schools and schools in the UK.

The doors are once more open! Pupils and staff, old and new, are filing back in. Classes, which stood so eerily quiet only a few weeks ago, are open again for business. Yes! Welcome #BackToSchool.

Here are some of the best moments from schools getting back to it this week!

With social media and tech innovations changing trends on a regular basis, it becomes easy for "old-school" channels / platforms to go on the back-burner. The humble blog seems to be one such outlet that schools are forgetting about.

BUT: are we doing the right thing in pushing blogs away and focussing instead on the very fluid trends of the year / month / day?!! Do blogs still have a place in your school?

BLOGGING STATISTICS

Let's take a look at the blog's place in modern #ContentMarketing for some insight:

• blogging is the TOP form of content marketing: the top three content marketing tactics are blogging (65%), social media (64%), and case studies (64%) [source]

• long-form content is "in" right now: the average blog post is now 1,142 words (up 41% since 2014) showing an appetite for more long-form content [source]

• it's still popular with top businesses: 53% of marketers say blogging is their top content marketing priority, so emulating this seems a sound investment in time [source]

• Google loves blogs: companies that blog have 434% more indexed pages than businesses without blogs, meaning it helps massively with SEO [source]

Looking at these states, there are two points worth noting:

1. blogging is even more relevant today than it was 4 years ago (despite trends in tech and social media)

2. people want to read blogs (and big businesses know this), or at least longer form content

Still not convinced? Then how about considering these questions:

• does your school have current parents and pupils?

• does your school have prospective parents and pupils?

• are they online?

• do they read online?

If the answer to all these questions is yes, then your school would benefit from a blog.

The two faces of the school blog

So you've decided that perhaps a blog could work for you, but what should the focus of it be? After all, there needs to be a strategy that leads it (as with any form of content you are producing).

Typically, we see three types of school blog:

[1] the head's blog: for many schools, their head / principal is a leader of not only the school itself but of the education sector. We work with many amazing head teachers who are thought leaders and influencers in all sorts of topics, ranging from education technologies to leadership; women in STEM to creativity in the classroom.

The primary purpose of the head's blog is to be an authority person for their school, to promote and drive conversation around what your school does. They are #DigitalAmbassadors and should be leading your school's online presence.

Take a look at Nicholas Hammond's blog for The British School of Paris, a great example of just this.

So, you’ve set up your fresh social media accounts and you’re ready to go. This easy guide will take you through step 1 of #DigitalJedi training to become a #SocialPadawan.

Grab your snorkels and step into your flippers as we take a journey into the endless depths and possibilities of your #ContentStrategy. Welcome to our new ‘Deep Dive Into’ series, first up, producing great video content.