Over the past few years, TikTok has taken the social media world by storm! The video-sharing platform has spread like wildfire and now has millions of users globally. Businesses and other organisations are now increasingly using the app as part of their marketing campaigns. Schools are also attempting to incorporate Tiktok as part of their school video marketing.
So, is Tiktok right for school marketing?
Posting videos on TikTok can be a wonderful way to connect and engage with your current and potential students. Videos can be 15 second, 1 minute or 3 minutes long, on any topic. Using TikTok for marketing can be a way for your school to show personality and sell your school by showing off your facilities.
A number of schools have been taking full advantage of this platform, so we wanted to find out how it’s helped with their overall marketing strategy and what kind of content they post to be successful on TikTok.
#1 Global Academy
Global Academy is a unique University Technical College based in West London. They live and breathe content production, creative media and social in their curriculum so it makes sense for them to use this as a key component of their marketing. Since setting up the account in September 2020, Global Academy have gained a total of 3434 likes on the platform with one video reaching nearly 13k views!
Global Academy’s marketing department and students run their account, they have students who are Brand Ambassadors to support the marketing department and produce content, like this for International Day of Happiness. They also repost their student’s content such as this TikTok about Global Academy’s advertising campaign and this Day in a Life video. They are primarily targeting young people with their content but are also building a brand reputation and targeting parents by creating videos on their prospectus, website, advertising and events.
We spoke to Jonathan, Director of Specialism at Global Academy to find out more. He said, “On average, about 70% of our graduates each year go off to work or undergo apprenticeships in the industry for brands like Global, BBC, Facebook, Sky and even TikTok itself – so why not utilise the creative skillset we have in our students to make content for our audience.”
So, did Global Academy get any enquiries from potential students from their TikTok account?
Yes, they did! Jonathan said when he interviewed new students they told him they had heard about their school from TikTok. They have also had young people come up to them at a careers fair and said I’ve seen your school on TikTok.
Due to staff changes and the recent summer holidays, they have been less active on the platform. However, Global Academy are very keen to use the platform more in this new academic year, once they have recruited a new staff member for their marketing department. Jonathan said that TikTok will very much be part of the marketing plan and he’s looking forward to the moment they crack it and go viral!
Take a look at their TikTok account here.
#2 Middelburg Hoërskool
Middelburg Hoërskool is a high school in South Africa which has been using TikTok since November 2019. Their marketing team started using it regularly during lockdown as the students wanted to have fun and be more involved with the school. The school has 519 followers on the platform with a total of 9,038 likes. The personalities of their students and teachers shine through their videos.
I spoke to Charlene at Middelburg Hoërskool to find out more about their TikTok account. She said that their marketing department runs their TikTok account along with a team of 12 students who work on a rotating basis. Charlene shared that students submit their own videos which are then reviewed to make sure they follow the school rules and posted on their behalf. She said, “The kids love having the freedom to be creative.
Middelburg Hoërskool have received a few comments from potential students who are interested in attending the school, however, their account is more directed to internal marketing. They market their TikTok to primary school learners when they visit the school and Charlene said “They are always very excited to follow us!”
When Charlene was asked where she’d like to take their TikTok account in the future, she said they would like to post more as their following grows with every video. She said, “Consistency is key – the more we post, the more the account grows! The ideal is to have enough content to post at least once per day and during holidays.”
Take a look at their TikTok account here.
Here are a few other accounts that are doing well…
University of Limerick – take a look here.
SLP College – take a look here.
McCallie School – take a look here.
Final thoughts: use Tiktok for your school video marketing
As you have read, TikTok has been great for the schools that were mentioned in this blog. However, you need to consider whether TikTok is the right platform for your school before diving in. It’s especially great for schools/universities specialising in creative subjects and schools that target teenagers/young adults.
When creating your TikTok account, ask yourself a few questions:
- What are your goals for this platform?
- Who are you targeting exactly?
- How will you target them with your content?
- Are we already active on other social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter?
- Do you have the capacity for additional content creation?
What is your formula to be successful with Tiktok in education?
What are your thoughts on using TikTok as part of a school marketing strategy? Do you believe that video content is slowly taking over? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this…
