Facebook is a great way to do social media marketing for your PTA. Facebook is perfect for brand awareness because it is free advertising and promotion for your local PTA, it allows you to share information with your members, it will enable you to start conversations on various topics, and it gives them the chance to share with their friends as well.
- Create Your Voice. Your voice will often be found in the status updates of your fans, which means it is very important to find content that engages your fans and encourages them to want to engage with you. A great way to help you gauge this will be by the number of likes, shares, and comments you receive on your posts.
- Fun and Informative. A great place to get started with content is to share success stories, breaking news, grant deadlines, calls to action, events, and information shared by National PTA.
- Professional vs. Personal. While adding personality and flair is important, keep in mind that there is a difference between a personal Facebook page and your PTA’s professional one. Set up rules of etiquette for your PTA’s Facebook page so that everyone knows the rules and can help make it a safe place for sharing information.
- More Than One. Be sure to have at least two people (although three would be best) as administrators of your PTA Facebook page. This way if someone is sick, traveling, unreachable or has to leave for any reason there are multiple people with access to the page. This also helps spread the responsibility for posting and sharing content, lessening the pressure on everyone.
- Posting Limits. Be sure to limit the number of posts. Too many posts will cause people to hide or un-Like your Facebook page. Ideally, four to six posts per week is best, though you should not post more than twice a day.
- Content Sharing. Be sure to share links, videos, and pictures whenever possible in your posts. This will help increase your PTA’s visibility and activity. Facebook is all about sharing information.
- Tagging Gold. Tag sponsors and supporters whenever possible; this will help them to keep up with what you are doing and engage them more. Plus, it gives them greater visibility among your PTA members and supporters.
- Events. Create events and send them to the fans of your page. It will remind them about your unit and your events, and it will help you engage them in a new way.
- Do Not Automate. It is always tempting to automatically sync several social media platforms to Facebook so you only have to send one status update. However, avoid doing this as much as possible because each social media platform is unique in the culture of the community and the way content is shared.
- Encourage. Do not forget to encourage your PTA board members, volunteers, students (if you are a PTSA), teachers, and families to engage and be active on your PTA page. This will help create a flow of information and sharing that will encourage everyone! Most of all, do not forget to have fun, learn a lot, and remember that social media is just another resource for you, your members, and the parents and teachers that will give every child one voice!
Find National PTA on Social Media
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ParentTeacherAssociation
Twitter: @NationalPTA
YouTube: Youtube.com/nationalpta
PTA Great Idea Bank: www.ptagreatideabank.org
If you want more information about how your PTA can best utilize social media, please contact our Communications Department. This tip sheet is one of many resources that National PTA offers members. Go to PTA.org for more!
One Voice Illinois 