Digital Marketing for Educators

If you are a novice, the internet can be confusing for someone looking to build a presence in the field of education. The millions of options and opinions can be mind-boggling.

The list of questions can be endless.

Do I build a website? 

Do I list myself on Justdial and Google? 

Do I need to invest in a logo? 

Should I place ads on Google or Instagram? 

Should I WhatsApp existing students and parents or should we email them about the latest courses? 

Here is a statistical perspective. 

The average internet usage per day has increased by 7 hours since the pandemic. People are online for most of their day, be it work, social media, networking, Whatsapp, or online shopping. Daily online classroom/learning usage has surged by 150% in the past year. To stay ahead of the game, as an educator, it is vital to create a place on the internet or might as well shut the shop.

Education, especially online education, is one of the fastest growing industries in the past two years. The pandemic has accelerated this growth. Educators and educational institutes are going online as they have suddenly realized the comforts and benefits of it. 

Here are three reasons Educators need Digital Marketing:

1. Students and their parents spend approximately seven hours online. They use Google to look for something, build their network on social media, or for an online class. Educators, your target audience is here, online. That's the reason you need to be where they are, and that's online.

2. An ad in the newspaper costs quite a bit and reaches out to lakhs of readers. Ad in the newspaper is not targeted marketing and only a few hundred converts. In digital marketing, you can set your target audience according to their age, interests, or location. An Instagram ad budget as small as ₹1000 per week will convert the targeted audience as it is shown only to those who matter. This shows digital marketing is cheaper than traditional marketing. 

3. The first thing anyone does to research a topic they ask Google Gods through which the person will visit the website. They will judge it based on the look and content. They will also be partial to the ones that rank high on Google's search results. Additionally, they even look at the social media presence. These go a long way in convincing prospective students and or parents to collaborate with you.

An attractive online presence doesn't need rent, maintenance, or investment in costly furniture. Educators don't need to worry about operational and capital expenditures. With a digital marketing agency, educators can concentrate on teaching students and making a difference in student's life. The rest of the business can be handled by the agency.

Here are a few of the digital marketing strategies for educators.

1.Identify your audience

Develop target audience personas to know the demographics of your market. It is essential to understand the audience, know where they spend their time, the communication channel they utilize the most, and the kind of content being consumed. These answers will help create campaigns that cater to the target audience and increase conversion rates.

For example, if the target students are age 15 and below, the target market would be the parents. If the target audience is above 15, they are old enough to make their own decisions, and the marketing can be catered to that age group. 

2. Know your competitors

The internet has one significant advantage. It is an open platform with a large amount of information for everyone who needs it. Something as simple as a Google search can help identify competitors, their ratings, and the channels they use. Knowing your competitors can answer so many questions like:

What is working in their marketing campaign?

What are they doing differently, and how can you do it even better?

3. Create a brand and a design

We are at a point where we consume content in a way we have never done before, which is why just a text message or an ad never works. A logo or brochure is a symbol of status and identification. A few basic marketing needs are:

• Logo
• Catch-line
• E-Brochure
• Social media content and creatives

Every time a prospective student or a parent looks at these, it's an opportunity for conversion.

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4. An excellent SEO website

Previously a student would meet the educator in person to make acquaintance with the subject and teaching method. But things are much simpler now, they go check out the website and all the details related to the educator or the subject. A beautifully designed SEO website makes an impression instantly. The website is the online equivalent of an office. The website needs to cover:

• Details about you, experience, vision.
• Your unique selling proposition(USP) sets you apart from competitors.
• A catalog that includes, details of courses and classes 
• Testimonials of students and parents.
• Contact Information along with click-to-call option.

5. Create attractive content 

When a prospective student or a parent looks at your profile, they are not looking at the syllabus or your classroom features. They would like to know how the educator can help their child. For example, when they look at your Instagram profile, a video on improving concentration, or tricks to solve mathematical equations would be a great way to attract students. Adding a discount coupon for a friend referral is another great way to attract students. Digital marketing can help you create attractive:

• How-to content. 
• Steps towards achieving goals content. 
•  Why do you need a certain course or class content?

6. Reaches the right people organically

There is no use in writing informative blogs if it doesn't reach the right people. Content is only as good as the number of people viewing it. Illustrations, videos, and statistics to represent your content and publish it on the right platforms with appropriate hashtags and keywords will make sure your content reaches the targeted audience. The channels of communication that digital marketers use are:

• Website
• Social Media
• Email Marketing
• Whatsapp
• SMS
• Online communities

Would you hire a designer to brand you, a content writer to write content for you, and a graphic designer to digitize your business? 

It is so simple if you hire an agency that has everybody already on board. A digital marketing agency can execute all the above steps and also provide an ROI along with the metrics. Trust the industry experts.

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