Pearson PLC is the world’s leading learning company, with 40,000 employees in more than 70 countries working to help people of all ages to make measurable progress in their lives through learning. They provide learning materials, technologies, assessments and services to teachers and students in order to help people everywhere aim higher and fulfil their true potential.
We are proud to have empowered Pearson PLC with the social media insights, guidelines and training needed to improve engagement and find their perfect content mix.
When Pearson PLC came to us, their request was clear: they needed a no-nonsense, honest assessment of their social media efforts. Including what was working, what content their audience would respond to, and what they needed to change to boost engagement, particularly for their BTEC and apprenticeship social media content.
Already equipped with a skilled in-house digital team, Pearson needed expertise they couldn’t get from within the organisation. A thorough assessment turned into a practical guide on how to deliver social media content that would convert for the coming year.
As requested by Pearson, Urban Element’s Social Media Specialist conducted a Social Media audit that would give him the clear insights needed to design Pearson PLC ongoing social media guidelines and facilitate a social media workshop to train their staff on the strategy.
MissionConduct a social media audit that would help to identify the wants and needs of the Pearson PLC audience and unify the Pearson PLC social media team toward the shared vision on how best to reach them.
Pearson PLC’s BTEC and apprenticeship team were a newly formed department responsible for managing content, brand strategy, thought leadership and messaging for a range of BTEC and apprenticeship accounts in the UK, as well as internationally.
The primary challenge faced by the team was that they weren’t sure what content was resonating best with their audience. They needed a clear direction, as early in the piece as possible, to come together with a unified vision and focus.
We came in from an advantageous external perspective to conduct a full analysis of who Pearson PLC wanted to communicate with — professionals in schools, colleges, and higher education, as well as employers, parents and students – to form a strategy on how best to connect with them. Including which social media platform, what kind of content, the tone of voice, and best practice both generally and for Pearson.
This social media audit formed the sturdy foundations for the Urban Element team to present their findings and subsequent social media guidelines, which Pearson then asked as to present to the team along with a workshop.
To form practical social media guidelines for Pearson, Urban Element used the finding of their social media audit, as well as their original brief to determine what the team needed to move ahead toward success. In their brief, Pearson requested that advice was offered on; Improving engagement, Best content mix for their audience, Best practice, Hashtag use, Social listening, Tone of voice.
Leaving in the audience findings with the advice that Pearson needed to define their social media guidelines, Urban Element formed a presentation that introduced the benefits of social media for Pearson, how it would serve the goals of the staff working on the BTEC and apprenticeship accounts, and then how best to approach it.
In its complete form, the Pearson PLC Social Media Guideline covered:
WHAT THEY SAYLovely people who really know their stuff. We worked with Urban Element to do a social media audit for us and then deliver training to our marketing team. They are very knowledgeable in the education sector and have really given us some valuable and actionable insights. They are also lovely to work with! We now consider them to be a key strategic partner and I recommend them wholeheartedly.
Kate Jolliffe, Content Manager at Pearson
