Educators are increasingly on social media. In fact, according to a recent study conducted by C. Blohm & Associates, Inc., and Winter Group, 75% of educators use social media professionally, specifically Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Here are five ways you can engage educators through social media:

• Live Chats — These are great ways to not only start a conversation, but also get essential feedback. Does your program hit on a hot topic in education? Are you looking for feedback on a specific product? Start a live Twitter chat about it, utilizing specific hashtags. These hashtags can then be searched by others looking for information on the topic in the future.
• Virtual Field Trips — Have a great product or program you’d love to share in person but travel isn’t feasible? Create a virtual field trip. Educators can log in and see what it is you have to offer, sometimes even sharing with their students right then and there.
• Highlight Champions —Everyone likes to be recognized, so come up with ways to do so with educators involved in your program. Maybe you recognize their anniversary as a customer or share a thank you with frequent users. This can help kick-start conversations that may have gone stale, and can be especially useful when it’s time to renew or purchase new products.
• Interactive Contests — Ask your followers to engage with your product or program via social media contests. They could like, share, or comment for a chance to win a prize. Or, make it more visual — ask educators to share images of your product in their classroom or students participating in the program. This helps to get more exposure and involves your audience in a more direct and fun way.
• Free Online Resources — Educators are searching constantly for things to use in their classrooms, and if it’s easy and free, it’s that much better. Consider creating a Pinterest board where you share classroom ideas, lesson plans, activities, and more. Your content can be shared and seen exponentially, and it will help direct educators to everything else you have to offer.

The possibilities through social media are endless and changing every day, but these ideas can give a quick jump start to your new social media campaigns or spice up existing ones.

MMS Education can help you “get social” with educators to help improve engagement in your program or with your product. We specialize in helping nonprofit organizations and corporate foundations reach, engage, and measure impact in the education market. Call us today at 866–382–6116 or fill out this form to see how MMS Education can help you.