Emily Kelly, Junior PR and Marketing Executive:

• The importance of preparing for the summer holidays
• How to stand out from the crowd in summer social media posting
• Engaging with your school community while they are away

We’ve all heard of the “summer slide” – the dip in students’ subject knowledge after six weeks away from school. But it’s not just students’ learning which slips over the summer – if schools aren’t careful, your presence on social media can too.

With students away and few events to highlight, it is easy for content creation during the summer holidays to run dry. But – with fewer distractions, parents and prospective students usually spend more time online. So, it can be the perfect opportunity to step back, strategise and drive home key messaging to a receptive audience. 

With that in mind, we’ve put together five top tips for schools to maintain your social media over the summer holidays to keep front of mind ahead of Open Evening season in September. 

Prepare, prepare, prepare

With the Summer Term packed full of exams and celebratory end of year events, it can be hard to find time to think about the summer.  But, coming up with post ideas well in advance, and keeping a bank of fresh photos and videos to spruce up your summer socials, can help schools avoid dull, repetitive summer posting, and make the most of the opportunity to keep your community engaged during the summertime.

Results Day can yield results – but remember to go beyond it

What few events do take place during the summer holidays – namely Results Days – can yield fantastic return on investment when posted about on social media. A good assortment of posts celebrating your students’ exam achievements brings your community closer and helps cement your school’s positive reputation. But, with every school putting out similar content, it won’t necessarily make you stand out from the crowd. The variety of your posts will be key to showcase what makes your school special beyond exam results.

Get creative with your key messaging

While posting during the school year often focuses on communicating news and exciting events, the summer slow-down can be a great opportunity for carefully curated posting about your school’s key messaging. Think pre-recorded student testimonials or staff interviews that highlight the very best of what your school has to offer. That said, a few well-chosen throwback posts to events throughout the year can help keep content dynamic and showcase your school in action.

Embed the school in the community

Students might be out of school but the summer can be one of the best times for building community identity. Regular posts offering updates on the school site (“the sunflowers are blooming!”), asking families to share photos from their holidays or suggesting enriching summer activities can create community feeling and get students excited to come back to school.

Get a fresh perspective

The summer holidays are a time to relax but they’re also a time to recalibrate, absorb inspiration and reflect on the year that’s gone by. If you’re responsible for delivering a school’s social media content, use the time to gain perspective on the school’s social media strategy or take note of the new social media trends seen during the daily scroll. The best high-level thinking often happens away from the workplace, so unwind, pursue new experiences and be open to inspiration as it arrives.