Communications Officer Bruce Nugent provided an update on the Lakehead Public Schools Social Media Strategy at the annual Parent Involvement Committee School Council Kick Off event on October 20, 2014. Judy Roche and Lee Ann Luby of the Vance Chapman Public School Council also spoke about how their school council communicates to parents through social media.

1. Social Media Strategy
October 2014

2. Social Media Strategy
Social Media - a Communications Revolution?
Social Media Strategy 2014

3. Social Media Strategy
Social Media – or Communications Evolution?
Social Media Strategy 2014

4. Canadian Social Media Statistics
• Majority of online Canadians now use
online social networking sites, with a large
portion doing so daily.
• 62% have ever visited or browsed an online
social network, up from 51% in 2010.
• 30% visit site at least once a day, up from
19% in 2010.
Source:
The Ipsos Canadian interctive Reid Report 2012 Fact Guide
Social Media Strategy 2014

5. Canadian Social Media Statistics
• 41% describe themselves as communicating more with
people online than offline.
• 31% consider themselves active users, posting and replying
to others’ posts.
• 44% of social networking Canadians check their profile first
thing in the morning, 43% find out about news and current
events, and 42% consider it an important part of their social
life.
Source:
The Ipsos Canadian interctive Reid Report 2012 Fact Guide
Social Media Strategy 2014

6. Social Media Strategy
• Media landscape changing locally, nationally, and
internationally
• Numerous surveys (media consumption and
Kindergarten) and anecdotal reports indicate a shift
from traditional to social media
• Imperative for communicating to target audience.
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Social Media Strategy 2014

7. Social Media Strategy
• Social media not entirely new to Lakehead Public
Schools – on Twitter since 2011 with over 1600
followers
• Twitter extremely effective for sharing and gathering
information
• YouTube has also been initiated
• Time has come to expand social media presence
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Social Media Strategy 2014

8. Social Media Strategy
• Through tendering process we hired the Centre of
Excellence for Public Sector Marketing (CEPSM) to
develop a Strategic Social Media Engagement Plan.
• Consultant visited us here in Thunder Bay five times to
work on the plan.
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Social Media Strategy 2014

9. Social Media Strategy
• Process included
– Document and social media review
– Stakeholder interviews with Trustees, Senior Administration,
Parents, Principals, and IT staff
– Report of interviews, analytics, and SWOT of current website
and social media usage
– Training for social media platforms and monitoring,
evaluating, and measuring
– Final report with 28 recommendations
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Social Media Strategy 2014

10. Social Media Strategy
• 28 Key Recommendations
– Twitter http://www.twitter.com/LakeheadSchools
– Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LakeheadSchools
– Slideshare http://www.slideshare.net/LakeheadSchools
– YouTube https://www.youtube.com/LakeheadSchools
– LinkedIn http://tinyurl.com/m9nzfh2
– Google+ Stage 2
– Instagram Stage 2
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Social Media Strategy 2014

11. Social Media Strategy
• More Key Recommendations
– Designate social media manager
– Develop social media engagement guidelines for staff
– Create a hashtag for Lakehead Public Schools - #LPStb
– Create a central content bank (i.e., dropbox)
– Monitor using Google Analytics and other free monitoring tools
– Create a terms of use
https://www.facebook.com/LakeheadSchools?sk=info
– Create short and concise videos on FAQs
– Provide an option for stakeholders to receive text messages
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Social Media Strategy 2014

12. Immediate Next Steps
• Continue to monitor using Google Analytics and other free
monitoring tools
• Work with schools to develop social media platforms
• Begin review of website with staff and consultant
– Website was monitored for 51 days in January/February 2014
– 27,310 visits
– Staff link accounts for 50% of all home page direct links
– 20% of visits come on mobile and tablets
Social Media Strategy 2014

13. Website Review
• Mobile and tablet visitors likely to “bounce” – indicates that site
needs mobile optimization
• Site will be of “responsive design”
• Site design will incorporate social media
• It will address issues through analytics and feedback
• Currently in development phase and will involve parents for
feedback before going live
Social Media Strategy 2014

14. Social Media Best Practices
Social Media Strategy 2014

15. Social Media Best Practices
Social Media Strategy 2014

16. Vance Chapman School Council
• School Council Facebook Page set up for over a year
• Mandate to help with communications
• Continue to use traditional methods like newsletters
• Post interesting topics of interest to parents
– Minutes of meeting
– School events
– Community events
• Would like more “Likes”
• Looking at Twitter or other social media platforms to engage
parents
Social Media Strategy 2014

17. https://www.facebook.com/VanceChapmanPS?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser
Social Media Strategy 2014

18. Social Media Strategy
Questions?