IT

App happy

There is a rise in popularity of mobile apps and social media. Why is it important for independent schools to incorporate these technologies into their marketing and communications strategy? Katherine Green explains

In July 2010, Cokethorpe became the first HMC/IAPS school to produce a free app for the iPhone (it cost £1,000, but they can cost many times more). Principally designed to be an extension of the school’s website to provide information to current parents, pupils and staff, it has also proved to be a useful tool for attracting prospective parents. Latest news articles, details of forthcoming events and calendar information, as well as recent photos and the latest Tweet from the headmaster, are all fed into the app so that members of the Cokethorpe community can keep up-to-date while on the move.

Many schools have since launched their own apps, some developing their app specifically as a prospectus, while others may still be daunted by the prospect of entering the world of online marketing, or are sceptical about the development.

There are more than 365,000 active apps available for devices such as the iPhone and iPad. That’s more than twice as many as this time last year and, with a new app submitted to Apple for approval every two minutes, the number is ever increasing. That’s before even considering the number of apps available for other mobile platforms, including BlackBerry, Nokia Ovi and and Google Android.

But why?
These applications, either downloaded free or at a cost, have been developed for a multitude of purposes, ranging from providing news, sports and weather, maps and GPS services, practical functions and learning, to entertainment and games. Now, 30 million apps are downloaded every day – that’s more than 300 per second.

Technological advances, particularly of smartphones, mean that people are carrying around hand-held computers with access to the internet at any time or place. Along with high-speed internet connections at home, the use of Wi-Fi hotspots or super-fast 3G and 4G connections, and other devices such as laptops and tablet computers, we are now permanently connected to a digital world.

At the same time, there has been a shift in user behaviour online, from private communication between individuals via email, to many-to-many communication. There has been a socialisation of the internet, primarily driven by social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, which allow users to tell everyone they’re connected to and beyond what they’re thinking and doing in real time. In the same vein, many websites no longer simply provide information one-way but now interact with the user by allowing them to comment or vote on content – and also provide the option to share that content through the user’s social networking profile. Those consumers who choose to engage in such interactive dialogue are in turn sharing that conversation with their friends, thus unwittingly exposing these people to new brands, businesses and schools.

While Cokethorpe doesn’t invite visitors to its website to comment on the content, we do encourage them to share news items and forthcoming events by providing a facility to post a link on their social network profile. Being able to track such engagement data is not only fascinating, it also provides vital information about the type of content users wish to pass on to their friends and helps spread awareness about the school.

New behaviour
People now have an expectation that brands will have a Facebook page or Twitter account and the expectation to have an app as well is not far behind.

Social technologies and apps have changed and will continue to change the way we consume information, do business, and live our lives. Schools must therefore consider using social media and apps as part of their integrated marketing, communications and development strategy.

Katherine Green is marketing manager at Cokethorpe School in Oxfordshire.

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