Reaching teachers is both critical and complex for any education company. Teachers or their students and parents are usually the primary users of an education product or service, making them your biggest advocates. But they are also busy and typically don't control the budget. Despite the challenges, you should not overlook marketing to teachers.
Before you start marketing, it is worthwhile to do some strategic planning. For example, here are some questions to think about:
What type of teacher are you reaching?
Your marketing messages and approaches should vary depending on the type of teacher you're reaching. Marketing to an elementary teacher versus a high school teacher will be different because their role in their students' lives varies. Elementary teachers are helping students build foundational life and school skills, while high school teachers face more mental health issues and are focused on preparing students for life after graduation.
Similarly, marketing to a science teacher versus an English teacher will be different. Science teachers might be more open to receiving step-by-step explanations of your product, whereas English teachers would relate to stories about your product solution.
How will the teacher use your educational product or service?
Understanding how teachers will use your product or service will help you frame how you talk about it with them. There are many scenarios where the teacher might be the primary user or their students are the primary user and the teacher is responsible for guiding them through it.
Putting yourself in their shoes will help you in marketing to teachers.
They might be less engaged or interested in hearing what you have to say if it's something that's just being dictated to them to use by administration. They will be hesitant about using it if it seems useless or complex with lengthy required training. Teachers want their lessons to run as smoothly as possible, so it's to your advantage to know where they are coming from if your product expects them to change how they run their classroom in any way.
How does your educational product or service help teachers?
To get a teacher's attention, you need to explain how your solution will help them in their jobs. Most experienced teachers are averse to trying new things, especially technology like edtech products. But they also have pain points within the classroom, whether it's getting students more engaged, catering to different learning styles, or reducing time-consuming work. Your marketing needs to revolve around how you will make things easier for them. Don't just focus on what your product is and its features—relate to the teacher in some way to capture their attention. Then, when they show interest, you can explain the product in more detail.
What are the alternatives teachers are using now?
It's also helpful to think about what teachers are doing now instead of using your product. If they use a free alternative that has been working for them for the past ten years, it might be hard to get them to change. On the other hand, if the alternative is expensive or not effective, you will want to emphasize how you are better in your marketing.
Think through these questions and write down your answers. Knowing what to say to teachers makes a big difference when you market to them. Be consistent across your marketing by emphasizing these points.
Ideas for Marketing to Teachers
Next, you are ready to reach out to teachers with your marketing messages. The ideas you take on will vary depending on what you're marketing and who you are trying to reach. It's always best to coordinate your marketing over some time (at least three months), running more than one of these ideas at a time. Teachers are very busy, and they will need to see your brand multiple times before they notice it enough to take action. Here are 50 ideas for you to start with—find some that make sense for your company and try them out!
Create emails for the sales team to send to cold lists of teachers that they research online or buy.
Record videos your sales team can use in their emails or meetings.
Send a monthly email newsletter to people in your database.
Create promotions or discounts coordinated with times of the year, like back to school or the start of the spring semester, shared on the website and in email.
Send emails to segmented lists of your database with free resources or product news.
Submit your company blog to be listed on blog directories for teachers.
Create a student competition that teachers can use in the classroom.
Put together free resources related to your product that teachers can use, like worksheets or videos.
Create a free video series that gives teachers tips.
Release a limited version of your product for teachers to try.
Offer free trials of the product.
Mail a free copy of some of your product (if it's a physical product).
Host virtual or in-person networking and learning events and issue PD certificates.
Mail items teachers will use in the classroom that have your logo on them.
Have a booth at conferences teachers attend, regional or specific to the type of teacher you're trying to reach, and give something away at the booth.
Partner with a customer and present together at conferences teachers attend.
If the teachers you're marketing to are active on social media, actively post and engage on that platform.
Find teacher influencers who have a following and send them a free product or trial.
Partner with other companies who are marketing to the same group of teachers but with a non-competing product to cross-promote through email or host events together.
Run Google ads if the type of product you're marketing is one that they research.
Run retargeting ads that advertise across websites or Facebook to people who have visited your website or your existing email list.
Run ads in newsletters or websites that are about specific topics the teachers are interested in.
Host your own community through your website or in a Facebook group, answering questions, sharing resources, and bringing in speakers.
Develop a brand ambassador program with existing customers, giving them early access to your product and opportunities to engage with other educators in exchange for promoting your product.
Encourage employees to share company social media posts.
If the leader or founder of your company has a following on social media, they should post regularly on their personal page.
Participate in podcast interviews and share the recordings through email and social media.
Apply for industry awards and share the news on your website, email, and social media when you win.
Optimize your website for SEO (search engine optimization).
Create blog posts, videos, and social media posts for SEO using keywords that teachers search for.
Participate in existing online communities with helpful comments.
Feature new updates on your website through banner ads or pop-ups.
Interview teachers for a podcast or video series.
Run a giveaway where teachers win a free resource or trial.
Include a branded item or printed resource in a swag bag at a conference or event teachers attend.
Develop webpages specific to the types of teachers you're marketing to.
Add a newsletter sign-up form on your website.
Develop an interactive quiz for teachers to participate in that is fun.
Create a good product with a responsive customer service team—word of mouth is the best form of marketing.
Offer an online chat on your website to answer questions.
Include videos and graphics on your website that explain your product.
Create outlines that compare your product to alternatives for your website and sales team.
Get listed in business directories.
Post case studies and testimonials on your website and use them in emails and social media.
Pitch ideas to website publications that teachers read to be featured.
Have a referral program.
Highlight news, promotions, or free resources in employee's email signatures.
Sponsor classrooms or teachers by matching donations to pay for their classroom supplies.
Offer an email course where you send teachers emails over a set number of weeks, educating them on a topic related to your product.
Send free snacks or lunches to the teachers at school, including some branding (you will need to coordinate this with the main office).
Marketing to teachers can be challenging, but they are worth your while to include in your marketing plan. Even if teachers aren't the final decision makers in a purchase, they are crucial to the adoption of your product and its overall success in ensuring that the school or district keeps buying and referring you for years to come.
