Introduction
The education industry is constantly changing. We’re in the midst of a number of trends that will affect how we market our schools, who we market them to and how we communicate with customers. You’ve heard of many of these new trends, like personalized learning and gamified learning environments. But there are other things you need to consider as well if you want to prepare your organization for what’s coming up in 2023: budget cuts, increased competition, and a changed landscape where marketing matters more than ever before.
Preparing for decreased budgets in 2023
- Budget planning is an essential part of your marketing plan. You should be prepared for decreased budgets, and you should know how to navigate the budget process.
- Understanding your target audience’s needs is important in any industry, but it’s especially critical in education. Your school will want to provide students with a well-rounded education, so knowing what kind of services or programs are most valued by parents could help you create new offerings that appeal to them.
- Knowing who your competitors are will help you formulate a plan for gaining market share and increasing enrollment at your school.
Preparing for increased competition in 2023
You may be wondering how the competition will affect your business in 2023. If so, you probably already know that competition is good because it forces businesses to push themselves harder and improve their products, services, and customer service. The key is to make sure that you are aware of what your competitors are doing and how they’re doing it—and then use this information to stay ahead of the curve in your industry.
You should also keep tabs on your customers’ needs and preferences so that you can stay relevant in an increasingly crowded field as well as anticipate future trends based on how they behave now (i.e. if there seems to be a particular theme among certain demographics over time).
Preparing to reach more decision-makers in 2023
In this article, we’ll explore the obstacles and opportunities in reaching more decision-makers. There are many ways to reach more decision-makers—but it’s important to know your audience and their needs before you start.
- Be a credible source of information. Make sure that your content is relevant, timely, and matches up with the needs of your audience. Create an impactful message that resonates with them.
- Find trusted partners who can help share your story through their channels (social media, email listservs). This will increase your exposure and reach!
Preparing to retarget existing customers in 2023
Retargeting is a great way to reach your existing customers. It can be done by using a variety of tools and can help you reach decision-makers in the education industry, including parents and students.
Retargeting allows you to re-market your product or service to people who have already visited your site. Your ads will show on sites that users visit in order to remind them of your product or service and encourage them to buy it again (or perhaps for the first time).
When it comes to reaching decision-makers and influencers in 2023, retargeting offers several advantages:
Takeaway:
People don’t want to be marketed to. They want to be engaged in a meaningful way.
If you’re the decision-maker at an educational institution, your marketing team must be able to adapt and evolve as the world around them changes. If they aren’t willing or able to do that, they need help from someone who can.
Leverage Custom Marketing Data
You can use data to understand and connect with your customers, personalize your marketing, and improve the effectiveness of your efforts.
Here are some quick tips:
- Understand your customers’ needs and wants. Use data to better understand who they are, what they want from you, how they use digital services, and other information you have about them. This will help guide all of your digital efforts across channels—online or offline—to make them more relevant for those individuals.
- Connect with them where it matters most by incorporating their preferences into the messages that reach them wherever they’re spending time online (e.g., social media sites). You can also deliver these messages through channels that work best for each individual based on their online activity patterns or other information collected about them (e.g., when someone clicks on an email link). This approach not only makes it easier for people who receive your communications but provides additional opportunities for engagement with new audiences across platforms as well!
Connect with organizations that have programs that can be used as examples.
The first step is to connect with organizations that have programs that can be used as examples. In this way, you can show decision-makers the benefits of a program and its potential impact on student’s lives. Contact the organization directly to see if they are willing to share their program with you. Ask them if they would be willing to share their program with your students; ask them if they would be willing to share their program with your school board; ask them what they think about implementing such programs at other schools and in other areas; etc.
Host gatherings outside of your school.
- Host gatherings outside of your school. While you may be familiar with hosting events indoors, it’s important to look for ways to reach new people by hosting an event outside of the school itself. Some ideas include:
- Have a booth set up at a local farmers market or event that draws large numbers of people in the area. This is a great way to promote what your school is all about, while also making some extra money!
- Hosting parties at restaurants can also be beneficial if they are well-publicized and invite guests from other areas as well as parents who would not usually attend such events (as opposed to just having them come into the building).
Make sure your school has a presence on social media.
Social media is a great way to reach new customers and existing customers, too. Think about how many people you know who are on Facebook or Instagram. If your school doesn’t have a strong social media presence, you’re missing out on an opportunity to connect with these potential students.
There are some great ways that schools can use social media to reach both current and future students. Some examples include:
- Creating content that people want to share and engage with
- Offering discounts for using the school’s name in a post
- Encouraging users to tag their friends in posts
Make sure your school board understands what you do.
You’re not alone. There are many other schools and organizations trying to reach the same decision-makers, who are often inundated with information from a variety of sources. You can help your school board understand what you do by:
- Asking for help if you need it
- Asking for advice, when appropriate
- Clarifying your message and how it aligns with their goals before presenting it to them, if necessary
- Staying in touch consistently throughout the process, so they know you’re available and engaged
Keep your organization up to date on education market trends.
- Keep your organization up to date on education market trends.
- Take advantage of new technologies.
- Look for new opportunities.
- Look for new ways to reach your audience.
- Look for new ways to engage with your audience.
- Look for new ways to interact with your audience
Don’t get stuck in the classroom when it comes to marketing your educational institution in 2023.
One of the biggest mistakes that educational institutions make when it comes to marketing themselves is getting stuck in the classroom. It’s understandable since this is where you do most of your work and interact with other people in your industry. However, if you want to reach out to more than just educators, then don’t be afraid to reach out outside of that space. Look for organizations that may be interested in what you have to offer, even if they’re not directly related to education or even any kind of educational institution themselves!
It’s also important not to limit yourself by only targeting people who work in schools or universities as well; there are plenty of other professions where someone could benefit from what we have on offer! For example: If I ran an animal shelter and wanted more volunteers (or customers), I wouldn’t just target people who worked at shelters already because their needs might not match my own perfectly—I would also try reaching out directly through social media channels like Twitter or Instagram instead because those platforms are free-flowing enough for anyone who wants them regardless whether they’re connected with me beforehand or not!
Conclusion
In short, the education market is changing quickly. It’s no longer enough to stick with traditional methods like print ads and direct mailers—you need to get creative so you can reach new audiences and keep up with competitors who are doing the same. The best way to do this is by using data-driven marketing strategies like personalization, retargeting, and retooling existing programs for use in today’s world of education consumers.
Author Bio
Oliver Smith has been a Marketing Professional for more than a decade. He is a full-time marketing strategist working in College Data Lists, a company that provides education industry data for businesses.
