Renowned as the social media platform for networking opportunities, professional development tips, and business updates, LinkedIn is often underutilized by school districts and school leaders. With over 700 million users, LinkedIn is an ideal avenue to reach out to educators, business leaders, and community members alike.
Using LinkedIn Strategically for Your District:
1.) Setting up your page: Business profile
Ensure your school district’s LinkedIn page is set up as a company page and business profile versus individual. Be sure to include your school district logo as the profile picture while using the banner as an opportunity to showcase your students in action. Creating groups within your district’s page and adding members to the group similar to Facebook can help promote the page and increase engagement. Categories could include alumni groups, staff groups, and key communicator groups.
2.) Using LinkedIn as a recruiting tool
According to LinkedIn statistics, approximately four people are hired on the platform per minute. The platform’s popularity amongst job seekers makes it a prime reason to use it for job postings in your district. To place a LinkedIn job posting, you will need to set aside a budget and timeline to create the job opening. Build your connections so the message gets across to as many people as possible by promoting the LinkedIn page to staff, families, and community members. Encourage staff to connect their individual profiles to the company page and include a link to the district’s LinkedIn in their signature to promote the page.
The School District of Lee County’s below post is a great example of using LinkedIn to garner attention towards recruitment efforts.
3.) Promote business partnerships
Connect with, engage, and promote strategic businesses to elevate community partnerships. This can include promoting mentorship opportunities facilitated between community and students, fundraisers and events held in partnership with businesses, or other projects between school and community. By creating content, tagging, and engaging with local businesses, you are maximizing the chance to reach their networks as well.
In the below post from Camden City School District, they highlight a Philadelphia Eagle giving back to his hometown school.
4.) Amplify Alumni Spotlights and Success
LinkedIn is a great way to amplify the success of your school district’s alumni, further elevating the brand and reputation of the district. Whether it’s a new business that an alumni started, an award an alumni received or any other accomplishment, spotlights are a great strategy to place your district in a positive light. Create an alumni network group from your district’s LinkedIn page to stay connected with alumni.
The Scheck Hillel Community School highlights student success by listing the student’s accomplishments, goals, and a quote alongside the picture.
5.) Highlight news and thought leadership
Share updates from the superintendent or articles from the superintendent or other relevant school leaders on the district page. This adds an informative thought leadership perspective that the followers will be interested in hearing and learning from. Share stories, events, and news on your LinkedIn page so it can serve as a go to for happenings at the district. Whether it’s news of a scholarship or an update regarding a new building, use a variety of mediums like video, published articles, and hashtags to help spread the word.
The below post from the School District of Philadelphia highlights a “Mini Nurse Academy” for students, highlighting the resource as a news story.
By sharing poignant, professional content on your school’s LinkedIn page and remaining consistent in your LinkedIn groups, you can help boost your school district’s presence.