Bedford Girls’ School recently launched @bedfordgirlssixth - a new Sixth Form Instagram account, run by Gabi Dennis (Upper Sixth).
The purpose of @bedfordgirlssixth is to show the student experience through the eyes of the Sixth Form students, which complements the schools leading Instagram account, @bedfordgirlssch.
The account was officially launched on Wednesday 23rd September with a photograph of the current GLG. The Edit sat down with Gabi to talk about why it is important to connect with students through social media.
Why did you decide to launch a Sixth Form student led Instagram account?
Towards the end of last year, I mentioned to Mrs Woolley (Director of Sixth Form) that I was interested in a career in digital marketing and social media. During our discussions about work experience and my plans for post school, we thought up the idea of having a Sixth Form Instagram. Then I was asked if I would like to run it. It was lovely to have the support and trust of Mrs Woolley and Miss Djukic (Senior Sixth Form Tutor) to take ownership of the account, showcasing and celebrating the Sixth Form from the perspective of a student.
Have you been trained and had any guidelines from the school?
Yes, before launching the account publicly, I was given a set of guidelines from the Marketing Department and discussed the importance of being safe and savvy with this online platform. However, Mrs Woolley and the Marketing department always wanted to give me the freedom and responsibility of controlling the account and placed their trust in me to do so.
Do you have a team who help promote and support the Sixth Form key messages?
The GLG and Service Team have been essential in helping me promote the campaigns going on currently. For example, the #HelloYellow campaign and the African and Caribbean Society poster challenge in celebration of Black History Month. However, I don’t want this account to be exclusive to certain groups or campaigns, as I also think it’s so important to gain input from all the girls. The motto that I constantly turn back to is ‘by the girls, for the girls’, meaning that if the girls have something they want to celebrate/promote or showcase, I want to provide that platform for them. Even if it is just for fun!
Do you have a strategic plan for posts and stories?
Well, the lack of pre-planned co-curricular this year means that it can be quite hard to schedule posts, or guarantee a certain number. I aim to post at least twice a week and three times a week on stories. But this obviously fluctuates, depending on the content available to me. However, I never want to fall into a place of pressure, where I feel I need to post something. So I’m really just taking it day-by-day at the moment.
How are you going to build the BGS Sixth Form Instagram Following?
Building a following can be easy on Instagram but only if you are good at engaging in the online community. For example, reposting and tagging the Official BGS account and vice versa, means that followers are aware of our account. We recently posted about our Percy Pig plushie that we have in our common room, and made sure to tag the official Percy Pig account. To our surprise, the Percy Pig account ended up seeing our post and liking it, which was super unexpected. This just goes to show that you can connect with anyone on social media.
What skills are hoping to gain from running the student led Instagram account?
I am hoping that I can really learn the best ways in which to utilise an online platform to promote something, in this case our Sixth Form. The girls in the Sixth Form are such a great example of the energy, fun and enthusiasm our school community creates. So what a better way to promote our life here, than to show it! Right? The best thing is that people want to see it. Whether it be students, parents or even prospective parents. Therefore, by trying to promote something, I am learning the best way in which to expand an audience, grow an interest and in some ways build a brand. The skills that I will gain from this are multi-faceted, which is awesome considering that I actually really enjoy doing it.
What are you career aspirations?
As we all know the world is in a crazy place right now dealing with a pandemic. However, aside from that, like most young people, I am still trying to figure myself out and what I want to do. I have always taken an interest in how brands promote themselves through social media. Being a teenager, I have experienced both the good and bad on these platforms, but what I do know is that they are so powerful, and will only continue to grow. I would love to pursue a career in the field, more specifically relating to the entertainment/retail business, as they are also big interests of mine.
How would you promote BGS to a potential Sixth Form student?
I would say, look at our Instagram pages! During these difficult times, I am fully aware that some prospective parents and girls may not be able to come and see the Sixth Form properly. This makes it even more important for us to connect through these platforms, as it is accessible and safe.
Follow the live updates from @bedfordgirlssixth here.
