How education marketers are navigating challenging circumstances
The pandemic has had a profound impact on all aspects of daily life, and education marketing is no exception. Despite changes in how executives are focusing their efforts during the 2020-21 school year, COVID-19 hasn’t discouraged education companies from investing in marketing.
We surveyed education marketers to identify key trends to incorporate into their education marketing strategies for 2021, distilling data from our annual Education Marketing Trends Survey into five key findings with important implications for marketers.
Our findings include a brief discussion of each trend, how responses compare to the previous year’s data and what it all means for education marketers in 2021.
Download the 2021 Education Marketing Trends Report
Here’s a preview of the first three key findings.
1) Commitment to education marketing remains high during the coronavirus crisis.
- Nearly two-thirds of respondents expect their marketing budgets to remain the same or increase in 2021.
- Aside from education events and conferences, all other marketing activities have either stayed the same or increased for the vast majority of respondents.
- To remain competitive, companies must continue getting their message out to education buyers.
2) Lead generation and sales are companies’ top education marketing goals.
- Generating leads and increasing sales tied as the top priorities for business-to-education (B2E) marketers in this year’s survey.
- 92% of respondents said lead generation is important to them in 2021, up from 70% the year before.
- While lead generation is critical, a comprehensive strategy that addresses all aspects of the sales funnel is the best way to increase sales.
- For example, augment an email marketing campaign with a robust public relations strategy to generate awareness about your brand, and reinforce messaging with a nicely targeted social media campaign.
3) Content creation is still fundamental in the eyes of education marketers.
- 78% of respondents plan to develop new content assets in 2021. Content development was the number one marketing strategy cited by respondents.
- Marketers indicated a trend toward connecting with customers through visual content. Webinars and videos tied for the most popular forms of content.
- To connect with educators during COVID-19, education marketers must create content that empathizes with the challenges they face and offers timely, practical advice to help them succeed.