We’ve all heard the arguments of how social media is raising a generation of socially deprived young people, with added concerns of depression and mental health issues stemming from the continued impact. It is often all to easy to forget about all the good that social media has enabled / done.

Here are four ways in which social media has helped save the world.

1. #GivingTuesday

The holidays are everyone's favourite time of the year, spending time with your loved ones and exchanging gifts with each other. But what about the ones who have no one?

This is where #GivingTuesday comes in. Started back in 2012, #GivingTuesday is a trending hashtag that continues directly on from #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday.

Before we start, let’s get this out the way - emoticons and emojis are not the same.

• Emoticons are formed by using typographical marks, such as :) or ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

• Emojis are actual images, such as or ‍♀️

Since their birth in Japan back in 1999, emojis have exploded into text speech all around the world. From  to , emojis can be used anywhere around the world to convey universal messages.

But what is it about emojis that makes them so addictive?

The use of emojis in text speech adds emotion to what you’re saying. How exciting!!! can quickly become sarcastic and negative just by switching the emoji to . Displaying clear emotions is most definitely a large part of the usage of emojis, but not its singular purpose.

They’re also quite often used to soften sad news. “Sorry I can’t make it tonight, but have fun ”. Or they could be used to express yourself in a more comfortable way. “️ ❤️ you”. And finally, they can be used when words are just not enough. “I bought you a car” and the reply “”.  

Emojis help us express ourselves, but is it really enough to call it it’s own language?

Emojis may not have set rules like other languages, but there is a universal understanding of what most of them mean. Let's give this a go....

POP QUIZ: Can you guess what these emojis are referring to?

1. (clue: dance)

2. ❤️1️⃣4️⃣ (clue: yearly event)

3. (clue: film quote)

4. 1️⃣➕⏰ (clue: song title)

5. (clue: film)

6. Can you guess the song below?

Cinemagraphs are a fun and exciting way to add a little bit of gravitas to your content. Captivating and inspirational to your audience, they provide a different dynamic; a new way to look at art and an interactive, visual form to work with. A cinemagraph is a living image - a still photograph that contains an element of movement looped seamlessly to create a never ending moment. It is a mixture of both photo and video and creates something magical by tricking the mind into thinking it’s seeing something truly different.

In short, they can breathe life (or bubbles) into a piece of content to give it that real WOW factor.

The amazing, spectacular world that is hashtags tends to elude the best of us, even more so when you’re an educator. And somehow they still remain an ever important part of the online world. Whether you’re searching for a particular subject or writing a post, knowing which hashtags to use is key.

These 20 #hashtags will offer you a convenient and easy list to help you stay in the loop and join the important conversations on Twitter.

[1] #EdTech

Technology and education are forever intertwined, whether we like it or not. The advancement of tech is doing wonders in revolutionising teaching; and if you want to keep on the forefront of what’s going on, it’s a good idea to tune into the #EdTech hashtag.

This will give you constant source of education technology ideas, new tools for students, and how other educators are putting technology to good use in the classroom and beyond.

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!

Live streaming has been around for a long long time. In fact, Periscope was first launched in March 2015! 

Towards the end of 2017, people were beginning to really take notice of live streaming. Top social media companies were investing time in development and advertising to see it become more culturally used.

Today, different social media platforms like...

• Twitter (Periscope)
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Musical.ly
• Tumblr
• Twitch

...all have live streaming functions. This is a real indication for a public desire to broadcast to the world!

We have noticed schools slowly taking up live streaming, but the time to understand and utilise it is now! Trends in tech and digital marketing are so fluid - it is important to not fall behind.

Did you know?

• The streaming industry is estimated to reach $70.05 BILLION by 2021
• 81% of internet audiences viewed more live content in 2016 than they did in 2015
• Facebook Live videos are watched 3x longer than regular videos
• YouTube Live was largest streaming platform in early 2016, with Facebook gaining ground towards the end of the year
• Live.Ly (the live streaming service from Musical.Ly) is bigger than Periscope, with 4.6 million monthly active users
• Twitch draws 10 Million daily active users, watching an average of 106 minutes every day

Why schools should be live streaming

Live streaming is a really intimate method of delivering engaging content to your school community. For a parent, it can prove a really effective way to feel close to the action and offer an emotional understanding of what their child does at your school. 

It’s the truest form of authenticity on social media. You show what is REALLY happening at your school. Right now. In real-time! 

Where can I live stream?

There are a growing number of streaming services but the important ones for your school to take note of are:

• Twitter: Periscope is Twitter's platform for broadcasting a live stream. We love Periscope, as it offers an instant method to share top #SchoolStories with your community. Gain more engagement by promoting your broadcast before it goes live. Follow Periscope's latest news, tips and features blog, to stay ahead with the platform.
• Facebook: with Facebook LIVE you have all the power of live streaming with the sheer reach offered by social media leader, Facebook. Feel inspired by these past Live videos, and see how people have been connecting with their followers.
• Instagram: users now have the ability to add live streams to give their Instagram Stories extra clout. This has proven an incredibly popular feature for Instagram. Live streams will disappear after the broadcast ends (but you can save and upload as a story).

The three above are the most notable for your school, as each can be implemented into your marketing strategy effectively. Below are a few more worth noting (but less inclined towards school marketing efforts).

• YouTube: the video-centric platform has taken to live video streams as naturally as a fish does to water (which you can watch live on YouTube - above!) There are some current stipulations to being able to broadcast on YouTube Live (such as 10,000+ subscribers), making this a harder channel for schools to obtain. Check the YouTube Live channel for a real smorgasbord of live streams.
• Twitch: the world’s leading social video platform for video game culture. Twitch is incredibly popular with the gaming community and younger people, with new consoles having their own Twitch services so anyone can broadcast their gaming to the world. Not a huge platform for schools to use, but a big one to know about!
• Snapchat: the popular ephemeral messaging app is getting a live video update, but it will not allow users to broadcast in the same way.

The platform will differ according to your school marketing needs, the #ContentStrategy in place and the audience you wish to reach.

Live streaming ideas to try

Not sure how to get started with live streaming? Here are a few great ideas to get you thinking about what broadcasting can offer:

[1] Virtual tours of the school

If you’re an international school, or have international students, this is a no-brainer. 

When people are restricted by location, live streaming gives them access to see the school and have that one-to-one attention to get what they need from you.

The school can also schedule virtual open days to a wider, larger audience.

[2] Assemblies

Head’s assemblies happen. There’s no need to think of content, or stories, or anything. You just hold your smartphone and stream the assemblies. Simple.

It’s a great way for parents to check in and connect, offering them a unique insight into your school's culture.

[3] Lessons / tutorials

Schools have so much knowledge to share. Why not share this online? People (outside of the school’s community) can watch the streaming and share.

This can help you be seen as an educational resource and help increase the awareness of your school’s brand.

Perhaps you could do a weekly ‘lesson’. Each week a different department teaches something interesting. 

There’s also the altruistic view of helping the world gain access to education.

[4] Sports day

Don't let parents miss out on seeing their child win the 100m or break the school's javelin record! 

Plan in advance and broadcast each event. Share event times to parents ahead of the day, so they can tune into the ones their child is taking part in. 

[5] Science experiments

Science experiments happen all the time. These are the types of streams that do not require thought or ideas, they just happen. All you need is a smartphone or tablet and you’re ready to stream. 

This is a quick win. Just get on and stream! 

[6] Concerts & performances

Sometimes parents and family members can’t make it to performances but wish they could. Live streaming gives them the ability to watch live from anywhere in the world. 

Just be clear about how they can view and ensure that the set up works (i.e. is the recording device stable? Does it have enough battery or is plugged into a power source?)

A few tips

We have written an article for using Facebook Live, which is filled with some handy tips that can be implemented across other channels easily. Be sure to give it a read!

Live streaming is in the moment. If you want to tune in, you have to do it NOW. Fear of missing out will increase your social engagement. 

 

Has your school tried live streaming yet? How will you use it? Let us know ✍️

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.

Here's something that might astound you...

Once upon a time there was a world without the likes of Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. It was a truly strange time where news was watched on boxes in your house, where pictures were shown to friends and family on shiny pieces of paper, and where you'd have to shout really loud to tell people that you are at a concert. Can you believe that?!!

Social media actually started in 1978, when two computer hobbyists invented the computerised bulletin board system (BBS). This was used to inform friends of meetings, make announcements, and share information. Sound familiar?

Fast forwarding through the beautiful internet timeline have seen the likes of GeoCities, Blogger, AOL, Friendster and Meerkat come and go. 

MSN Messenger

Founded 1999.

MSN messenger has a warm place in every user's heart. Launched in 1999 by Microsoft, MSN messenger was a instant messaging client which took the world by storm. In 2005 it had over 330 million active monthly users and was a big part of everybody's lives.

330 Million in 2005! Only 8% of the population had internet access, these numbers in proportion to internet users at the time are unbelievable. 

When broadband started to rise to prominence the service became more and more popular but what could MSN messenger do? What made it so popular?