An important aspect of being a connected leader is telling your school’s story through social media. It’s imperative that meaningful, real connections take place first in order for your parents and/or community to want to follow your school’s story or believe in it. As Joe Sanfelippo says, “Never miss the opportunity to say something great about your school”.
Our district has a strong Facebook and Instagram presence, yet I realize that many of parents are also on Snapchat. While we have not branched out into creating a district or school snapchat account, we do capitalize on the fact that Snapchat is one of the social media spaces that are parents ‘live-in’ and use frequently. That being said, I wanted to be sure that we could add our ‘brand’ to the stories that our parents may be telling in that space, and I wanted their photos to forever remember some of the most memorable days. Solution = Custom Filters.
When are parents (and teachers) taking pictures? 1st Day of School in any grade level is a milestone. We all know parents want to take a picture on the first and last day of each grade level for their elementary-aged children….and the school courtyard is packed with families on that first day…..why not capitalize on that by creating a custom geo-filter with your school’s logo and the date?
Creating custom geo-filters is simple! You can use free web-based programs like CANVA to create the filter. Snapchat now even allows you to create one within their app (see directions here). Once you’ve created your design, you submit the filter to Snapchat to be approved. You’ll schedule your filter by choosing a start time and end time (your filter can last anywhere from an hour to weeks). You map out the area you want your filter to cover by dragging the points of your ‘geofence’ to change its shape. Based on how big your geofence is, your custom filter price will adjust.
Think about what your most memorable events are at your school? For us, the most highly attended days with parents include:
Halloween
Kindergarten Graduation
Last Day of School
Have you explored geo-filters yet? What events can you capitalize on by creating a custom geo-filter to help brand the amazingness happening at your school?
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