Sometimes dubbed ‘the Year of the Podcast’, 2018 offered interesting insight into the content habits of social media audiences.

In the UK, podcast listeners have boomed in the last five years. In fact, 5.9 million UK adults (11%) aged 15+ are noted as weekly podcast listeners; almost doubling from 3.2 million (7%) back in 2013. While most age groups are represented, the most notable demographic to adopt podcasts are 15-24 years olds.

Across the pond, US audiences are also consuming podcasts at an increased rate. Last year, 12 million people listened to a podcast for the first time and over a quarter of all Americans (84.5 million) listen to podcasts on a monthly basis. To put that in context, that is more people than the combined populations of Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal!

"WeChat is a way of Life" - Allen Zhang, founder of WeChat

WhatsApp and its instant messaging, Facebook’s feed and archiving, Twitter’s constant up-to-date feed, Instagram’s photo sharing and YouTube’s ability to create and share videos. Guaranteed that you will have some, if not all of these apps. WeChat has these and so much more and unlike many other apps/websites it is not blocked in China. If you live in the West you may not know of this app, but soon you may install ‘The App for Everything’.

The great firewall of China is real, many websites are blocked, one in particular you may have heard of and rely on heavily… Google, this means no Google Maps, no Gmail, no Google Docs, no Play Store, the list goes on... WeChat takes elements of our favourite apps and brings them together in one app with their own store, maps, social feed, banking, voice messaging, online dating, and so much more.

Created in 2011, ‘Wēixìn’ (almost pronounced like ‘we she-en’) was created as a multi-purpose, social media, and mobile payment app. With WhatsApp, Facebook, etc. all being blocked behind the Great Firewall of China, the only way to stay in touch with the western world (without the use of a VPN) is to use this app… and ask family and friends to download it as well. Beyond having to download and create an account for another app, this will work just the same as WhatsApp, with a few bonuses where they could learn a thing or two. WeChat is becoming harder to put into a nutshell.

Let’s start with a laugh and the app built upon the emoji that is found on every phone and allowed limitless possibilities with the use of ‘stickers’ where you can download premade animations or you can be creative and make custom stickers, it’s easy:

1. Find an image or GIF and save it to your phone or desktop.

2. Open the WeChat app, select ‘account’ and then the ‘sticker gallery’.

3. Select ‘custom sticker’ and add anything you like.

4. Picture this: You get asked if you’re dressed and ready to go to a wedding. In two taps (no more than what you would do for an emoji), you could send one or both of these as a reply…

Think about it, how many times do you pick up your phone and mindlessly check Instagram? How many times do you check your timeline, only to quickly respond to a message and then refresh your feed again for the 800th time that day. Is it any wonder when there are so many accounts to follow? - all claiming to help you achieve your dream body, the ‘perfect’ job, the ‘perfect’ filtered life. We can get lost in a sea of ‘likes’ and comments for validation.  

#DoItForTheGram

Picture this, you’re scrolling down your timeline on Instagram and you are bombarded by images and posts by social media influencers – their message is one that seems simple enough: be yourself, love your body, embrace your flaws. Most of the time these images that are highly edited and perfectly poised often depict an unrealistic standard of beauty. Interestingly, free apps that can manipulate your body or face seem to be one of the most popular editing apps to download.

The younger generation base a lot of their thoughts, feelings, and emotions on what they see online, and can we blame them? This is where the younger generation spend most of their time. This is where they can see inside a celebrity or influencers life, where more often than not the way you look warrants sponsorship deals, free products, and the idea of a lavish, easily attainable life.

Mental health week spiked up a debate as to whether social media is detrimental to teens. A lot of Instagram influencers would proceed to post pictures of their lavish lifestyles with an inspirational caption. In turn, a lot of them were criticised for not actually taking the aspect of mental health seriously and were actually adding to the increasing problem.

Nowadays, there is an obsession with posting the ‘Perfect Selfie’ and our society is inundated with images that are meant to sell us a product, brand, or lifestyle. Is it any wonder that when we look at our own lives and they do not quite fit into the backdrop of an ‘Instagram’ filter, we see our own accomplishments fall short? Does my edited image or heavily filtered photo make me more of a marketing tool? We are so spoilt with everything being so easily accessible and on demand all of the time that we can sometimes forget to connect with reality and appreciate what it takes to be ‘alive’, in a world consumed by virtual reality and refreshed timelines.

This ideal can be detrimental to our teens that seem to live their lives on a social platform often doing things or posting content purely for ‘likes’ and doing it #ForTheGram’. There seems to be a conflicting message across most influencers, ‘be confident, love yourself, but that’s only okay if you fit into the mould and the standards of what society deems beautiful.’ If we can manipulate our images so easily, do we lose touch with reality? And constantly chase impossible and unrealistic #Goals.

It must be difficult and confusing for our future generation to receive such mixed signals and it’s hardly surprising that the youth of today set such high standards for themselves and anxiety and depression in teens has increased drastically, ‘Anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental illnesses and affect 25 percent of all teens and 30 percent of all teen girls.’ Even teenagers that don’t necessarily want to engage in social media can feel the pressure of having to keep up with the latest social trends in order to fit into conversation with their peers.

It isn’t all doom and gloom though, there are a lot of positive messages that can come from social media and we can see the sense and the shift occurring. Influencers such as Chessie King, who set up an Instagram campaign about cyber bullying and internet trolling, edited an image of herself but edited it using comments her trolls had left her on her page. She did so to highlight the detrimental effect that cyberbullying can have on people, especially teenagers, and shared the ‘beauty ideal’ with her followers:

You’ve likely heard of (and perhaps even using) WhatsApp, a popular messaging app that allows you to you easily communicate with people. It’s a free app that works in a similar way to Instant Messenger. You can chat with friends, clients, business partners - and even create ‘groups’ so you can message multiple people at once. All you need is a mobile device or tablet with an internet connection and you’re golden!

With mobile tech, we have so many tools readily available at our fingertips to connect with people all over the world.

WhatsApp Broadcast

Even though you may use WhatsApp all the time, you may not be aware that you can create something called a WhatsApp Broadcast. And before we begin, this does not have to be a message sent to all of your contacts that starts of with, “If you don’t pass this on it will bring you 7 years bad luck”

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 2018

December has been a firm favourite at @intSchools HQ over past years. We put a lot of time into making this challenge as fun as possible for all schools and teaching professionals, who want to get involved.

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

Get involved!

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

• poster - download and stick to your wall

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

Augmented Reality (AR) is the result of using tech to superimpose images, text and sounds on the world that we see. A great example of AR, that many of us will recognise because of its incredible impact back in 2016, is Pokémon GO.

SmugMug and Flickr, two major photo-services on social media, have recently joined together. Fans and users of each channel have grown concerned about the possible impact of this.

Will SmugMug's acquisition of Flickr see the latter cease to exist? Will there be an entirely new platform that utilises the best of both? Will we get FlickrMug or Smuckr?

…let’s take a look!

What is SmugMug?

SmugMug (founded in 2002) is an independent photo management platform for amateurs and professionals alike to share and sell photos. It provides users with a secure platform for photo storage, easy sharing and e-commerce capabilities. The SmugMug community, as a whole, are renowned for actively encouraging and empowering each other to learn, share, and inspire (putting the social in social media).

What perhaps makes SmugMug stand out a little, as a social media platform, is it’s subscription only approach. Services start at $5.99/month, rising to $30/month for premium accounts. This in turns helps the business turn a very healthy profit and users enjoy zero ads and little to no outside investors plying their trades.

What is Flickr?

Flickr (founded in 2004) is likewise an online photo management and sharing platform. The first version was more of a chat room tool (called FlickrLive) that focussed on photo sharing capabilities.

It was later bought by Yahoo! in 2005 as a replacement to Yahoo! Photos (a struggling platform that later closed for good in 2007). Yahoo!, in turn, was acquired by Verizon and coupled with with AOL to create a new subsidiary called Oath.

Flickr itself declares that it has two core goals as a social media platform:

1. “We want to help people make their photos available to the people who matter to them”

2. “We want to enable new ways of organising photos and video”

What are the differences between SmugMug and Flickr?

Both SmugMug and Flickr offer similar platforms, where users can buy and sell photos. But what sets them apart from one another?

With the arrival of social media, we have seen much change in the way we communicate today. Even the language we use has taken direct influence from social channels old and new.

Twitter’s prominence today in pop culture and everyday conversation exemplifies this perfectly. After all, the definition of “tweet” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013. This year we have witnessed one of the most influential and powerful individuals on our planet, President Donald Trump, making regular headline news with the content he shares over Twitter.

But just how did this massive platform come to be, and how has it developed over the years?

The Dawn of Twitter

The first Tweet was published on March 21, 2006 9:30 pm PST when Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, published:

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.

So, as the education machine rolls into action once more, you are likely facing a giant - and still growing - list of tasks. But do not fear! We are here to help out.

Let’s get straight into in then, with the @intSchools #BackToSchool Marketing Checklist for 2018-19.

What marketing trends should I be looking at?

The realms (and channels) for marketing are changing at an incredible rate. To stay ahead, schools and their marketing teams need to adapt too.

Social media is constantly evolving. What worked well last year may prove to be less impactful this year. Here are the marketing trends you should be making a note of this academic year:

• Voice OS:

  • Test your school on voice search

  • Does Alexa, Google, Siri know your school?

  • Can you ask "Alexa, what time does the school concert start tonight?". If not, find out how we can build an Alexa Skills App for your school - email alexa@interactiveschools.com.

• Virtual / Augmented Reality:

  • Are your classes making the most of the most modern #EdTech innovations?

  • Does your website offer a virtual tour?

  • Could VR be ‘perfect’ for education?

• ChatBots:

  • Have you thought about utilising ChatBots to help your community find answers on your website / parent portal / apps / social media?

• Google Analytics:

  • Do you track goals / conversions from your website?

  • Do you have a dashboard set up to monitor key metrics and visitor behaviours? Do you receive these reports weekly?

  • If no, how can you best understand your audience and refine marketing and site content appropriately?

Website and parent comms

Knowing which trends are hitting the sweet spots in marketing right now is essential. But what about the more constant areas, such as your school website and parent comms (i.e. your email newsletter)? Be sure to consider each of these carefully, to make the most of them.

• Website / Creative:

  • Is your website truly ✨stand out✨ and reflect your school?

  • Visit your school website 'for the first time' and imagine you are a prospective parent - maybe even ask a friend!

  • What emotions do you feel when viewing your current creative campaigns?

  • Is your site speed 'excellent'? Test on Google Speed Test.

  • We are showcasing our incredible portfolio every day on Twitter - #WebsiteShowcase. Take a look. We can deliver this for you.

• Email newsletter:

  • Does your weekly parent newsletter takes longer than 5 minutes to put together? If not, speak to our team ;-)

• Review your Google Search:

  • Have you reviewed your search engine results page (SERP) on Google? What links comes up?

  • Does your school have a 'Knowledge Panel'?

  • Correct logo?

  • Social icons displaying?

  • Review your presence on Mumsnet and other forums/directories

  • Do you control most of the first page? E.g. are the links mostly 'owned media' - your website, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter etc.

  • Learn more about Search Engine Results Pages (and how to influence them).

The #BackToSchool Strategy

How about the big part… the strategy that leads all this?! This is the most important part to implement and maintain.

It will undoubtedly change as the year goes on - meeting the demands and changes of your school - so we have 5 Interactive Schools inspired actions to take, that really kick off the new year:

1. Does your marketing STAND OUT? What will make you different from your competitors? Social is BIG! You can't afford to be a needle in the haystack. To have impact, you need to have emotional impact on every stakeholder: parents, pupils, prospective families, teachers (plus future staff!), alumni, and the wider community. 

2. Does your social naming match throughout? Your social handle is your new .com domain - it’s how people will find you, and what you will display on your advertising. This becomes a direct representation of your brand on social media. Have a consistent name across every channel.

3. Do you have a content strategy framework ready to use at your school? This should cover all the details such as:

• what to post

• when to post

• who posts

• where it is posted

• ratio of school-related posts to non-school-related posts

• who oversees the profiles.

If you don't have one then make sure you define one. This will essentially be a one-stop guide for you to refer to when considering the coming social media marketing plan.

We can also help with this! We offer social media training to at both a marketing and school-wide level - how about inviting us in for an INSET or school training day?

4. Is your process to communicate with parents streamlined? This isn't just about responding to queries raised by parents on social media. It is about how you get information to them. Take your school email newsletter. Does it take ages to put the newsletter together? Do you use analytics to determine the impact of your newsletter? Do parents even read the newsletter, or does it go straight through to spam? All a parent is interested in is a mention of THEIR child - how can you deliver these personalised stories?

5. Do you have an audit process in place to make sure content is only published once? Nothing looks more unprofessional than duplicated content. We often see schools link their different social platforms (such as Facebook and Twitter, or Facebook and Instagram). While this does save time it does take away social authority. People don't want to see the same stuff, they want to be engaged with lots of different media!

Need more help? Speak to our team

We hope that this guide has aided you in your #BackToSchool preparations. We'll be keeping our ear to the ground for all your #SchoolStories.

We'd love to hear from you, please leave comments or thoughts about social media marketing and this article below.

Welcome to a new academic year

August and September is an exciting time for many schools around the globe, as the gates open once more for another fantastic year of learning, growth and innovation. New pupils have joined your ranks, bringing their unique personalities and passions. What are you doing to spark these interests in your pupils?

It is easy to fall into familiar patterns; to stick to what feels safe. But, to be a truly forward thinking organisation, it is time to take stock and look to the future. What new paths can you take this year to adapt to a very fluid, tech-led world? Because the bottom-line is this: to be impactful we have to remain relevant and not stagnate.

Make way for the UX Agency

Practicing what we preach, we have recently gone through a total rebrand - looking to the future. We will continue to do what we have always done well, but continually adapt and roll with the times to do it even better!

We want to drive a forward-thinking, innovative approach to how schools not only market themselves but also how they can look to disrupt old-fashioned education models and adapt new principles relating to the #FutureSchool.

In the article, @SimonNoakes - our Founder and CEO - describes his vision to start the conversation. 

The #FutureSchool: Evolution or Transformation?

For hundreds of years pedagogy has formed the core to teaching and learning. 

Learning outcomes and academic results have become the focus for educators and the community around them - a narrow view that is having less and less to do with today's modern needs in education. While striving for educational greatness is not necessarily a bad thing, the single-mindedness desire to top league tables and churn out the best grades is failing our children. Schools need to be adaptable to new styles of education, otherwise the only losers will be those who are receiving an education.

"Schools tend to focus on buying technology, without considering the human impact."

Schools talk a lot about ‘educating the whole child’, and ‘giving them opportunities beyond the curriculum’ to thrive in what they are good at - but are we missing the point? 

The Reality