With the spread of the Coronavirus people are relying on social media like never before. For those who are in quarantine, it has become a crucial tool to stay in communication with family members and friends. For others, it is being used to gain as much up to date information about the virus as possible. Health has become the #1 concern of Americans and people all over the globe, but with this comes a big challenge for school owners. Many of you have temporarily shut your doors until it is safe to reopen, and we recognize how hard a decision that is to make. However, there are still ways for you to engage with your students, even without in a traditional class setting.
Here are some ways you can utilize social media to make social distancing easier and engage with your students during the COVID-19 crisis.
As the tool most people are using to stay connected, Facebook provides an easy way for you to communicate with your students. Use it to host daily or weekly live video sessions where you can talk about any martial arts news, training tips, exercises, nutrition, etc. That way your students can stay happy and healthy while maintaining their skills while your school is closed.
Our recommended uses:
- Facebook live videos
- Watch parties
- To promote your live training sessions
TIKTOK
Tik Tok has had a huge surge in popularity, and because of that there’s a pretty big chance most of your students have an account. With Tik-Tok challenges being shared almost nonstop, get engaged with your students in a new way by creating your own martial arts challenge for them to try at home!
Instagram is a fantastic visual platform that has a few different ways you can stay connected with your students. IGTV is its newest offering, and allows you to post videos longer than 1 minute. This means that you can share at-home workouts, training compilations, and any other martial arts information your students may find interesting.
Our recommended uses:
- IGTV
- Sharing student practice videos
- To promote your live training sessions
YouTube is the biggest video platform out there, and some of the most popular videos on it are How-To videos. With people being home more than usual, they may want to pick up a new skill or reinforce what they have already learned.
Start a series of how-to videos for your students to follow along with, and see who else watches!
When it comes to inspiration, Pinterest is the go-to. If you have an account, use it to share any inspirational images, quotes, and nutritional information your students may enjoy. If you don’t have an account or don’t want one, then use it to source images to add into your emails so they are more engaging.
Our recommended uses:
To Share Nutritional Information
To Post Inspirational Images
To Share Educational Infographics
Use email to send important information to your students and their families, including healthy eating tips, business updates, martial art tips, etc. This is also the best way to send out links to any online classes you may be hosting while your school is closed.
ZOOM is a popular tool we’ve seen many schools use for live training, as it is easy, free, and all you need to have is a link for people to click on. It allows you to film live classes that your students can join on their own computers at home, so you can all watch and learn from each other in real time.
Stay safe and healthy everyone!