PTO Communication and Marketing Tools
Harper PTO Communications are here to help you promote and market your Harper PTO
announcement or event. Please take a look at the communication tools below for information on how to move forward with your publicity efforts at no cost:
“Harper Parents Page” Facebook Group
- Promote PTO initiatives/events by posting directly on the Harper Parents Page on Facebook (any member of the group is allowed to post)
- Images/photos draw the most attention
- Bullet points/emojis rather than paragraphs are more visually pleasing
- Post links for easy sign-ups
- Parents can then ask questions and comment
Harper Happenings
- Email your event/initiative information to communications@harperpto.com *ideally by Monday mornings at 9am* to be included in that week’s newsletter
- Make sure to note how many weeks the submission should run in the HH and if/when there are updates
- Remember to submit a webpage content request, if needed, for the website link by emailing webmaster@harperpto.com. See below for further details.
- Tips:
- Include a catchy headline and image/visual to draw attention
- Put newsworthy details in bullet points
- Provide link to sign up/register if appropriate
Mass Email (in limited circumstances, the PTO President can email all parents thru the Membership Toolkit)
- Email content to the PTO President at ptopresident@harperpto.com for key events/initiatives, e.g. Harper Hoedown, Parent Social, Book Fair, PTO Clubs, etc
- Bullet points are helpful for newsworthy details
- Include an image/visual
- Provide link to sign up/register
- This is a free, targeted communication. The PTO President can email all grades K-4 or just parents in specific grades
- In some cases, announcements from multiple committees will be included in an email blast.
- Email blasts are appropriate when used:
- For larger events with a substantial amount of information to communicate
- To communicate new or changed information about an event, particularly when changes are made close to the time of the event
- To communicate information that is time-sensitive (i.e., volunteers required for an impending event)
- As reminders for events taking place over the weekend.
PTO Website
The objective of the website homepage is to briefly list upcoming events with links to separate committee or event pages. For creation of website content, please email webmaster@harperpto.com.
The general guidelines for website content are:
- Submit all requests at least one week prior to desired posting; please provide additional time if your request is very complicated. Requests that include using credit card processing to collect payments need to be submitted 2 weeks prior to posting.
- The homepage has limited space and occasionally the timing of events requires prioritization of the spaces on the webpage by date. We will do our best to accommodate all requests, but keep in mind that the sooner we know about all requests the better we can plan.
- A PTO Website request is needed to generate a post or page for use in Harper Happenings, social media or email blasts where you want to provide a hyperlink for the reader to obtain additional information or sign-up/purchase tickets, etc.
Harper’s Instagram
- The Instagram page is managed by Harper’s administrators – not the PTO – but we can utilize this space to promote PTO programs and events
- Email post and desired photo/image/flyer to Mrs. Brennan at brennanj@wilmette39.org
Banners
- Harper has premade banners to hang in front of school for events like: Book Fair, Parent Social and Harper Hoedown
- Ask the front office about hanging banners at the main entrance prior to your event
Room Parent Email (sent from VP Room Parents)
- The PTO’s VP Room Parents have access to this functionality
- Email can be sent to inform room parents about a specific initiative that they should share with their respective classes
- Send email to VP Room Parents at roomparents@harperpto.com to see if room parent email is the appropriate mode of communication. If the answer is yes, committee requesting communication should:
- Include a catchy headline
- Put newsworthy details in bullet points
- Include an image/visual as well as a link to sign up/register if appropriate
NB: Printed Flyers
- Harper school does not print or make copies for the PTO so printed flyers would have to be outsourced at a cost to the PTO
- The PTO discourages full-page color due to rising prices
- Black/white flyers are more cost-effective than color
- Quarter sheets are most cost-effective
- Each time a committee expenses flyers, the cost of printing increases overhead and impacts funds raised
- The PTO encourages committees to utilize the free marketing tools listed above
Electronic Bulletin Board
Harper has an Electronic Bulletin Board in the Harper School lobby. Content is uploaded by a school administrative staff member. Submissions are sent to the PTO Communications Chair via the Communications Request Form. Since people quickly pass through the Harper School lobby, we recommend that announcements be as short as possible. A website address should be included if there is a lot of information to disseminate. The Electronic Bulletin Board announcements are really meant to be brief “shout-outs” about your event/program including important date, time, registration requirements, deadlines, etc. If you have any images to use or have ideas about images you would like to incorporate but don’t have, those can be sent to the Communications Chair who will work with Harper Staff to incorporate them.
Non-PTO Group Communications
If non-PTO organizations wish to communicate to Harper families, they may place a poster on the Community Bulletin Board in the Harper lobby. They can also provide grade-specific handouts to Harper teachers and ask them to distribute them via student mailboxes. These communications efforts must all be pre-approved by Mrs. Brennan and created and duplicated on equipment outside of Harper.
Miscellaneous
