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Aberdeen School District highlights social media reach, launches new website features
Summary
At its Aug. 25 meeting, Aberdeen School District 06-1’s communications director reported nearly 70,000 users reached last year, new website storytelling features and targeted outreach including a kindergarten-registration billboard and magazine partnerships.
At the Aug. 25 meeting of the Aberdeen School District 06-1 board, communications and marketing director Alyssa Dickey delivered a year-in-review highlighting the district’s digital outreach and new public-facing features.
Dickey told the board the district reached nearly 70,000 individual users last school year across platforms and posted roughly 80 press releases and web stories. "If we don't tell our stories, someone else will," Dickey said, describing a strategy of using photos, videos and targeted posts to show "the real things happening in our schools."
The director reported about 1,400 Facebook followers (noting the number has since risen), roughly 630 Instagram followers as of the most recent count, and a back-to-school video that reached about 6,000 users on Facebook. She cited a 14% increase in Facebook engagement and a 163% increase in Instagram reach year over year.
Dickey outlined several outreach tools: a 30-day billboard campaign promoting kindergarten registration; partnerships with Aberdeen Magazine and the district foundation to feature ATEC and other programs; a seasonal "Public School Proud" publication; and a new website section called the "Aberdeen Public Schools Advantage" that highlights district strengths and solicits family stories via a submission form.
Superintendent Dr. Guffin said the materials serve as a "tangible marketing piece" for families and legislators and thanked Dickey for the work. The superintendent added the communications office operates with a small staff and encouraged board members and the public to suggest items for future outreach.
Board members asked about monitoring and responding to criticism on social media. Dickey said the district follows a policy guiding responses and focuses on promoting positive stories unless a post is clearly inflammatory. The presentation concluded with student remarks used to illustrate how the district features classroom experiences in outreach.
The board had no substantive business items tied to the communications report and moved on after thanking the presenter. The meeting adjourned following routine votes later in the agenda.
