How to save a social media ghost town: The CPS Arts Edition
Imagine you are the Chicago Public Schools Arts Department in 2014. You are surrounded by some of the coolest student artists in the world, but your Twitter account has a grand total of 357 followers. Your Facebook and Instagram follower counts are literally at zero. You are basically screaming into a digital void, and the void isnt even hitting the like button.
Enter the 2014 Strategic Social Media Plan created by Birk Creative. It was not just a dry document; it was a rescue mission to turn a silent department into a city-wide conversation. Here is how they planned to do it.
THE GOAL STOP LURKING START TALKING
The plan realized that just existing online was not enough. They needed to move people through a five-step funnel of feelings. First, there is Awareness, where you let people know the department actually exists. Next is Interest, which makes people care about specific initiatives. Then comes Engagement, where stakeholders have real interactions with the department. After that is Action, which convinces people to do things like take the Creative Schools Survey. Finally, there is Advocacy, which turns fans into a hype squad that spreads the word about good work.
MEET THE MAIN CHARACTERS
The strategy experts did not just guess who was reading their posts. They created Target Profiles to make sure their content hit home.
The Overworked Hero named Ms. Koenig. She is a 31-year-old music teacher who stays late to prep lesson plans and worries about a lack of resources.
The Stressed Cool Mom named Maggie Stewart. She is a 44-year-old paralegal who loves public schools but occasionally worries her kids are missing out compared to private school students.
The Future Star named Jackson Mitchell. He is a 15-year-old high school student who finds his place with the arts kids but worries about his future and scholarships.
THE HUMBLE PROBLEM
In 2014, the department was suffering from a major case of being too humble. For example, they had brought in 2.5 million dollars in arts-related revenue over two years, but they were not exactly shouting it from the rooftops. The plan was to stop hiding these wins and start a chiartfacts campaign to show people how much the arts matter. They even planned a Chicago Without Art campaign to show how boring the city would be if every student artist just disappeared.
THE POST OR DIE STRATEGY
The department was averaging about one or two tweets a day, which is basically the social media equivalent of being asleep at the wheel. The new mission was a total amp up. They wanted to tweet 10 times a day and make at least half of those tweets actual conversations with real people. They also planned to post on Facebook 5 times a week with content that stays relevant for more than five minutes. They even wanted to interact with big-shot accounts like the Mayor or the Joffrey Ballet to get noticed.
THE KEEP IT FRIENDLY PLAYBOOK
Since this is a school district and not a wild personal meme page, there are a few ground rules to make sure everyone feels supported. Think of it as a safety net to keep the vibes positive.
First, keep it positive. The goal is to avoid criticizing the city, the unions, or the schools because the focus should be on how everyone can work together.
Second, permissions first. Before turning a student into a social media star, you have to make sure they have a signed release form on file.
Third, focus on the art. To stay professional, it is best to stay focused on student creativity and avoid controversial topics or inappropriate language.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY
If you want people to care about what you are doing, you have to talk to them like a human, show them the data, and stop being so shy about your accomplishments.