In 2011, former NSPRA President Ron Koehler described the shifting landscape in education communications: "Consumer needs are changing. The backpack folder is no longer the primary source of information for parents. They want and prefer instant electronic information. ... [T]he data demonstrates parents and non-parents alike turn to the web when they need information, and they want it now."
Almost 10 years later, the intensity of these needs have only increased as we enter the height of the Information Age. Unfortunately, schools still aren't quite caught up. Often, schools primary means of communication with their constituents are via mail (shocking... I know) or the school website.
Yet, these methods simply don't cut it when it comes to athletic updates, which are happening in real-time, on the fly.
Are parents constantly checking your school website throughout the afternoon to find up to date game information?
Hint: the answer is no.
Are your current students spending their screen time scrolling through your school website?
Hint: the answer is also no.
So what should you do? Meet your constituents where they are.
Social media is simply where the eyeballs are. Students and parents live on these platforms:
- 88% of American adults ages 18-29 use social media networking sites (Statistica, 2019)
- 16-24 year olds spend, on average, three hours per day on social media (GWI, 2019)
- More than 2/3 of U.S. adults are Facebook users, and 75 percent of those users access the site at least daily (Pew Research Center, 2018).
When communication expectations are at an all-time high, social media offers the best opportunity to connect and share information with your constituents at mass and in real-time.
If you are not utilizing these platforms, you are simply missing out - and unfortunately, your students and parents' experience will suffer because of it.
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