Ed tech (education technology) content marketing requires a deep understanding of both technology and education, as well as the ability to adapt to the ever-changing landscape. This requires ed tech marketers to anticipate trends and produce content relevant to their audience's needs.
Below, we will explore how you can market your educational institution or product. Whether you're just starting out in ed tech content marketing or looking for some new ideas to enhance your marketing results, read on for an ultimate guide to boosting your content.
What Is Ed Tech Content Marketing?
"Ed tech" is any technology or software used in an educational setting, from online learning platforms to apps and games designed to help students learn. "Ed tech content marketing" refers to using these products and media to market and sell content (such as e-books, courses and other digital resources) to educators and students.
The heart of ed tech content marketing lies in understanding what your target customers want and need to know at every stage of their journey and creating content that addresses those needs. That means ed tech marketers need to be excellent at two different, but equally important things: understanding their customers and creating great content.
Creating great ed tech content isn't easy. It takes time, effort and a lot of trial and error to find the right mix of topics, formats, channels and distribution strategies that will resonate with your audience and help you achieve your business goals.
But the rewards are worth it.
Ed tech companies that invest in content marketing enjoy better brand awareness, engagement, leads and sales — not to mention, they can build an audience of loyal customers who are more likely to stick with them over the long haul.
10 Ways to Create the Best Ed Tech Content
It seems like there's a new ed tech product or solution popping up every day.
With so much noise in the market, how can you make sure your product stands out?
One way to distinguish yourself is through content marketing. By creating helpful, informative content about your product, you’ll attract the attention of educators and administrators who are looking for new solutions to improve teaching and learning.
Here are just a few ways you can create effective and engaging ed tech content:
1. Establish a relationship with your audience.
If you're in the business of ed tech, content marketing is a great way to establish a relationship with your audience. By creating and sharing high-quality content, you can build trust and credibility with potential customers. And when they're ready to make a purchase, they'll be more likely to choose you over a competitor.
2. Get noticed and establish credibility.
It's important to get noticed and establish credibility. But with so much information available at our fingertips, it can be challenging to stand out.
To be successful in ed tech content marketing, you can do a few things to make sure you're seen and heard:
- Always produce high-quality content. Whether writing blog posts or creating video tutorials, make sure your material is well-researched and engaging.
- Be active on social media. Share your content on Twitter, LinkedIn and other platforms where your target audience spends their time.
- Don't forget to optimize your website for search engines.
By following these tips, you'll be on your way to ed tech content marketing success.
3. What kinds of tactics can you use?
Technology has drastically changed the content marketing landscape, making it easier than ever for ed tech businesses to reach their target audiences. However, it can be challenging to know where to start with so many different platforms and options available.
One of the best ways to determine which tactics will work best for your business is to closely look at your audience and what content they are most likely to consume and engage with.
Are they active on social media?
Do they prefer video content or written articles?
Once you understand your audience's preferences, you can start to develop a content strategy that will help you reach them more effectively.
4. Find statistics that support your arguments.
In ed tech content marketing, statistics are your friend. They help establish your credibility and they're a great way to add depth and context to your writing.
But how do you know which stats to use and where to find them?
Here are a few tips:
- Consider your audience. What kind of information will they be looking for? Tailor your stats accordingly.
- Make sure your statistics are up to date. Outdated information can damage your credibility.
- Consider using sources like the U.S. Department of Education or the National Center for Education Statistics. These organizations are reliable sources of ed tech data and statistics.
5. Stay current and relevant.
Staying current and relevant is especially important in the field of ed tech content marketing. To be successful in this field, you need to update your skills and knowledge constantly.
There are plenty of ways to do just that:
- Follow ed tech content marketing leaders and influencers to keep up with the latest trends.
- Attend industry conferences and events.
- Read blogs and white papers from thought leaders in the field.
By staying up to date on the latest ed tech content marketing developments, you'll be able to position yourself as a leader in this rapidly growing industry.
6. Understand the different marketing funnels.
Different marketing channels will appeal to different segments of your audience. For example, you wouldn't use the same inbound marketing strategy to attract a high schooler as a college student. The ed tech market is incredibly complex, given the number of different types of products and services available and the various stages of the buyer's journey that each kind of product corresponds to.
But there are two main types of marketing funnels for ed tech products:
1. Pre-Funnel: This is for awareness-stage content. Its goal is to reach people who don't even know they need your product yet. This is where general industry news and thought leadership pieces live.
2. Top of the Funnel: This is for consideration-stage content. Its goal is to reach people who know they need your product but haven't decided on a specific solution yet. This is where more detailed product information and case studies live.
The bottom line?
As an ed tech content marketer, it's essential to understand the different marketing funnels within the education space to ensure that you’re always reaching the right audience at the right time.
7. Understand the challenges.
When it comes to ed tech content marketing, there are a few challenges that most companies face:
1. It can be challenging to know what content will resonate with educators.
2. Ed tech products are often complex and require a lot of explanation.
3. The ed tech landscape constantly changes.
By understanding these challenges, you can develop strategies for overcoming them. For example, you can use data to guide content creation, focus on creating simplified and visual content and stay up to date on the latest ed tech trends. This will set your marketing campaign up for success.
8. Leverage licensed content.
One of the most powerful strategies you can use in ed tech content marketing is licensing existing content. This will help you deliver high-quality content without the time and cost of producing it all yourself.
When you license content, you have the rights to use it for a specific purpose. For example, you might license a video in your ed tech product, or you might license an article to use on your ed tech blog. The key is to make sure that you are clear about what you are licensing and that you have the rights to use the content in the way you want.
9. Create an editorial calendar.
As a marketer, part of your job is to create new content pieces constantly. But if you're cranking out content without any plan or strategy, you're likely going to waste a lot of time and effort, not to mention miss out on potential leads and conversions.
That's where an editorial calendar comes in. An editorial calendar is a framework that you can use to plan, organize and track your content marketing efforts. It will also help you keep track of deadlines and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.
Creating an editorial calendar doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, there are several different methods that you can use, depending on what works best for you and your team. Once you have your editorial calendar set up, you'll be able to start pumping out high-quality content that will help you close more deals and drive more revenue.
10. Be creative!
Creativity is one of the most essential skills you can bring to the workplace. It drives innovation and helps businesses stand out from the competition. Yet, despite its importance, creativity is often stifled in the workplace.
If you're feeling stuck in a rut, there are a few things that you can do to boost your creativity:
- Try to carve out some time for brainstorming sessions. Whether you do it alone or with a group of colleagues, dedicated brainstorming time can help to get the ideas flowing.
- Don't be afraid to take risks and experiment with new ideas. It's only through trial and error that you'll find genuinely innovative solutions.
- Always be open to feedback. Often, we can see our ideas in a new light when we open ourselves up to others’ feedback.
Examples of Ed Tech Content Marketing
With so much competition in the ed tech market, how do you know which kind of content can help your product stand out?
Below are a few examples of effective ed tech content marketing:
Blog Posts
A simple way to get started with content marketing is to create blog posts that focus on your product's unique features and benefits. Be sure to include plenty of detail and real-world examples to show how your product can make a difference in the classroom.
Example:
MindShift | KQED
MindShift reports on how teaching is evolving to include innovative ideas to better meet the needs of students and how caregivers can better guide their children. This includes stories that examine the role of technology, discoveries about the brain, racial and gender bias in education, social and emotional learning, inequities, mental health and many other issues that affect students.
Infographics
Who says marketing has to be boring? Create engaging infographics that highlight exciting data points about your product. This is an effective way to get your product in front of a new audience and get people talking.
Videos and Other Visual-Heavy Resources
Videos and other visuals are a potent marketing tool. If you can create a stunning visual that showcases your product in action, you’ll have a better chance of capturing the attention of educators looking for new ways to improve their classrooms.
Example:
Amplify
Amplify partners with educators to create meaningful learning experiences in schools—whether it’s helping to create a professional development plan, working shoulder to shoulder in the classroom with teachers, or providing fun and engaging tutoring services for students.
How-To Guides
Ed tech can be complex, and users often need help understanding how to use various features. As an ed tech content marketer, you can create helpful how-to guides that show users exactly what they need to do to get the most out of your product.
Example:
Course Hero
Course Hero is an online learning platform where you can access course-specific study resources contributed by a community of students and educators. Course Hero supports students on their unique learning journey as they seek help and resources to better understand their coursework, prepare for exams, learn and remember. It offers access to millions of learning materials including practice problems, study guides, textbook solutions, and step-by-step explanations for every subject. The Course Hero, Inc. portfolio also includes CliffsNotes, the original and iconic study guide company; LitCharts, a creator of literature resources; QuillBot, an AI-powered platform helping people improve their writing skills, and Symbolab, a pioneering developer of AI for Mathematics Education.
There are endless possibilities for content marketing within the ed tech industry. By thinking outside the box and getting creative, you can develop a content marketing strategy that will help you achieve your business goals.
Final Thoughts
It can be tough to cut through the noise with so many companies vying for attention, especially when it comes to technology content marketing. Ed tech bloggers and marketers always look for new ways to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Licensed content can help you build authority and credibility — two essential ingredients for success in the ed tech world.
When you use licensed content, you're essentially borrowing the credibility of the original source. This can help you attract more readers and followers and ultimately drive more leads and sales. It could be just what you need to take your business to the next level
