• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
ListenFirst Media

ListenFirst Media

ListenFirst Media - Intelligent Social Media Analytics Platform

Login Get a Demo
  • Home
  • Our Solution
    • Monitor earned and owned social channelsSocial ListeningSocial Listening
    • Know what your audience really cares about and whySentiment AnalysisSentiment Analysis
    • Prioritize efforts and optimize a plan of attackCampaign & Content AnalysisCampaign & Content Analysis
    • Analyze the effectiveness of social media effortsCompetitive Rankings & BenchmarksCompetitive Rankings & Benchmarks
    • Stay competitive in a video-driven worldVideo AnalysisVideo Analysis
    • Gain share of voice with the right audienceAudience AnalysisAudience Analysis
    • Map connections between fans and partnersInfluencer AnalysisInfluencer & Partner Analysis
  • Our Company
    • About Us
    • Careers
    • In The News
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Case Studies
    • Reports
    • Rankings
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Case Studies
  • Rankings
  • Reports

The Social Media Conversation Around Going Back To School 

by Jonathan CohenLead Article Writer
August 24, 2020

August 24, 2020 by Jonathan Cohen

The term back to school implies something that’s happened before and as we all know there’s nothing about this upcoming school year that’s going to resemble the classroom experience of the past. Whether students will be resuming with remote learning or suiting up in PPE to take classes in person, there are some unprecedented challenges for students this Fall. That means it’s a great moment to take the temperature of social media, to better understand how the audience is processing these changes. Using ListenFirst’s social media listening platform capabilities, here are 5 key insights about how the social audience is responding to the new school year during a pandemic. 

Insight #1: Back To School Posts Pivoting To Back To Living Room Posts 

There were 2,533,191 Tweets that mentioned School between July 16 – August 16, 2020 which is a 32% increase from the volume of Tweets that mentioned School between July 16 – August 16, 2019. Obviously, it’s not the same Back To School related chatter and in fact, even with online discussion about how to return to school safely, there’s less Back To School conversation on social media in 2020. There were 176,648 unique Tweets that mentioned Back To School during July 16 – August 16, 2020 which was a -17% decrease from the volume of Tweets that mentioned Back To School during July 16 – August 16, 2019. 

View this post on Instagram

Virtual classes? 🙋‍♀️ Zoom date n' chill? 💻 Get some behind-the-scenes inspo of @irenetheluna dancing, styling, and shooting our latest campaign. Featuring our new Dream Jeans, that feel just as good as they look (and trust us, they feel GOOD)!

A post shared by American Eagle (@americaneagle) on Jul 23, 2020 at 6:00pm PDT

As the audience is talking about Back To School less, smart brands are largely pivoting to other school related topics. For example, PacSun received 7,800 responses to an Instagram post showing a model in an outfit optimized for his living room and virtual classes while American Eagle shared a video post on Instagram that received 6,405 responses showing a model getting her look ready for a virtual class. This Fall students are dressing as much for Zoom as they are for in person interactions and brand messaging needs to reflect that reality.  

Insight #2: The Coronavirus Related School Discussion Is Dominated By Politics 

Just look where Donald Trump and Mike Pence got us: more than 16 million out of work. Millions of kids who cannot go back to school. More than 165,000 lives have been cut short by coronavirus, many with loved ones who never got the chance to say goodbye.

This was preventable.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 14, 2020

Between July 16 – August 16, 2020 there were 164,196 Tweets that mentioned both School and the Coronavirus and the five of those Tweets that generated the most responses were directly related to politics. For instance, Kamala Harris generated 198,687 responses that blamed  Donald Trump and Mike Pence for millions of kids being unable to go back to school. Meanwhile a Tweet asking how COVID-19 is too dangerous for the Republican Convention to happen in Jacksonville but safe enough to send kids to school generated 40,287 responses and an ER doctor received 19,972 responses saying it’s the administration not the coronavirus that’s keeping our kids from going to school next month. 

Overall 11% of the Tweets that mentioned both School and the Coronavirus between July 16 – August 16, 2020 directly mentioned Government or Politics. Sentiment around Tweets that mentioned School, the Coronavirus, and Politics was 51% Negative and 7% Positive, meaning it’s an especially negative subject that brands want to steer clear of.  

Insight #3: Back To School Brands Post That Succeed Are Pandemic Specific 

With most students not going back to physical classrooms, there’s significantly less interest in brand posts back to school related content on social media compared to the past, though there have been some exceptions.  

View this post on Instagram

what has been your number 1 quarantine survival tip? Head to our stories to learn more about @ivyz.jpg and shop her must-haves for this back to school szn! 💛 —— Make sure to tag @forever21 + #f21xme for a chance to be featured! —– 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝: top: Ribbed Off-The-Shoulder Tee bottom: Paperbag Straight-Leg Jeans #denimjeans #offtheshoulder

A post shared by forever21 (@forever21) on Jul 20, 2020 at 7:48pm PDT

Forever 21 has succeeded in their social media Back To School campaign because they’ve  either addressed the situation head on or by asking questions that are just as relevant during remote learning. For instance, they generated 26,287 responses to an Instagram post asking for your number one surviving quarantine tip. Contests also still work, as Forever 21 received 19,742 responses to an Instagram post asking the audience to share their back to school goals for a chance to be featured on their Instagram page. 

View this post on Instagram

From the coolest fashion trends to school supplies starting at $0.25 AND the hottest tech, however school looks this fall, we’ve got your back. 🙌 Available for curbside pickup and free two-day delivery on eligible orders $35+.

A post shared by Walmart (@walmart) on Jul 22, 2020 at 8:45am PDT

Another successful strategy has been hedging and using language that addresses both remote learning and in personal classes in back to school posts by brands. Like Walmart generating 5,413 responses to an Instagram post talking about how they have back to school products, “however school looks this fall” while a Kohl’s Instagram post about having comfy styles for the school year, whether you’re “heading back or logging in” received 1,357 responses.

Brands need to share content that’s relevant to the audience, and right now that means Back To School content that acknowledges the pandemic and it’s unique challenges.   

Insight #4: The Social Audience Is Very Nervous About The Level Of Protection Inside Schools 

Between July 16 – August 16, 2020 there were 34,701 Tweets that mentioned both School and a PPE related phrase (PPE, Mask, Plexiglass, Face Shield, Disinfectant, Gloves, Hand Sanitizer, or Purell). Sentiment around those Tweets was 55% Negative compared to 11% Positive, with 33% of the Tweets expressing the emotion of Fear, and 15% of those Tweets expressing Anger.

You gon send your kid to school with the Paw Patrol mask and he gon come home with a Spider Man mask because he made a trade at lunch. Whole school gon be shut down the next day.

— Sprite 🧚🏼 (@sodamom23) July 28, 2020

There was a lot of frustration expressed in PPE related School Tweets by parents, for instance a Tweet that got 580,544 responses talked about how kids are just going to end up trading their masks when they get to school, while another Tweet that generated 352,359 responses complained that a school superintendent in Georgia said there’s no way to enforce a mandate to wear masks, despite girls getting sent home for dress code violations all the time. Another mom got 8,433 responses to a Tweet pointing out that her daughter’s public school has a no ripped jeans policy, in response to the claim that mask wearing should be a personal choice. 

With such an emphasis on PPE in the real-time conversation around returning to the classroom, on a brand level it’s a great reminder that addressing safety is going to connect with the social media audience in back to school messaging. For instance Vera Bradley shared a post about Youth Pleated Masks for kids heading back to school which received 4,781 responses on Instagram while Target emphasized contactless pickup in their YouTube video about back to school shopping. 

Insight #5: Brands Should Post Content That Assists With Learn From Home Technology 

There were 55,343 Tweets that mentioned Remote Learning or related terms (Virtual Classroom, Home Schooling, Virtual Learning) between July 16 – August 16, 2020 and given the extent to which technology is enabling remote learning; certain platforms and tools are becoming way more discussed on social media.  

For example, there were 357,943 Tweets mentioning Zoom between July 16 – August 16, 2020, an increase of 700% from the volume of Tweets discussing the video communications brand between July 16 – August 16, 2019. In the same time period, Google for Education which posts about Google Classroom content was mentioned in 6,648 Tweets, an increase of 58% from the number of Tweets mentioning the brand between July 16 – August 16, 2019.

The social media audience is talking about technology relating to virtual learning more than ever before and by offering virtual backgrounds or sharing tips for parents to set a virtual work environment for their kids, brands can create social media content that will align with what’s on parents minds right now. 

Conclusion 

As we all struggle to adjust to the new normal during the pandemic, knowledge about how the audience is reacting in real-time is more important than ever. ListenFirst can provide you with the social media insights you need to know about how to best connect with the audience during this time when their lives are so radically different. 

Want more information about how ListenFirst can help your brand understand the rapidly changing conversation occuring on social media? Request a demo today! 

All the Twitter data used above is from the United States only and excludes Retweets. 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: American Eagle, back to school, coronavirus, Forever 21, PacSun, Virtual Learning, Walmart

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe flag

Subscribe to our blog

Unsubscribe anytime

Featured Posts

The Super Bowl and Social: A Guide To Campaign Success

How can my brand see the most social media success

The Business Value of Social Media

The Business Value of Social Media for Advertisers

How can advertisers see the most success on social

The Business Value of Social Media for Media & Entertainment

The Business Value of Social Media for Media & Entertainment

How can Media & Entertainment see the most success

The Economics of Influencers: A Guide To Measuring Partnerships

The Economics of Influencers: A Guide To Measuring Partnerships

How can you measure influencer success? Studies have

More Posts from this Category

Latest Post

  • Which Media Publishers Are Audiences Responding To?
  • Which Films Are Driving Social Conversations?
  • Which TV Programs Are Captivating Fans On Social?
  • Consumer Brands: Social Media Industry Benchmarks
  • Media & Entertainment Industry: Social Media Benchmarks
featured logos

Footer

Links

  • Explore our Solution
  • Learn More from Case Studies
  • Get to Know our Company
  • See Who Ranks
  • ListenFirst in the News
  • Review Trends in our Reports
  • Get a Demo
  • Read our Blog
  • Developer Portal

Contact

Office: 917 426 4602
381 Park Avenue South, 4th Floor
New York, New York 10016
trust_icons
2020 Listen First Media Inc. | Privacy Policy | We Do Not Sell Your Personal Information