2022 came and went in the blink of an eye. December is a time to reflect on the past year’s challenges and accomplishments. A lot happened this year, and your district deserves a moment to recognize how far it’s come in the past 12 months.

It’s also a time to start looking ahead to what the future may hold. More specifically, you need to figure out what you want the district’s content to look like. Next year’s content strategy won’t plan itself!

Why start planning now?

2023 will be here before you know it. January catches many by surprise, forcing superintendents to slap together rushed content strategies at the last minute. Planning next year’s content right now gives you all the time you need to flesh out a thorough, comprehensive strategy.

Working ahead of schedule can also ensure stakeholders receive the best content possible. Give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm, and you’ll generate more creative ideas and higher quality content. Planning ahead ensures the content you put out is well worth the effort.

By getting a head start on next year’s content, you can form a strategy you’ll be happy with for the next 12 months. Superintendents who rush through their content strategies often find themselves making numerous changes throughout the course of the year. Marketing requires consistency, so make sure the plan is everything you want it to be before putting it into action.

Content ideas for 2023

You have a wide range of media channels at your disposal. Planning content for multiple channels can help you reach all the various stakeholders in your school community. Consider building these ideas into your 2023 content strategy:

• Video: A 60-second video can help you quickly share announcements with the school community. You could also film student and staff testimonials that describe what they love about the district.
• Social media: Social media opens the gate to two-way communication with stakeholders. Create a poll, ask for feedback or pose an open-ended question. These are all great opportunities to get the conversations flowing.
• Newsletters: Stakeholders want to know what’s happening in their district. Newsletters allow you to keep them updated about referenda, upcoming events, school board decisions and more.

These content ideas are just a starting point. Your district can also leverage emails, parent letters, brochures and many other channels of communication. Whatever your strategy entails, make sure it resonates with all the different groups in your community. The sooner you start planning, the more effective your communication efforts will be.