Maybe you have a website, maybe you don’t, or maybe your current website needs a serious update. Either way, you must consider many details before spending time and money on your web presence. Many of our clients are brand new to the online world, seeking guidance and trust when it comes to developing a website. After discussions with our digital strategist and web developers, I have compiled some helpful tips, questions, and steps to consider when developing or updating your website.

The initial question you need to ask yourself before developing is what are the goals of the website? We believe there are two main goals every website should attempt to achieve: attract and convert. Attracting and converting go hand-in-hand; you can’t convert without attracting, or attract and not attempt to convert. I’ll talk more about attracting and converting in the steps listed below. Other goals could be to develop an e-commerce solution, offer customer profiles, include PDF flipbooks for users to view etc, the list goes on and on. More questions to consider: what functions will your site include? What will the design look like? How will you edit content? And what type of content will you include?

When it comes to developing a website, we have our own 3-step AshWorthy web strategy that I’m going to share with you. Including these aspects in your website development plan will drastically increase positive results from your efforts.

Step 1: Attracting Visitors

As I mentioned, the first goal of your website should be to attract visitors. This can occur by implementing a search engine marketing (SEM) campaign. Search engine marketing is a form of internet marketing that attempts to increase your brand’s visibility on the web. This can be done through search engine optimization (SEO) and/or pay-per-click. SEO is the organic, or un-paid, way to conduct SEM, and includes indexing your site, adding relevant keywords to the meta description and title tags, including links, and having strategic website copy that includes important key words and phrases. Pay-per-click, or paid SEM, is when you bid on applicable keywords for your market, and pay the designated price every time someone clicks on your sponsored listing. Another way to attract visitors using internet marketing is through social media. Social media strategy is crucial for all businesses, especially now when consumers seek product information through social media and word-of-mouth. This monumental shift in brand-consumer relations means in order to compete you must have a social presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn, and/or Foursquare, some of the biggest social networks right now.

Tip: According to Greg, one of our web developers, it is important to note that many companies are selling inferior code at a cheap price tag. This mediocre code produces bad quality websites, with slower speeds, poor SEO capabilities, and reduced user-friendliness. Using a cookie-cutter website like this will not bring about the best results for your business.

Step 2: Converting Visitors

Once you’ve attracted visitors to your site, it better blow them away or else they will have no interest in exploring. Your goal once you get visitors to your site is to convert them into loyal customers. In order to do this, your site needs to have a design that emulates your brand image, and a timeless logo to go along with it. The information architecture of your site needs to be intuitive to the user, flowing easily from page to page and making important content easy to find. Adding personalized touches, appropriate widgets, and social media links will help make your users’ experiences more enjoyable, leaving a positive brand image with them.

Step 3: Managing

Now you’ve reached step 3, after you’ve attracted visitors and converted them with your awesome website, and it’s time to manage your website. There are many things to consider when it comes to managing a site: what company is going to host it? How will you edit and add content? Do you need a customized content management system? How will you measure the effectiveness? Will you implement Google analytics?

Tip: We like to recommend BlueHost as a hosting company because they provide U.S. based 24-hour service at a low cost.

These are just some questions, tips and steps to think about when developing a website for your business. Every business has its own bundle of solutions that works best for it, and discovering what your needs are play a critical role in the entire process. We hope this helps, and sends you in the right direction when it comes to your website :)

Now that we know the basics about location based social networking, the various platforms, and which services are shaping up to be the leaders, (check out last week’s post if you missed it) what can we do with them? Yes of course ‘we’ as the general population can use them to check-in, gain points, read and leave tips, and connect with our friends and community, but how do ‘we’ as marketers utilize this fast growing social trend to connect, engage, and gain consumers? With rewards of course! Lets look at how Foursquare is being used by forward thinking brands who have already jumped on the location bandwagon.

Pennsylvania

According to TalentZoo’s blog Beyond Madison Avenue, the great state of Pennsylvania is partnering with Foursquare to attract vacationers to visit PA this summer. “The Fantastic Roundtrip-a-Matic” campaign is targeting young travelers, and attempting to encourage them to travel. The $1.5 million campaign being promoted through web ads on travel sites provides 20 trip itineraries for visitpa.com. The promotion offers 100 Foursquare tips to attract travelers to various PA hot spots. Virtual badges have also been created that offer rewards and discounts to users depending on the amount of times they visit recommended categories: historical, dinning and shopping. The campaign is also utilizing a Facebook photo contest where the grand prize is a free hotel stay. Another tourism promotion utilizing Foursquare is for the City of Chicago, where users are challenged to recreate the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Winners receive two Southwest Airline tickets, hotel stay, and museum passes.

Mashable

One of our favorite blogs, Mashable, not only writes about Foursquare, but will now be partnering with Foursquare. The “Explore your city with Mashable and Foursquare” campaign will offer insider tips and recommendations when you check-in to various places. Reporters, editors, and employees of Mashable post all tips and recommendations, offering their guide to cities across the country. Perhaps in the future we will see Mashable badges as well.

Starbucks

Starbucks is currently the biggest brand embracing social media, employing Facebook, Twitter, and now Foursquare. Last week at the Mashable Media Summit, Starbucks’ Vice President of Brand, Content and Online Chris Bruzzo said last year’s free pastry day attracted more than one million people to stores. The news spread solely through their social media pages for Facebook and Twitter. Other successful Starbucks social media campaigns include the Tax Day green initiative, which encouraged customers to bring in their own coffee cup in exchange for free coffee. The MyStarbucks Idea campaign was also successful, generating more than 80,000 ideas through Twitter. In fact, Starbucks has so many Twitter followers that it was one of first companies to try out Twitter’s promoted tweets ad platform. Now Foursquare will get its turn on the social media promotion rollercoaster. Starbucks is the first company to offer a nationwide Foursquare deal. Currently on Foursquare, Starbucks rewards frequent customers with Barista Badges. Their new Foursquare deal presents mayors of individual Starbucks shops across the country with the opportunity to unlock the Mayor Offer. The Mayor Offer gives mayors a money-saving perk for their frequent store check-ins. The deal: “As mayor of this store, enjoy $1 off a NEW however-you-want-it Frappuccino blended beverage. Any size, any flavor. Offer valid until 6/28.” Tristan Walker, the head of business development at Foursquare, believes Starbucks is innovative, relating and rewarding loyalty through social media. Many brands can learn from Starbucks, and I’m sure the new nationwide deal will open up possibilities with Foursquare, and encourage other brands to follow.

Bravo & Sephora

NBC-owned Bravo is partnering with Sephora and Foursquare to create a new badge, the Bravo Real Housewives Badge. Users who unlock the badge have the opportunity to receive a $100 gift card to Sephora at select stores in NJ and NY over the next four weeks. The reward works like this: Bravo or Sephora will tweet mentioning to show up at a specific store, and the first badge holder to show the manager their badge wins the gift card. Ellen Stone, Bravo TV’s senior vice president of marketing, says that the badge reward gives participants their own real housewives moment. This integrated approach is engaging and positively reaches their target.

TLC

TLC and Foursquare are partnering up to offer tips and badges for summer fun. Users can earn the TLC Summer Badge by checking into any TLC summer-tagged locations, incorporating zoos, amusement parks, swimming pools, barbeque restaurants, and additional summer fun locations. Other badges include Cupcake Connoisseur and BBQ Pitmaster, which can be earned by checking-in three times at official related locations. TLC is not the first television station to make use of Foursquare. The History Channel revealed a Foursquare campaign a couple of months ago to promote their American history series America, The Story of Us. Users who check-in to various US cities receive historical factoids about their location, and can unlock the limited edition History Channel Badge.

Other brands making the most of Foursquare: Jimmy Choo, Cynthia Rowley, Dominos, Wendys, and CNN & World Cup. Whew, that’s a lot of brands teaming up with Foursquare. You may be wondering, is Foursquare even that popular yet? The answer is yes, and growing at an astonishing rate. Foursquare is gaining around 15,000 users per day. A tweet from Foursquare recently stated that there are more than 10 check-ins per second, which means 36,000 check-ins per hour, and 864,000 per day. Twelve check-ins per second will bring the total to 1 million check-ins per day. Wow, just in January Foursquare was averaging 1 check-in per second, look at the location based social network now.

Although Time thinks Foursquare is one of the worst inventions of all time, I along with many others love it. I’ll admit, at first I thought Foursquare was slightly creepy, allowing my friends to keep tabs on where I was at all times. Many Foursquare-user-wannabees have the same privacy concerns, but there is hope, especially after exploring the privacy-related options. Foursquare gives you the option of publishing your location to Twitter and Facebook, it is not required at all. In addition, you don’t even have to tell your Foursquare friends where you are by un-checking the ‘tell my friends’ option when you check-in. This option allows you to still gain points and badges, but publishes ‘off the grid’ next to where you are, instead of the location name. Earning points, badges, and mayorships encourages users to participate in Foursquare check-ins. I believe this is only the beginning of Foursquare possibilities. With more brands signing on, and badge and mayor rewards increasing, Foursquare is definitely climbing to the top of the location based social networking trend, and perhaps even becoming a key social media platform joining the ranks with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. In my opinion, brands need to jump on the Foursquare bandwagon, and use it to engage, listen to, and gain consumers.

What types of rewards would you like to see? What other brands do you think should join Foursquare? What are some other cool Foursquare promotions going on? Let us know in the comment section, we love hearing from our fans! I’m going to go take advantage of my Mayor of Ashworth Creative status and request the rest of the day off; do you think that’s a good reward :) ? If you have a Foursquare and want to check out what Ashworth Creative is up to, friend us! We can always use more friends!

Last week was Mashable Media Summit 2010, an all day event sponsored by Mashable and CNN in honor of Internet Week New York. Here is a recap in case you missed it. One of my favorite interviews was between Mashable’s Editor-in-Chief Adam Ostrow and Foursquare’s Founder and CEO Dennis Crowley, thus inspiring my post this week.

Many of you already know about Foursquare, but for those of you who are slightly behind the location based social networking trend, let me fill you in. Location based social networking utilizes mobile GPS technology to encourage interaction between people and local businesses while rewarding users. According to the Foursquare site, it is a “cross between a friend-finder, a social city-guide and a game that rewards you for doing interesting things. Foursquare aims to build things to not only help you keep up with the places your friends go, but that encourage you to discover new places and challenge you to explore your neighborhood in new ways.”

Foursquare is not the only social networking platform of its kind; other popular location based social networks include Gowalla, Yelp, Brightkite, and Loopt. So which one is the best? I came across a few surveys that may be helpful in determining which service offers the best experience. In week 18 of Mashable’s weekly Web Faceoff series, Foursquare was pinned up against Yelp and Gowalla. The results? Foursquare won with 1182 votes, Yelp came in second with 661 votes, Gowalla in third with 509 votes, and 203 votes were tied.

Another study conducted by uTest surveyed respondents about their experiences with Foursquare, Gowalla, and Brightkite. The survey asked respondents to report bugs and answer questions related to six attributes: ease-of-use, location accuracy, opportunity to earn deals, status features, friend connectivity, and social media integration. In terms of bugs, Foursquare had the least with 177 reported, Gowalla in second with 316, and 377 for Brightkite. Respondents stated the top three important attributes of a location based social networking service are easy-of-use, location accuracy, and connectivity with friends. How did the results pan out? Foursquare was in first place for all attributes except location accuracy, where Gowalla won the vote. Gowalla mostly received second place, and Brightkite was the least favorite coming in third four out of six times.

One more interesting study I found covered a location war between Foursquare and Gowalla at this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) conference. Attendees of the music festival used these location based social networking platforms to check-in to festival areas, find out where friends were, gain points and special badges, and leave tips. Social analytics platform Viralheat found that Foursquare had the most social mentions and gained the most users over the course of SXSW.

In my exploration of location based social networking it seems users prefer Foursquare. After signing up and testing out Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, and Brightkite, my favorite is definitely Foursquare; Gowalla was too intricate, Yelp didn’t give any rewards, and Brightkite was just plain confusing. I now have six mayorships and seven badges on Foursquare, including the Super User Badge! Now I wish I could get more friends to join me (some of them think I’m crazy).

Do you think location based social networking is just a fad? It is useful, fun, weird? What is your favorite platform, Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, and why? Let us know in the comment section, we love hearing from everyone! Stay tuned for next week’s blog post; I’ll be exploring how brands are already using Foursquare deals!

As the new intern at Ashworth Creative I have been given the task of handling all things social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and this blog. Part of my daily routine consists of keeping up to date with all of our favorite bloggers. As I was reading through the hundreds of new posts this week, I came across an interesting trend: a battle over the life of social media.

According to the blog Duct Tape Marketing, social media doesn’t matter anymore. The blog is based off the Duct Tape Marketing book by John Jantsch, which claims to give simple, effective and affordable small business marketing tactics. John claims that small businesses are lacking in the adaptation of social media, agencies are over-adapting to social media, and in reality it’s all irrelevant. He goes on to say that the reason why social media doesn’t deserve the hype is because it doesn’t exist beyond a label. Social media was mislabeled, and really it is part of the new way of marketing; listening to and involving consumers. Social media tools, plans, agencies, departments, and experts are drawing focus away from marketing strategies and tactics. Instead of wasting resources on the hyped-up social media trend, marketers should be focusing on engaging prospects, customer experiences, collaboration with communities, and fusion between offline and online activity.

So right about now I feel pretty useless, but as I continue reading through the blogs the life of social media (and my job!) starts looking up.

I came across a post from Brian Solis in honor of National Small Business Week. Brian claims that social media in small business in anything but small. He discusses how social media is helping small, local, and emerging businesses increase visibility and value. People and businesses are connecting, consumers are participating, and customer-bases are unifying all from opportunities created by social media. Results from a study published by the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business and Network Solutions shows interesting statistics about social media adoption among U.S small businesses. According to the study, the rate of small businesses adopting social media has increased from 12% to 24% over the last year. More interesting statistics from the study: 61% of small business owners use social media to identify and attract new customers, 75% of those surveyed have a company page on a social networking site, and 45% expect to see profits from social media integration over the next 12 months.

Now I’m beginning to feel better about my love for social media (and the importance of my job!). I disagree with John; I think social media does still matter, and can be used to reach and start the conversation with your consumers. However, it is important to note that social media alone can’t be your only marketing strategy. Social media can be utilized as a supplement to other strategies such as search engine marketing, optimization, traditional advertising, public relations, and other marketing tactics. Brian found fascinating statistics about the use of social media in small businesses, and made an interesting point: social media help businesses and people connect. If your business doesn’t have an online presence, you might as well not exist. This online presence doesn’t just include social media, but a website, searchability, general contact information, and perhaps even some multimedia. The Internet is the first (and probably only) place consumers go for information.

Even Facebook is becoming a search engine, and not only for people but businesses too. According to Eli Goodman, a blogger for SearchEngineWatch.com, Facebook hosts 600 million U.S. searches per month! Currently the majority of searches on Facebook are for people, but Facebook can further develop their search technology so that when an individual searches “cars,” a list of their friends’ “liked” related pages such as BMW or Toyota appear. This type of social search doesn’t exist yet, but as consumer behavior changes we may see Facebook redefine search and become a key search market player.

All of this social media buzz may seem overwhelming to you, but have no fear Ashworth is here to help! I came across a blog post by Michele Linn from MarketingProfs Daily Fix . She gives some great tips to remember when you consider starting a social marketing plan:

(1) Start small. Don’t jump into every social media vehicle at once, you will be overwhelmed. Try setting small goals: check out other blogs first, try writing possible blog topics, observe how others are using Facebook and Twitter, do some research on your target market to see where they are interacting.

(2) Realize opportunity cost. Starting a social media campaign is time consuming, and sometimes hard work! You will have to spend hours researching, developing, and maintaining your presence.

(3) Get others to help you. Have a group of people at your business help maintain your online identity. Or hire outside marketing agencies (like us!) to design and develop a strategic online marketing plan. Once established, think about hiring someone internally to keep your online presence going and up-to-date.

(4) Commit. Once you have your website, social profiles, and online existence, you must keep it going. Engage and interact with your consumers, keep information current, and grow your customer base.

Want some more tips? I found a post on Mashable.com that describes 6 tips for effective recruiting on social media sites. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook, we are always posting useful and interesting information. What do you think about the importance of social media? Should marketers stop using these vehicles all together? Do you think social media is effective? What do you think could make social media more effective? Any comments, suggestions, questions? Let us know what you think, we love hearing from our fans! Until next time, keep tweeting, liking, and posting, it’s good for you :)

Teamwork, communication, and respect are some important factors in creating a positive and productive ambiance in the workplace.

For example, yesterday, me and my sister (Emma) visited Master of Tea Makers, Harney & Sons (http://www.harney.com/) and was greeted by the Tea Master, John Harney, who kindly agreed to escort us around his factory. After getting acquainted and putting on our hairnets, he pulled back the doors to his magical tea factory.

While taking in the divine fused aromas of hibiscus, ginger, peach, jasmine…(just to name a few), towering crates, and machinery, I couldn’t help but notice Mr. Harney’s gleeful and warm character. For instance, he asked us questions, told us of his many adventures overseas, as well as his love for meeting people and learning about new cultures. Also, as we strolled through each work section, he would make it a point to stop and chat with his team members.

Even though he had to stay and work, his teashop, located a couple of blocks away, had a similar, welcoming, environment. For instance, when entering the café, off to the left, there are two walls stacked with hundreds of teas. This is where we chatted with Hellal, who is currently studying Psychology and interested in cultural studies. Off to the right, is a gift shop that leads to a quaint café that serves tea, scones, salads, mixed nuts, and sandwiches. Sam, who took our order, noted that she was off to roam California with her boyfriend, but noted how she would miss working for Harney & Sons.

In retrospect, this fantastical experience and Mr. Harney’s warm vigor, reinforced one of Ashworth Creative’s core goals, which is to create a respectful, positive, warm environment in order to meet the needs of our clientele.

Special thanks to Mr. Harney for demonstrating positive leadership skills and creating a welcoming atmosphere to his community.

Listening and understanding are two of the major core values Ashworth Creative strives for. We do so, not only to meet the needs of our current and prospective clients, but also to connect and create lasting relations.

With a new year comes new perspective. I know we’re pitching all year long, but after reading an article about how to pitch to investors (http://www.garage.com/ resources/perfectingpitch. shtml), we noticed many parallels that are also applicable to potential clients. So, we thought it would be nifty to share these savvy pitch tips.

“Wow, these guys are good”

• -Include company name, logo, location, tag-line, and the presenter’s name and title on the cover slide so people know what is going on before the presentation begins
• -Tell an exciting but quick story
• -Introduce the team at the beginning of the presentation, so the audience can relate on a personal level
• -Quickly present core values and company history while name dropping past and current clients along the way
• -Qave problems? We have solutions
• -Articulate ability to problem solve and understand the current creative or marketing dynamics. In addition, demonstrate how your company fits perfectly with the client needs

“The grass isn’t always greener on the other side”

• -Be the last company to pitch and get information on competition
• -The more you know, the more you illustrate a competent and confidence in your field of expertise
• -Illustrate key benefits of your company and express their value in terms of direct benefits to the client
• -Articulate how your work is original and how other companies can not duplicate your intellectual and creative property
• -Have a list of competitors strengths and weaknesses. This requires some in depth research, but hey, it’s important!

“At least they’re honest”

• -Explain your pricing, materials, deliverance, and realistic goals in an honest and clear fashion
• -Demonstrate flexibility and be reasonable about deadlines (consider potential milestones that may arise in the project)
• -Always be prepared and open for any questions or concerns of the client
• -Explain what happens if the project takes longer than estimated
• -Notify the client if the budget is subject to change

“Let’s get started”

• -Be confident, always bring that contract!
• -If all goes as planned, the prospect will want to begin right away

Additional Tips

• -Have very little text on your PowerPoint
• -If possible, visualize! Meaning, use charts and images
• -Keep the client engaged by asking them questions
• -Be realistic and never make unrealistic promises
• -Make the client feel comfortable and engaged in your presentation
• -Be personal! the most important word in the world is a person’s name. Also, never underestimate the power of (friendly) eye contact.
• -Change the presentation to fit personality. So, know your audience
• -Do not leave lengthy brochures behind for the client to read
• -Be creative and call them to action!

Nowadays everyone and their mother is claiming to be a “consultant” – people left and right are dabbling in web design. So how do you stand out? How have I managed a steady flow of excellent clients? Here are four takeaways that you can start putting into action TODAY.

This post is part of the Guest Blog Grand Tour over at Life Without Pants – an epic two-month journey of over 50 guest posts. Want to learn more about Matt Cheuvront and see how far the rabbit hole goes? Subscribe to the Life Without Pants RSS feed and keep in touch!

The past 12 months have been a period of self-realization for yours truly. In a very short period of time, I’ve started a blog, built a pretty amazing community, and have started turning the wheels in motion to propel my own freelance career – having a steady flow of design and consulting clients over the past several months.

Never underestimate the power of free

Full disclosure – I’ve done a considerable amount of Wordpress web design – and as of today, I’ve managed to do what I need to do with no overhead program costs. No Photoshop, no Dreamweaver, nada. With a quick Google search – you can find virtually everything you need (legally) at no cost. If money is what’s holding you back – think outside the box and get creative with your tools.

Don’t worry (too much) about your rates

I’ve spoken to many of my fellow freelancers about their going rates. The truth of the matter is it’s entirely subjective. You have to answer to yourself when you ask the question “what am I worth”? But don’t dwell TOO much on price. Be realistic, don’t sell yourself short, but make sure you have something to show for your value. If you’re asking for $100/hour and have no references and nothing in your portfolio, I’m going to question your price-gauging. Think about what you NEED and price accordingly. Your value will increase with time and experience.

Ask for feedback

I may not charge an overly high premium for my services – but I more than make up for it in positive word of mouth from the clients I work with. If there’s one thing you should never be afraid of, it’s asking for feedback from your customers. Give them an opportunity to write you a recommendation and encourage them to spread the word of your good work to people they know. MAKE IT SIMPLE – use LinkedIn to ask for recommendations, or send out a “feedback” document once the job is done for your client to complete.

Sell yourself with honesty

Above all. BE HONEST. Don’t overcharge because you can – don’t tell people you can do things you really can’t – it might work here and there, but it will catch up with you. When I sit down with a client and go over their needs – I’m honest about what I can and can’t do – I make sure that all expectations are laid out before any commitment is made. Even if you can’t accommodate everything, focus on what you CAN do and be honest about your skills.

The world of freelancing is a rollercoaster of ups and downs – don’t discriminate when it comes to the projects you take on. Big or small, there is something to be learned from every experience.

What advice do you have for aspiring freelancers?

So, we are a creative company and design is in our blood. What can we possibly say about template websites? Well, there’s definitely pros and cons. A custom designed website is like a filet mignon at an expensive restaurant. Think of a template website as an average steak from Outback Steakhouse. Now, most of us can’t afford a fine steak right away, but we can probably splurge on an Outback steak. There are reasons for choosing template websites over professionally designed sites and vice versa.

Here’s a quick review of pros and cons of template websites. Think of these websites as infant food.

*Disclaimer: the below statements are about an average template website, not ALL fit this description.

PROS
cost effective
easy
achieves an online presence
spend less personal time making decisions
can be easy to develop and maintain

CONS
you are limited in terms of the layout
can’t apply custom images to represent your company brand and DNA
most are not search engine optimized
cost more in the long run because you lose potential business
no insight or guidance from design and web professionals
much harder to accommodate your users because not specifically built for your company
you look like everyone else

At some point a child outgrows the pea purees and needs some solid food. Template websites are a perfect example for this analogy. A small business usually starts off with something more affordable, such as a template website, but after the business grows it is time to graduate to a professionally designed website. Design is essential for building your brand. It is something that sets you a part from other competitors. There are of course ups and downs to both template websites and custom designed websites. It all comes down to your preference and taste.

Any thoughts about template websites?
Have you had any experience with template websites or custom designed sites?
Do you think one is more valuable than the other?

Design tips for all of you who are new to the design world from yours truly Isaac Ashworth.

1. Never fear white space. Always remember to keep things organized and clean.
2. Never give a quote on the spot or even an estimate. Take the time to study the project and understand all it entails.
3. Know your CMYK from your RGB. Know what color protocols to use for your print and web jobs.
4. Believe in your work. Have the confidence to tell the client what you actually think to the work you have presented.
5. There is no such thing as creative block. When ideas don’t come easily then work, work, work until the answer comes along.

What would you recommend to a new designer?

Do your children use social media? Are you a parent interested in an independent school? Are you an independent school considering social media? Social media may just change your world.

Let us briefly examine private schools. Independent school representatives strive to make a name for their school. The goal is for a family or future students to recognize the school as the authority and the best of the best in its sector. Each school has a mission, a unique history and a differentiation factor. Something that sets them apart from thousands of other independent schools.

Social media. Everyone’s doing it. Why not independent and private schools?

Social media is a way for schools to build trust and relationships among current students and families. The conversations will eventually trickle down to alumni, donors and prospective families and students. It’s free, so why not give it a try? Free in monetary terms, but not free in terms of time. Social media is a time investment, because any relationship investment demands time and patience.

By utilizing Facebook and Twitter, schools can learn to listen to communities of interest and then begin conversations with them. Social media will allow the natural flow of conversation among students, parents, alumni, donors and potential families and students. The flow of conversation may not start right away, but listening, responding, reminding and encouraging will help respective communities.

The natural flow of conversation in its essence can lead to a success or a disaster story. Schools will face both positive and negative comments. The negative comments may lead potential families and students to choose a competitor. BUT the negative comments WILL build a school’s character. Negative conversations should drive schools to fix the problem and become even better than before. It is a way to learn from your mistakes so to speak. The more refined character of the school is bound to attract others.

As mentioned before, some of the benefits of social media for private schools include:

Prospective parents are more likely to trust online reviews from peers than school’s marketing efforts

Conversations spread quickly

Social tools make school advocates highly influential

Natural flow of conversation will lead to discussion and raise awareness

Build quality relationships at no monetary cost

Some of the downfalls of social media for private schools:

Time consuming efforts

Proper response and management of negative conversations

Fighting the temptation to spam potential families and students with information

Takes patience and perseverance to see results

Is it a wild idea for schools to get involved in social media? Do you have any success stories? How about disasters? Do you think social media will damage a school’s reputation more than help?