How to Use Graduation and Social Media to Promote Your School Brand

Colleges, universities, and even some preschools are embracing the power of social media to honor their students. As your school district gears up for graduation season, are you making the most of social media to celebrate this milestone? Beyond showcasing smiling graduates, it’s an excellent opportunity to highlight what makes your school district unique and engaging for students, families, and the community.

Creative Graduation Social Media Ideas

Graduation isn’t just about the cap-and-gown photos. It’s a pivotal moment to reflect on your district’s mission, achievements, and the success stories that embody the value of your education system. Consider diversifying your graduation-themed content to include:

• Graduate Success Stats: Share the number of graduates and the percentage pursuing higher education or entering specific career fields.
• School Initiatives: Highlight key programs, new facilities, or leadership initiatives that have shaped student success.
• Alumni Spotlights: Feature stories from alumni (#XYZschoolAlumni) showcasing how your graduates have excelled post-graduation.
• Student and Staff Profiles: Don’t just focus on the top students—highlight various achievements and contributions from teachers, guidance counselors, and non-instructional staff.

These content ideas do more than celebrate the occasion—they build on the brand of your school, reinforcing its commitment to academic and personal development.

Maximize Engagement with Frequent Posts

Consistent posting is key to maintaining engagement. Make sure you’re not only crafting compelling posts but actively engaging with others by sharing, liking, commenting, and retweeting posts from students, families, and the broader community. Graduation season is a perfect time to showcase the spirit of your district.

Platform-Specific Strategies

Twitter (X)

Twitter (rebranded now as X) is a quick, engaging platform to share updates. Create a custom hashtag, like #MapledaleGrad or #XYZSchoolGrad, to encourage participation and make your content easy to find. Don’t forget to pair tweets with vibrant images, GIFs, or stickers. The goal is to build excitement and generate conversations with your school community.

Facebook & Facebook Live

As the go-to platform for school districts, Facebook offers multiple ways to promote graduation before and during the event. Use it to share critical details such as event times, locations, and directions to make sure everyone stays informed. Consider broadcasting parts of the ceremony via Facebook Live to allow family members and community members who can’t attend in person to still feel connected.

Additionally, share behind-the-scenes content and human-interest stories to give a personal touch to your graduation coverage. You can later embed the recorded Facebook Live video on your school’s website, offering long-lasting engagement.

Instagram

Instagram is perfect for sharing the vibrant, visual moments of graduation day. Make use of hashtags to broaden your reach and @mention students, faculty, and community members in your captions. You can also sync your Instagram posts to other social platforms to maximize visibility and engagement.

Broaden Your Graduation Content Strategy

While graduation is a significant event in a student’s life, it’s also an ideal time to strengthen community connections. Share diverse content types across platforms—such as historical graduation photos, success stories, and preparations for the event—to foster pride in your school’s legacy and forward-thinking initiatives. Consider expanding your communication strategy with tools like SchoolStatus to streamline messaging and ensure consistent branding.

Final Thoughts

Graduation is more than a ceremony—it’s a reflection of your district’s values, achievements, and community spirit. With strategic use of social media, you can engage students, families, and alumni in a way that extends beyond graduation day. Leverage platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even LinkedIn to share meaningful content, celebrate student achievements, and highlight your school district’s ongoing commitment to success.

By thoughtfully curating and sharing content, you’ll not only boost engagement during graduation season but also enhance your school district’s reputation for years to come.

Explore how SchoolStatus can help you simplify communication and boost engagement with tools tailored for schools. Ready to elevate your district’s graduation coverage? Get started today.