You may or may not be aware that Facebook made some pretty significant changes to their news feed algorithm earlier this year. Now the dust has settled, we can look at how you can make the most of these changes to better your #SchoolMarketing.

Did you fall for our clickbait?!! (sorry about that)

Regarded by many as annoying and unwanted, clickbait is the term used for articles / news that lure people in with enticing titles, but generally result in very little good content.

Most of us will know about clickbait, and yet we still click on these articles! What is it that lures us in and how can we then apply that to #SchoolMarketing?

7 elements of a clickbait title

Clickbait is grounded in understanding the human psyche. They play with our natural curiosity and become irresistible. After analysing lots of titles, one researcher believes there are 7 elements that make up clickbait titles:

1. list: commonly seen on platforms such as BuzzFeed, for example: 20 restaurants that are straight-up living in the future. Lists are attention grabbing and effective lures that evoke our natural curiosity.  
2. personal stories: using "you" or "I" in the title makes a title relatable and plays with our empathetic sides. Similarly, a story that features a person is relatable. This is why you shouldn't outrun a bear or This CEO's trick to managing hundreds of emails a day is absolutely brilliant are two great examples.
3. animal: the internet and animals seem to go hand-in-hand. How many can say they don't know about the sneezing panda, or haven't watched funny cat / dog videos for an alarmingly long time? Break through the cute-factor with titles like: 20+ times Shibas proved they’re the most Much Wow dogs ever!
4. recent media attention / news story: it seems obvious to say, but using trending news stories is a sure way to gain more clicks. We saw a lot of this on Facebook during the US elections. Popular news outlets even began using clickbait titles to push their content further, like Newsweek's article: Good news Donald Trump, you don't have to be very smart to be a good leader.
5. pop-culture / food-culture reference: food and pop culture are seemingly irresistible topics. Quizzes like: Make yourself a cupcake and we'll guess your favourite cereal just seem to grab our attention. BuzzFeed's Tasty is also a great example of how to do it well, pushing content across Facebook and similar channels.
6. unknown / new concepts: dangling an element of mystery as bait, or suggesting a new idea, makes it very difficult to resist clicking on a title. Does something like: Man tries to hug a wild lion, you won’t believe what happens next make you want to click it? 
7. shock or excitement: suggesting something shocking and exciting is another powerful method to convince readers to click. 

Of the top performing clickbait articles:

• 17% were listicles
• 29% of the most shared titles mentioned “you”, “I” or hinted at a personal story
• Only 8% mentioned an animal
• 63% made a pop-culture reference or mentioned food
• 63% also mentioned recent events in the news and media
• 67% contained an unknown or new concept
• 79% of the articles contained an element of shock

The X-Factor of titles

Did you know: combining these elements into titles can make articles even more appealing? It is just a matter of finding X.

According to the same research, titles with 3 or 4 elements within them have the greatest level of engagement!.

How to use in #SchoolMarketing

While clickbait is not the best received marketing tactic right now, we would still argue that there is value in taking the principles of clickbait titles and applying them to your school's marketing. It would be interesting to see what comes out of it. 

Here are a few example titles we had fun coming up with. Remember, 3 or 4 elements in a title seem to have the greatest impact.

• 7 pizza recipes from the brilliant minds of children to give you goosebumps  (e.g. home economics)
• This is how one pupil broke the school record. You won't believe how! (e.g. sports)
• 10 trips all the kids are talking about. #4 will shock you! (e.g. school trips)
• This is why our school is winning all the awards. Our parents can't believe it, can you? 
• Tell us your favourite ice cream and we'll tell you what Old Schoolian you are (e.g. Alumni) 

By keeping the content light you can create eye catching titles that people will want to click. Thank you clickbait!

What do you think about this? Could clickbait hold some truth to great titles or is it all too much? We'd love to hear your thoughts. Please do comment below...you won't believe what will happen!

As a digital marketer, you are likely to have come across the term SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). In short, it is the way you set up and optimise a website so it features higher on a search results (e.g. Google).

There are lots of ways you can improve your SEO - too many to add into a single article! This week, we will focus on something called SERP - what it is and how you can perfect it for your school website.

Search Engine Results Page (SERP)

Whenever you search for something on Google, you may have noticed different types of results coming back? These can be:

• standard results (e.g. a list of sites that best match your search term)
• an Answer Box (also known as a Featured Snippet) at the top of the results page, followed by the standard results
• a PPC advert at the top of the page (or several) related to your search term
• a Knowledge Panel / Graph to the right-hand side of your results
• ALL OF THE ABOVE!

It is possible to influence all of these possible results using best practice techniques around SEO.

For some of the biggest technological innovations of our history, we can measure success by at the level of users. Hitting the coveted 50 million users mark is a sure sign of triumph, but how quickly are top technologies taking to reach this magic number? 

[1] Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality [CORRECT]

We said: The technology and behaviour around VR and AR will evolve over the next 12 months, and further.

2017 has seen VR and AR come along in leaps and bounds. It is clear that the applications offered by VR and AR have a long way to go, but in a relatively short amount of time both platforms are readily available to everyday consumers.

• For VR, we have Google Card (incredibly cheap, to be used with a mobile device) and a whole variety of VR headsets, such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and gaming headsets like PlayStation VR. 
• For AR, the introduction of ARKit on the new iPhone models has brought augmented reality into the homes of millions.

VR and AR will undoubtedly remain a trend throughout 2018, expanding into other sectors outside entertainment. Keep an eye on the education industry in particular, as VR and AR become key learning tools both inside and outside the classroom. Google expeditions is already a prime example of this!

Each year, schools all around the world share their inspiring #SchoolStories throughout December. Each day there's a new challenge to tackle and share with your community. We call it #SocialAdvent.

Will you be taking part?

The #SocialAdvent Challenge 2017

December has been a firm favourite at @intSchools HQ over past years. We put lots of time into making this challenge as fun as possible for schools wanting to get involved.

This year we are looking to make our fourth #SocialAdvent challenge the greatest one yet, with a record number of participants across a global audience. To make it extra special, our creative elves have been hard at work - coming up and designing a bigger, better and refreshed #SocialAdvent to spread festive marketing cheer throughout December. 

Get involved!

Download the #SocialAdvent Calendar using the links below. We have created two versions for you:

• poster - download and stick onto your wall

• foldable desk calendar - download, fold in half and keep on your desk

Creating videos for your school marketing does not need to be complicated or expensive. No need to hire Spielberg or rent out a £100,000 camera to capture your #SchoolStories.

Instead, make use of the tools that are readily available - you likely have a decent camera and full editing suite sitting in your pocket or handbag right now.

Being mobile

A large part of what we deliver to schools is this idea of capturing #SchoolStories as they happen. How? By using mobile devices (i.e. smart phones and tablets).

It gives the user the easiest method of recording a quick video - or montage of pictures, or audio bite or whatever it may be - without having to lug around additional equipment. It allows for spontaneity and mobility. 

Recording a video

Every modern smart phone will have a native camera app that allows for video recording. There are, of course, hundreds of other apps that can be downloaded / purchased, but try using the native one first to get a feel for it.

You’ll remember we previously wrote a blog post about what a Digital Storyteller (DS) is and why your school should hire one. Many of you got in touch to ask what the person who could fulfil this role looks like; to understand what their skills, qualities and background might be.

Well you asked, so we answered! Behold...the Digital Storyteller.

 

JOB SPECIFICATION

Digital Storyteller

 

Department: Marketing and Communications

Reporting to: Marketing Manager

Level/Grade: Dependent on experience

Type of Position: Online Marketing/Communications

Hours per Week: Dependent on school

Weekends/Evening: Dependent on school

Salary: Dependent on experience

 

Job Summary:

Talented individual required to promote school brand and identity to our community of parents, pupils, prospectives and wider audiences. Should have exceptional understanding of social media, to build relationships and deliver the school's unique tone of voice across multiple channels. Ability to spot and produce quality content, to marry to relevant social media channels, is highly desirable.

Top candidates will be influencers; bringing staff, pupils and current parents on-board to achieve marketing objectives. Workload will be high and varied, so you must be able to multitask across various projects.

Role Responsibilities:

• Ensure content shared on digital channels is optimised to achieve marketing objectives

• Generate ideas for content and marketing campaigns

• Write and produce quality content, taking into account conventions and limitations of social media platforms

• Manage and respond to negative feedback on social media

• Liaise with external individuals - in person and online (not students, parents or teachers)

• Use content creation and editing software (such as iMovie and Adobe Photoshop/InDesign) to create quality content

• Use school CMS to create pages and publish content

• Liaise with Graphic Design department to produce marketing collateral

• Collect and collate feedback into actionable points

• Track analytics to measure effectiveness and efficiency of digital marketing campaigns

Personal Specification

Qualifications and Experience:

• An understanding of conventions and purposes of specific marketing processes and methods

• An understanding of the conventions and ‘best practice’ of specific social media platforms

• Broad understanding of social and digital media

• Experience of using scheduling tools (including HootSuite, TweetDeck, Buffer and SproutSocial)

• Intimate knowledge and understanding of SEO and Analytics 

• Experience of using Content Management Systems (CMS)

• Video production/editing

• Desire to continually evolve personal understanding of marketing and social media trends

• Ability to write basic HTML

• Should have portfolio relevant activities

Capabilities and Aptitudes:

• Digital media / social media savvy

• Social media user

• Creative

• Versatile, flexible and dynamic attitude

• Someone who is able to remain abreast of key marketing and social media trends

• Someone who loves telling stories in a multitude of ways (NOT just pen and paper)

• Personable and outgoing

• Strong interpersonal skills

• Uses initiative, works autonomously

• Can collaborate well with others

• Influencer

• Organised and able to juggle varied workload

 

The kind of person you are looking to hire will depend more on you as a school and your expectations of the role than it will any other factor. There are questions to answer and variables to consider. By taking the time to answer these questions, you are half way to emplying your school’s ideal Digital Storyteller.  

The role of the DS centres around the telling of your #SchoolStories, using a wide range of digital media and content that can be published across your school's social platforms. This content can be used to increase brand awareness of your school and aid in humanising your brand to prospective pupils and parents.

The scope of hiring a DS for your school can only really be viewed as a grey process, rather than one that is black or white. There is no "one size fits all" job specification, but by carefully considering what it is you want from your DS you will soon be able to flesh out what qualities, attributes and experiences are important to you and to the person you wish to hire. 

The good news is, it won’t take long to know if you have hired the right person for the job! At @intSchools, we know how rich the lives of your students and your school are; so it goes without saying that the person who is right for the job is the person who will share your amazing and inspiring #SchoolStories to the world.