Writer, Listener, Collaborator, Doer
Like so many things in life, when it comes to embracing social media in a school district, getting started can be the hardest part.
Join me for a FREE webinar today — I’ll share the policies, procedures and proven strategies that allow you to manage risk and open wide the doors of opportunity!
Social media moves quickly — almost as quickly as a day in the life of an education leader! And that’s exactly why I’ve launched a new online course, Navigating Social Media.
Now, in just a few hours and working from any device, educators can learn trusted strategies for social media in schools — from managing risks to leveraging the powerful opportunities for communication, teaching and learning. The self-paced course includes the best content from my book, Embracing Social Media, with additional updated topics, real-world examples and engaging activities that will deliver results.
My Navigating Social Media course is offered on the MassiveU platform, designed with educators in mind. The project-based learning experience leads participants through the process of creating a safe, social-friendly school system, including:
Two other courses, Media Talk and Power of the Podium, also are available separately, or bundled for a package discount. Click here for more information about any of these courses — or to register and get started.
A year ago today, my husband’s twin sister passed away after a long, brave fight against colon cancer. Over the next few days, we said goodbye to a woman of beauty — full of light, love and laughter. The pain of this loss, even with weeks to prepare, was staggering. And while the pain has dulled with the passing of time and everyday life, it is still profound.
But somehow, the pain of losing Emily — the first loss of a 2016 that left us bare — has made me better. More patient, more open, more compassionate, more prayerful. It has made me aware of God’s voice, and grace. It has brought incredible people into my life as new friends, too many to mention. Abundance at its best.
The enduring pain, feeling as waves sweeping in from just outside my sight line, has forced me to intentionally practice self care, humility and forgiveness. And it’s taught me (and my kids) that it’s okay to cry when you’re hurting because we know the tears won’t last forever. And it is that certain hope — we won’t cry forever — that delivers the beauty of today. We are living. We are loving. We ache because this world is less beautiful without Emily. But the miracle? We are still here, and there is joy. Somehow.
So what can I do, one year later? How do I remember my one and only twin-law? How can this milestone be made into something more than tears? Find joy — or create it for someone else. Whether you knew her or not, I’d love your help choosing one of these things to do — today. For Emily. For me.
Life is marked by the big moments, but it should be enjoyed by the little ones. A card game. An afternoon walk. A living room concert. Watermelon slices on the beach.
Thank you for sharing one little moment of your day to remember a woman you maybe never met — a wife, mom, sister, daughter, friend. A woman who, even on this day, is helping me find joy. Somehow.
A few years back, I worked hard to develop my personal brand. I would be publishing a book, surrendering to a couple rounds of head shots and investing in an officially sleek website. Not only did the personal branding process strengthen my professional focus, but it gave me a creative outlet that I genuinely enjoyed. A key moment came when a friend and I hammered out this summary one fateful afternoon:
I’m passionate about making things better through strategic communications and collaboration. And I’m crazy about my family, sharing stories, big laughs and great food.
It was perfection in my eyes. Even as my experience and qualifications grew, this spoke to all of my real passions and blended together my professional goals with my personal loves. It was a whole reflection of Kristin.
But what happens when personal or professional growth outgrows what was there before?
In the past few months, there’s been a lot. And there’s been a new side business in network marketing. As I’ve grown, I’ve started to worry about how to incorporate a larger sense of myself into the existing brand. As I recently told a couple of girlfriends one late night, the worry isn’t that what I originally identified as my brand is no longer true because, in fact, it still is. The worry has been taking a broader calling or purpose and figuring out how it is congruent with who I’ve been before. I feel a little bit like the traffic engineer determining how best to widen a busy road from two lanes to three, so maybe I’m worried because my traffic engineering knowledge is limited. But then again so is my network marketing knowledge … yet here I am.
Network marketing, direct sales, multi-level marketing — take your pick. It’s a place I never expected to find myself, and certainly one that challenges my comfort zone daily. But it had been calling my name, soft and clear, for months. And in the time since, I’ve discovered that sharing plant-based health and wellness products that help my loved ones feel their very best — that fits who I am, too! This business readily connects my communications skills with my desire to directly help the people I love.
Crazy or not, it’s a perfect fit. It’s challenging and rewarding. It helps me contribute more to our family’s financial security. And, full disclosure: I’m kind of starting to love it.
The best thing is, the authentic Kristin remains at the intersection of the circles, even with the new addition. If I grow and change as a person, it only makes sense that my personal brand would need to adjust. And despite the peace I’ve had on my new journey, there still was quiet panic as I began to create new and different type of congruence. But that panic eventually revealed a simple answer. One word.
I’m passionate about making things better through service, strategic communications and collaboration. And I’m crazy about my family, sharing stories, big laughs and great food.
When I stumbled on such a simple solution — the mere addition of the word service — I realized it was, in fact, a more authentic version of Kristin than even the first. Service — to people in my profession, to people I know, to strangers who ask for help — has always been me. It took a few bends in the road this year for this calling to come in clear. And it took a risk of starting a new business to make the shift clear in my mind. But once these things came into focus, so did my authentic personal brand. It all still fits.
“So, tell me how you got a book deal.”
A straightforward question, asked by a school PR colleague and new friend over drinks this summer. And I was happy to tell the story of an e-mail on a snowy Sunday, asking me to expand an article into book form. Except that’s not what I told him.
Listening to myself answer (and seeing the half puzzled, half entertained look on his face as I spoke), I realized that there was a narrative swirling inside me that hadn’t yet found its way out. See, there’s a thing — a very strange thing — that’s been teeter-tottering inside my head for awhile. And if I can’t regularly tell if the teeter totter is up, or down, it’s hard to know what to say, or write. Bumping into a friend, or meeting up for coffee or lunch, I wavered between letting it all out (and likely startling the person in my company), or keeping it in. But as my husband will tell you, I’m not very … adept … at keeping things in.
So far, 2016 has been a year of uncommon pain, uncommon mystery and uncommon peace. And although this story doesn’t really fit a lunch date — let alone a 500-word blog template — it’s been burning lines in my brain for too long, so out it comes.
Uncommon pain.
My husband’s twin sister passed away on February 7, a Sunday. At 39 years old, she’d battled advanced colon cancer for nearly five years. She’d shown grace, courage, patience and enormous faith. Our hearts ache in a world without Emily.
Two weeks later our family dog suffered a stroke and passed away on February 21, a Sunday. Pet owners of the world understand the profound loss of a loyal friend of 13 years. She would have turned 14 a few weeks later. Our house is not the same without Bailey.
A couple months later, my aunt, age 49 with two beautiful teen daughters, went to bed feeling unwell on a Monday night in May. She didn’t wake up on Tuesday, following a massive heart attack in the night. Another wife and mom, gone much too soon.
And a month after that, our friend and beloved pastor passed away very suddenly after a short hospital stay. The news came at the end of the Mass; age 61, he had died, just moments before the Sunday morning service began. His absence is felt in our hearts, in our parish and in our community.
Uncommon pain. But also uncommon mystery.
On a Friday afternoon in May, I was sitting in my office when my cell phone rang. It was a number I didn’t recognize from a town a few hours away, and for the first minute or two, I was sure it was a wrong number. “Someone who knows you gave me your number and said you could help me.” … “I can’t talk now because I’m waiting for my appointment at the cancer center.” … “I need help with my kids.” … “I’m going to say a word, and if you understand what it means, you’ll understand what I need.” … “Trafficking.” I stopped in my tracks. I had to help.
Two Fridays later, I got a call at the office — this time on my desk phone. My coworker warned me, “the number is blocked, and she won’t give me her name.” I’ve had stranger transferred calls in my school PR life, so I answered. The woman on the other end of the line was suffering at the hands of a stranger, a cyber bully. She said her life was on the verge of ruin, following the disclosure of personal and financial information, and she was desperate. I hit pause on my day. I had to help.
A couple weeks later, an enormous box was delivered to my house. It was addressed to my husband, and inside was a box of 200 diapers, a very large box of overnight pull-ups, an industrial size package of dish soap and a refill of bottle soap. My husband checked his Amazon account and found no shipment. (A relief considering the items would have totaled $100, probably more.) We left it be, asked the UPS man and left it in the garage. Two weeks later, a Thursday, my friend who works at the domestic violence center posted on Facebook that there were a record number of kids at the shelter. They were in immediate need of large size diapers and pull-ups. I delivered our mystery shipment the next morning.
Uncommon mysteries. And uncommon peace.
In the spring and early summer, there were many more moments (though less incredible) when I’ve found myself at a crossroads with someone who needs help. There came a point where I realized this was more than a random series of events. In each of these moments — probably a dozen, if I’m honest — I’ve felt led. Guided. Used for a bigger purpose. If you’re a person of Christian faith, we call this the Holy Spirit. If you believe it’s God or gods or the Universe at work, I also hear you. I’m less concerned with the name of this force than the message it brings. It is calm, it is humble, it is gentle, it is powerful.
And the message it has delivered is that I must be unafraid to respond. Actively help those in need. Choose to serve the vulnerable. Watch and listen. Be ready. Be open.
Measuring social media isn’t hard, but it’s a process that is too often overlooked. We’re busy, and news feeds always flow forward. But measuring your social media efforts is much more than just looking back. In fact, the time you invest in measurement will pay dividends in focus, using every ounce of your effort for a valuable strategic advantage.
Let’s start with some basics. First, reach or impressions — the number of times your post showed up in somebody’s Facebook or Twitter feed — are key. (These numbers will increase exponentially when people share or retweet your post because many more people are seeing your post or tweet, likely including many people who aren’t already followers.)
The numbers measuring reach or impressions are generally the highest reading among the different types of metrics. A general rule of thumb says that you’re onto something if you can engage 10% or more of the people your post reaches. After all, scrolling past a post in your feed rarely makes a meaningful difference for your brand. That’s why engagement measurements — clicks, likes, comments, shares, retweets, video views — mean so much more. After all, these are the metrics that tell us if we’re really getting the most social value from our use of social media.
The great thing is, Facebook and Twitter have ready-made tools for you to build a content strategy that really will help you get the most value out of your efforts. If you want to know more about how to find your data, click through to great tips on using Facebook Insights and Twitter Analytics.
Once you dig into your data, here’s what you’ll learn…
Who your followers are. Sure, you know where to find their names. But these tools reveal powerful insight into your followers’ demographics, from gender and age, to geographic location and preferred language. You’ll even find data related to occupation, income and education level. Never before have communicators enjoyed a resource with such rich information to identify and understand their audiences — all for free.
What your followers do. What days — and times of day — are they most likely to turn up on Facebook? Are they more likely to engage with a photo, a link, a video, or text-only posts? I’ve learned that the best time of day for me to post on our district page is between 9 and 10 p.m., any day of the week. So it comes as no surprise when posts at that flop at 10:30 a.m. take off if posted in the late evening.
Once we know who our followers are, when we’re more likely to reach them and what content they most prefer, our job as social media managers is no longer a guessing game. It’s specific and strategic. Mining your Facebook Insights or Twitter Analytics data is the first step in developing a content strategy that will deliver long-term results for your organization.
Any social media manager will get excited when a post goes crazy on social media, and I get it. Viral is exciting. Using metrics to get the biggest bang for your social media buck may not be exciting, but a data-driven content strategy is your best chance at viral success — and most importantly, long-term growth.
This post is the final in my series, Social Media Day Trips.
As the world of social media has evolved, so has the hashtag. What began as a humble idea on Twitter has grown to define much of the social media experience, making that experience as relevant and personalized as ever.
So, what is a hashtag? I often explain it this way:
Imagine you’re at an international conference with thousands of people attending. The breakfast agenda one morning includes small group discussions. You walk into a big ballroom filled with dozens of tables, and on each table sits a small sign indicating the topic being discussed at that table. Hashtags are, in essence, those table signs.
If you’re on social media, hashtags are specific conversations taking place around the world and around the clock. Clicking on a hashtag — for example, #schoolPR — is essentially choosing a discussion table in the ballroom; you’ll find people in a conversation about school public relations. Clicking on #leadership will show you a conversation about leadership, across a wide array of professions. And in the midst of a major cultural or news event, hashtags will plug you into the latest information, ideas and reactions from virtually anywhere on earth.
As hashtags have become so central to social media, they also have attracted brands, event organizers and others looking for a little something special to help them stand out — but all too often, the plan flops. Here are basic strategies to help you avoid a hashtag fail.
Understand the basics. Hashtags are not case sensitive (#leadership will yield the same results as #Leadership), but they can only include letters and numbers. Posting with #We’reExcited will only register as #We because the apostrophe, like any punctuation mark, will separate the rest of the characters that follow it. Here is a nice resource for the hashtag novice. Also keep in mind that hashtags don’t belong to anyone or any group. There are countless stories of hashtags becoming part of unintended conversations and, in some cases, creating far more embarrassment than value. Just ask the social media marketing team at McDonald’s. If your hashtag begins to appear frequently in unrelated discussions, or especially if it has been hijacked by a damaging conversation, it’s time to evaluate your options.Hashtags are a powerful tool to lead and engage in a conversation on social media. What’s your favorite hashtag to monitor or engage?
This post is the third in my series, Social Media Day Trips.
Facebook leaders surprised the world by announcing on April 6 that live video had been made available in all Facebook pages groups. Cue the applause — and every conceivable emoji — as social media managers let that big news soak in.
Facebook isn’t the first to offer live stream video. Periscope (the go-to streaming tool for Twitter) and Meerkat, hit the scene in March 2015 and quickly established the next level of engagement. After all, live stream video offers real-time interaction and organic engagement unlike anything we’ve seen before. But Facebook’s announcement changed the game. Facebook, after all, is the largest and most active platform — by a long shot — for social engagement.
For school systems, this news offers the biggest chance yet to showcase the great things happening in our classrooms and buildings. Pep rallies, award presentations, science fairs, prize patrols…now observers outside our schools can experience in real time the dynamic, supportive learning environments that we enjoy each day. Consider, as well, that live video allows parents to be a fly on the wall during a special activity, student presentation and even the occasional everyday classroom moment. Can’t make it to the special science presentations at 2 p.m. or the choir concert at 7 p.m.? If a parent can get an Internet connection, it won’t be missed.
Like so many other new frontiers, live video is one that we explore as we go. Here are guidelines and tips to consider as you broadcast on Facebook, or on any other live video platform:
Finally, remember that broadcasting live video will require a strong signal on your phone or tablet. For an award presentation or other short, special event, planning ahead will help you avoid disappointment. Visit the place where you’ll be, check out your cellular bars and wifi signal, and consider a private hot spot if you’re concerned about signal strength. And if things go south in the moment, remember to switch your device over to the trusty video camera. After all, better to capture a special moment on traditional video and upload it to your social feeds, than to miss it completely.
An earlier edition of this post appeared on the NSPRA Social School Public Relations blog and is part of my series, Social Media Day Trips.
Put a group of social media managers in a room, and the conversation invariably turns to content. If you manage a social media account, you’re always armed with a story about the latest post that wowed — or flopped. There’s no exact formula for social media success, but the most engaging posts usually benefit from a combination of video or photos, timing, placement and engagement from followers. And no doubt, shelling out a few dollars to promote a post or tweet can help, especially if it’s spent on a targeted audience defined by demographic data.
But the reality about successful social media content is much simpler than graphs of data — and much cheaper than a Kansas school district communications director wants to spend. The secret to engaging social media content, organic or paid, is great content. Period. Content is king.
So, what is great social media content? It’s giving your people what they want! Posts that catch fire and engage the most followers nearly always fall into one of these categories…
If you focus messages around these key areas, your audience will engage, whether you pay to boost your post or not. In fact, boosting a post doesn’t make content great. A paid post may show up in people’s feeds, but it’s as likely as ever to be ignored if it doesn’t engage your audience’s interest. But give your people what they want — paid or organic — and engagement is sure to follow.
This post is part of my series, Social Media Day Trips.
Who doesn’t love a day trip? Open road, new things to try, see, eat and drink. While a proper vacation is always a treat, the relaxing fun of a day trip always leaves me refreshed and refocused. They’re the perfect way enjoy experiences, without investing much time, energy or planning. They rank high on the reward-to-effort ratio, and that’s always a win in my book.
So, a social media day trip?
Well, over the past few weeks, I’ve been inspired, more than usual, by topics that I felt like deserved some attention on my blog. I’ve put them aside, filed them away in my brain, thinking each time, “there’s not enough here for a proper post.” It’s seeing a cute little town an hour’s drive away, but knowing that it doesn’t offer enough for a long weekend, much less a week’s holiday. It’s a day trip.
There’s also the fact that I am more than a social media girl. Yes, I wrote a book on social media in schools, but my interests and skills range well beyond Facebook algorithms and 140-character tweets. There is value in that knowledge, but the prospect of four quick social media posts in a row? Ho hum.
It was a similar reaction when I arrived as a general session speaker a few weeks ago at the (truly awesome) Pennsylvania School Public Relations Association annual symposium. As I met many of my 50 school PR colleagues in attendance, the warm greetings would turn into a polite “Oh, okay” when it came up that I’d be talking about social media. One particularly friendly member confided in me. “I’ll be honest, I saw social media on the agenda and thought, this again?” No doubt, social media as a tactic is a little too 2014. I assured her, we’d be doing something fresh. And that’s just what we did.
We explored social media metrics, the original topic request of the planning committee. We dove into the data to reveal powerful information about who our audiences are, what they like, and when they engage. But with a 2+ hour time slot to fill, there was much more ground to cover. We talked about developing content for maximum engagement. And we jumped feet first into the exciting (and maybe nervous) world of live streaming in schools — and only barely began to scratch the surface of what live video offers us for engagement and branding. That discussion was especially exciting, considering Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had announced — just two days prior! — that live video was available to all Facebook users, pages, groups and events. We were in virtually uncharted territory, and we learned so much.
As our time together ticked by, what began as ho hum for (I suspect) many in the room, quickly changed. The room was buzzing. These topics weren’t exactly new, but we had a new look at them — and we were energized. They had us talking, imagining, planning, wondering and laughing. That day, the inspiration total was far greater than the sum of its social media parts.
Traveling home afterward, I knew I wanted to share what we’d explored. Factor in a few other conversations that have sprung up over the same time, and lo and behold, I have a series of blog posts. Each one is a small point on a much bigger map, but it’s worth a stop. Here’s what we’ll see over the next couple of weeks:
So grab your travel mug, top off your gas tank and get ready to enjoy!
