information for journalists. Kate Tyler offers some advice for getting noticed.
Not many nurseries proactively go for good public relations (PR), but it is a great way of building a reputation.
It may sound time-consuming, but once you have a few contacts, and an idea about how to give the press what it is looking for, you have gone a long way to helping establish a good reputation - which in turn means vacancies filled. And, if anything negative should happen and the press get wind of it, an established contact with a local journalist can be very helpful for ensuring your setting's side of the story is heard.
Gone are the days of sending out press releases and waiting for the media to write about the wonderful activities in your nursery. Journalists are busy people with clogged up inboxes. Often they rely on Twitter, Facebook and other online platforms to source and research stories. Here are some key tips for using social media in PR to tell people about your news.
Be up to date
One of the advantages of social media is its immediacy. Today's newspaper? Already old news. Twitter? Bang up to date. Taking advantage of this can really set your nursery apart. Being one of the first nurseries to comment on a Government announcement about free childcare places or a radical shift in Ofsted focus makes you the go-to person for journalists and a thought-leader in your field. If you wait for a press release to do the rounds you will almost certainly miss the opportunity.
If you are good with words, and like your opinions to be heard, try blogging your take on the news and tweeting your blog using an established hashtag. If blogging is not for you, you can still start building contacts with journalists. Your local paper or website is a good place to start. If you keep your Facebook page updated regularly, make sure your local press knows how to access it. Remember also to tell journalists about your biggest events before they happen, and offer to take pictures of the event and send them over by email as quickly as possible afterwards.
A lot of the time, it is just a matter of getting the basics right. If you can send an engaging, clear, high-resolution image, and a few bullet points about an interesting trip or visit from a celebrity, you will be ahead of many nurseries in your area.
How to get contacts
I recommend following your local journalists on Twitter and trying to build up a relationship with them. Many journalists are under stringent time pressures, so if you make their life easier by bringing stories to them, they will be grateful. Take note of other local figures in education or related areas who tweet regularly too, and see if you can get them to retweet you, perhaps by retweeting them first.
Note - the idea of 'writing a press release' might seem like a daunting task, but journalists will tell you it is not about flowery language and fancy fonts but the 'who, what, when, where and why' of an event or incident. Why should they be interested? Who was/is involved? When did/will it happen? Where did it take place? What is unusual about it?
Good luck! I would love to hear your social PR success stories, so do tweet me @shakesocial or use the #nwsocial hashtag.
Kate Tyler is managing director of Shake Social, a social media agency for the early years
- Nursery World regularly posts requests for comment on its forum http://forum.nurseryworld.co.uk and its LinkedIn discussion page (search: Nursery World Linkedin)
The most popular network and the most powerful for nurseries. People can collect 'friends' and companies can collect 'likes' for their profile pages.
This real-time service is unrivalled for fast-paced, breaking news. Use hashtags (#) to group conversations together. Tweets are limited to just 140 characters.
A virtual pinboard for all the things you love. Boards are based on different themes, with images 'pinned' on your board linking back to the website they came from.
YouTube
YouTube is now the second largest search engine in the world. Owned by Google, it is immensely popular and affects your online search rankings.
Blogs
A blog (web-log) is an online article or journal that can include text, images and video.
Google+
Although not as widely used as other social networks, Google+ does influence search engine rankings.
Connects people for professional purposes.
With its square format and retro filters, Instagram gives your images a polaroid feel. Only available for use on mobile phones, it is intended to be about recording the moment.
Snapchat
Allows users to create 'snaps' - photos or videos that only last for up to ten seconds once the recipient has opened them.