Should my school be using Pinterest or Instagram?

Many schools haven’t branched out past core communication platforms like Facebook and Twitter. And this leaves many of the most popular content channels untouched by school marketers.

People migrate to new networks all the time. And if your school is interested in keeping their attention, then they need to migrate with them.

It’s time to start embracing the future.

Places like Instagram and Pinterest can provide a lot of opportunity for schools to increase engagement among prospective families, pupils, and current parents.

The constant developments in the online world makes it important to embrace new channels as they emerge. This isn't to mean you should just start using them - but certainly to understand them

It’s the only way to keep up with pupils and continue engaging them in an online forum with inspiring stories.

People are Turning to Visual Platforms

We live in a very visual world, and young people are leading the revolution.

The success of visual-focused social media networks proves the trend. And–if for no other reason–that’s why you should invest resources into visually appealing content.

You can’t gain attention by just using text-based posts. If you want to gain the attention of students, you have to use visuals.

Its Gives an Opportunity for Education Outside the Classroom

Teachers can use Instagram and Pinterest to teach pupils outside of the classroom.

Imagine you just finished teaching a lesson for the class. You can create or curate infographics related to the lesson that help pupils complete their homework for the evening. Or you can post a short video to Instagram that reminds pupils of how to complete the work.

This kind of content increases educational engagement outside the classroom, and reaches pupils in ways that they natively use already.

Bonus Tip: Women Rule Pinterest

There is opportunities to use Pinterest to engage with students. Teachers, in particular, can use the network as a way to share informative and helpful infographics.

According to research, Pinterest users are more likely to be high-earning females between 30-49. Is this your target demographic?

The type of content that works best on Pinterest is artsy creative objects. This makes Pinterest perfect for sharing the examples of the work your pupils are creating.

Social media is becoming more and more visual with each new platform. It’s important that schools start to use this strategy as a core part of their social media plan.

You can’t get away with just posting text updates anymore.

What ways does your school use visuals in its marketing endeavours? Do you see any additional strategies for using visually based platforms like Pinterest or Instagram?

Share your ideas in the comments below!