In the last decade, social media platforms have skyrocketed as powerful tools for private and independent school admissions offices. Unlike other school marketing strategies that focus on one-way communication, social media provides two-way interaction between followers and schools, and it's this interaction that can become a central part of your admissions strategy and increase enrollment.

Remember, it's important to be where your audience is, and social media provides the perfect space to do this.

And it’s not just about the likes and follows — presenting your school's differentiators, clarifying the admissions process, welcoming new students, and building relationships on social accounts can transform how your school approaches admissions.

This all begs the question: Who’s in the diver’s seat? Should admissions offices have dedicated social media accounts, or should admissions content be published on the main account managed by your school's marcom office?

The Pros & Cons of Admissions Offices Having Their Own Social Media Accounts

We generally advise having just one or two main accounts for schools to streamline their content, but admissions may be the exception to the rule... Each approach has pros and cons, and the right choice largely depends on your school's specific goals, resources, and structure. Let's explore!

Pros:

• Focused Content: Admissions offices can ensure that all content is specifically targeted toward prospective students and families, making it more relevant for their audience.
   
• Quick Responses: Being directly in control of the account, the admissions team can respond promptly to queries and comments, which is helpful during the admissions season.
   
• Flexible Posting Schedule: The admissions office can have a more flexible and frequent posting schedule that aligns with admissions timelines, separate from other school events.
   
• Tailored Engagement: It allows the admissions team to build a community of prospective students and families and engage with them directly.
   
• Detailed Insights: Having their account can provide the admissions office with more detailed insights and analytics specific to admissions.

Cons:

• Resource Intensive: Admission offices are busy! Managing a separate social media account can be time-consuming and require additional human resources.
   
• Fragmented Presence: It might lead to a fragmented online presence for your school, with audiences not knowing which account to follow for what information.
   
• Inconsistent Branding: Your branding and messaging might be slightly off if the admissions office isn't aligned with your broader school marketing strategy.
   
• Smaller Audience: A separate admissions account might not have as large a following as the main school account, limiting the reach of posts.

Buckingham Browne and Nichols School does have its own Instagram account for its admissions team, and with fun content, like this Instagram takeover, its team can focus its content directly on enrollment efforts and answer questions about the admissions process.

While it’s important to weigh the pros and cons to decide what best aligns with your school’s admissions and overall communication strategy, it depends on your specific goals — so let’s dig into ideas!

Posting to Engage New Families & Support Enrollment Goals

Supporting the Online Representation of Your School

A potential student could be anywhere in the world. Experiencing your school on platforms like Instagram or Facebook can be a highly effective tool to give prospective families an in-depth look at your campus, facilities, and culture. This immersive experience can help spark their interest and prompt them to consider your school.

Welcoming New Students

Social media offers an excellent opportunity to make new students feel welcome and excited about joining your private school community, especially as they're accepted or stepping on campus as enrolled students.

Like La Salle College High School did with its incoming class, consider announcing new admissions on your platforms and sharing hashtags and posts celebrating their admission. This makes the new students feel special and showcases your school's welcoming culture to other prospective families.

Streamlining the Admissions Process

Communicating the admissions process clearly can often be a challenging task. However, social media can simplify this process for prospective families by sharing infographics outlining the steps of the admissions process, creating Q & A sessions on platforms like Instagram Live where families can ask their queries, or even using platforms like Twitter (sorry..."X") to share timely updates about application deadlines.

Building Relationships

Admissions doesn't end at enrollment. It's about building long-lasting relationships with students and their families. Regular updates about school events, sharing achievements, and celebrating school traditions on social media can keep families engaged throughout their time with your school. Platforms like LinkedIn can be particularly effective in maintaining connections with alumni, leading to a strong network that can also aid in future admissions.

The Role of Social Media in School Admissions

Prospective families can now expect to find valuable insights about your school on social media. They’re interested in seeing your school culture, student achievements, faculty accomplishments, events, and daily life at your school. Even featuring your admissions staff on social helps represent your school in a dynamic and engaging way.

Furthermore, social media is vital in two-way communication between schools and prospective families. It enables your school to answer queries, share updates, and address concerns or misconceptions. Through comments, direct messages, or even reviews, you can engage in real-time, meaningful interactions, and it’s this direct line of communication that can often make families feel more connected to your school and want to move forward in their decision-making process.

Social media can serve as an essential feedback tool, too. Admission offices can gain insights into what resonates most with their audience by monitoring the likes, shares, comments, and direct messages. 

So, what platforms should your admissions office use?

Social Media Accounts for Admissions

Facebook's versatility makes it an excellent platform for reaching prospective families, and regular posts on Facebook showcasing school events, achievements, or engaging articles can increase your visibility. Facebook pages and Groups also provide a helpful community space for incoming classes to ask questions and share thoughts.

St. Andrew’s Schools promoted its upcoming open house on its Facebook account, and by alerting your current community members about the event, your biggest fans and parent ambassadors like, share, and comment to help spread the word.

With its visual appeal, Instagram is perfect for targeting a younger demographic, primarily students. You can create a compelling narrative that resonates with prospective students by showcasing your school's day-to-day life through images and short videos.

Twitter, or X, is your go-to platform for quick updates, news, and sharing relevant articles. While it’s had its ups and downs recently, it's excellent for timely communication during admissions or enrollment season, just like how Suffield Academy promoted an upcoming virtual open house on its Twitter account.

LinkedIn is a professional platform where you can share alumni achievements, faculty accomplishments, and academic highlights. This could influence prospective parents to consider the long-term impact of your school on their child's career trajectory.

YouTube can act as your school's digital library. Recorded admissions webinars, virtual tours, and interviews with teachers and students — all these can be shared effectively on this platform and easily embedded into the admissions pages of your school's website.

Social Media Strategies for Independent School Admission Offices

Keep the S.M.A.R.T approach when developing social content for your admissions account:

Strategic: Being strategic means understanding the platform you're using and the audience you're reaching out to. Use infographics or videos to explain complex ideas. Take advantage of the platform features, such as Instagram Stories, Facebook Live, or Twitter polls, to engage your audience uniquely.

Measurable: Use platform-specific analytics tools to measure the engagement and success of your social media campaigns. For example, Instagram Insights or Facebook Analytics can provide valuable data on follower demographics, peak activity times, and popular posts. Use these insights to adjust your strategy for better outcomes.

Actionable: Make sure every post has a purpose, whether driving traffic to your website, encouraging inquiries, or promoting an upcoming event. Every call to action should be clear and compelling.

Relevant: Align your content with current trends, upcoming holidays, or local events. This will make your content timely and more engaging. For instance, during admissions season, posts could be focused on providing tips for prepping an application or answering frequently asked questions.

Timely: Time your content to match the admissions and enrollment calendar, and then use social media management tools like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, or Buffer to schedule posts and track performance. These tools can help you understand what type of content works, at what time, and on which platform.

How to Use Social Media to Support Your Enrollment Strategy

At the heart of every piece of content shared on your school's social media platforms should be one primary objective: supporting your ultimate goal of boosting enrollment. The key lies in curating and delivering the right content —targeted at the right audience — at the right time.

Aligning Social Media Goals with Enrollment Objectives

Every image you share, every story you tell, and every event you highlight on social media should contribute toward creating a compelling image of your school, one that resonates with prospective families and encourages them to become a part of your school.

Your social media content should consistently support your school's values and make it clear why prospective families should choose your institution over others.

Utilizing Boosted Posts and Targeted Ads

Facebook's targeted ads and boosted posts are powerful tools for expanding your reach and engaging specific demographics. For instance, if you aim to attract families from a specific region, you could create ads targeted to that location.

Similarly, as The Chestnut Hill School has done, social media marketing through Facebook and Instagram ads and boosted posts can help your best content to reach more people, increasing visibility and engagement. Think of these tools as digital open-house invitations, extending a welcome to potential families and drawing them into your school's narrative.

Crafting a Strategic Admissions Content Calendar

A well-crafted content calendar is a cornerstone of a successful social media strategy. Align your content with the ebb and flow of the school year and your admissions timeline. As application deadlines draw near, amplify content that showcases the benefits of attending your school.

This could include content from current students, who can share first-hand experiences of life at your school, much like McCallie School did with their admissions Instagram account. You could share snippets of unique offerings or events at your school, like an annual science fair or a school theater production, to give prospective families a taste of what they can expect.

Key Takeaway

Whether through Facebook, Twitter, or any other channel, social media stands out as a powerful tool for admissions offices to showcase the attributes of their school, foster relationships, engage prospective families, and ultimately support enrollment goals. With thoughtful content, timely interaction, and data-informed decision-making, social media can play a pivotal role in achieving enrollment goals.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Connor has spent the last decade within the field of marketing and communications, working with independent schools and colleges throughout New England. As Finalsite’s Senior Content Marketing Manager, Connor plans and executes marketing strategies and digital content across the web. A former photojournalist, he has a passion for digital media, storytelling, coffee, and creating content that connects.