Have you ever wondered why companies like Nike and McDonald’s have their messages feature disabled on Facebook, while companies like Coca-Cola and JCPenney have theirs enabled? Well, I’ve wondered, and I’ve come to the same conclusion: what do you want out of your Facebook page?
For Nike, perhaps they want complaints and shareable stories directed toward their individual stores. For JCPenney, perhaps they want a direct pulse on what their customers are expressing. The scale could tip either way – perhaps one company has more employees on deck to handle messages through social media, while other companies would like to scale back on those employees and place them elsewhere. Either way, deciding whether or not to allow consumers access to send Facebook messages isn’t just a question for those Fortune 500 companies – it’s a question for your school!
So what is the purpose of having private Facebook messaging available to your families?
Well, parents can quickly send a message asking about your upcoming event, or what is needed to enroll. They could use it to get answers or to simply communicate! There are many pros and cons to having your messaging enabled on Facebook, but it’s up to you to decide what’s best for your school.
Things to consider:
- Is one of your Facebook administrators monitoring your school’s Facebook page daily?
- Is the Facebook administrator quick to respond to parent questions?
- Do you have the ability to answer messages within 24 hours?
- Does your social media reporter have access to information incase there is a question the needs answering?
Remember, there are some messages that won’t be questions. They could be praises or even negative comments, but the majority of the time they are questions regarding your school happenings. If you do decide to have messages available, be sure you’re responding within 24 hours – sooner if the message is urgent (“do we have school today?”). Also, be sure whoever is doing the answering has access to the answers. You’ll want to be sure that only factual information is released.
So, who are you? Are you more of a Nike or a JCPenny school? Do you already communicate with parents through Facebook messaging? How does it work for you? Tell us in the comments below!