With millions of active users, social media marketing for edtech is the new norm. Businesses, irrespective of the niche, are using social media for quality traffic, engagement and sales. So, is being on social media enough for edtech companies? Of course, not!
You have to do a lot more than just create a Facebook page and randomly post content in the hopes that your target audience will see, share, or click through the links. You have to look for opportunities to engage your target audience and connect with them at a personal level. This post will walk you through the best tactics in social media marketing for edtech to reach a broader audience and grow your business quickly.
1. Why Should You Choose Social Media Marketing for Edtech?
So, you have the best teaching staff, world-class study material, and a fantastic curriculum that any parent would love to pay for. However, none will matter if your target audience is unaware of it.
For a long time, edtech firms have been reliant on advertisements in local newspapers, TV channels, and local classifieds to promote their brands. However, edtech companies must change how they promote their business with the evolving dynamics of digital marketing. If you do not promote your edtech in the right way, there are chances that your brand might get lost in the crowd.
This is where social media marketing for edtech can help you. Social media marketing for edtech is vital in reaching out to your target audience and increasing engagement. Leveraging the power of social media to attract new users and build a community should be a top priority for edtech firms.
Using SMART goals as a part of a social media marketing campaign can help improve the overall performance. But, what exactly is meant by SMART? Well, you should have Specific(S), Measurable(M), Achievable(A), Relevant(R), and Time-Bound(T) goals to fine-tune your strategy and pave the way to success.
A SMART edtech social media strategy will go a long way toward branding your company as an industry leader.
2. 8 Actionable Ways Edtech Companies Can Leverage Social Media Marketing
2.1 Choose a Platform
For your social media strategy to perform well, Edtech firms must ensure they spend time on the right platform and target the appropriate audience. To craft this, you need to know the answers to the below questions –
- Where does your target audience work or live?
- Is your audience on the younger side?
- Do they enjoy lighthearted content or informative content?
Figuring these things will help you filter the platforms you should stick to. Some platforms are appropriate for building awareness, while others are better for leads and conversions. For example, a recent survey by MDR education reported that 83% of teachers use Facebook, 54% on Instagram, and 72% use Pinterest.
Let us understand this with the example of an edtech software company in the USA that develops software for schools, colleges, and universities. Answering the above questions –
- Where does your target audience work or live?
The target audience lives in the United States of America and is the decision-makers like – senior management, trustees, board members, principals, and vice-chancellors in reputed schools, colleges, and universities in the USA.
- Is your audience on the younger side?
No, the age of the target audience is between 35 and 55.
- Do they enjoy light-hearted content or informative content?
They enjoy informative content such as product updates, features of the services, the latest happenings in the education sector, announcements, news, and more.
Based on the answers, we can say LinkedIn is the best platform where you are likely to find your target audience.
Do you want to know the reason?
- According to Statistica, 71% of internet users between the age group 36-55 use LinkedIn
- LinkedIn is home to Fortune 500 executives, founders, and CEO. 45% of LinkedIn users are in senior management.
- 48.5% of users in the US use LinkedIn.
Based on the above stats, the edtech software company in the USA can drive results by finding its target audience on LinkedIn.
2.2 Optimize Social Media Profiles
Are you wondering why your social media page is not getting the desired traction? In most cases, a poorly designed social media page can increase your bounce rate. Many edtech firms already have a solid social media presence; staying ahead is not easy.
According to HubSpot, 21% of consumers will unfollow the page if they see repetitive content or posts. Other reasons could include too few postings, too much posting, clutter, and disorganized posts.
Typically, social media optimization depends on competitor research, performance analysis, and insights from social listening. Here are a few factors that help you to create a winning profile:-
- The profile picture should have the company logo to build brand identity
- Usernames must be consistent across all social platforms
- Include a CTA in the bio that redirects to your edtech website
- Make sure to update the cover page regularly with trending content
Here are examples of reputed edtech brands with a well-crafted business page –
- Udemy – Learn and teach anything online
- Coursera – Learn without limits
- Skillshare – Online learning community
It will help if you use the right combination of text and images (50:50) to make the page look appealing.
2.3 Use a Social Media Content Calendar
Did you know Internet users are likely to spend one-third of their time on social media? But, you can’t expect much from social media if you post random content and @mention a few people. You don’t reach the level of EdSurge on Twitter with just a few random posts. Likewise, there’s a reason why Unacademy’s posts on Instagram get thousands of likes.
Although some of the reputed edtech brands might have heavy budgets, the principles they use to create an excellent social media presence – can be replicated by others. The common thread between the biggest edtech brands on social media is – CONSISTENCY.
Post content on social media consistently to keep the followers engaged and achieve new followers. For instance, you can post 2 to 3 times on Instagram, 1 to 4 times on Facebook, 1-2 times on Twitter, and once on LinkedIn.
Create a posting schedule (content calendar), like when and where the posts have to be shared. Long breaks between posting can make your audience bored, and you may lose followers quickly.
Here are some downloadable content or editorial calendar templates that help you prepare a schedule –
- HubSpot’s Social Media Content Calendar for Startups
- Free Social media Calendar Template – Asana
- Content Calendar Template – Monday
2.4 Best Times to Post
Each social media has its benefits depending on the content type, audience, and benefits. If you’re not getting the desired engagement, consider revisiting your KPIs and goals that help you know which time and days you get more engagement.
The highest times of engagement for edtech posts (based on our social media analysis) on different platforms are as below –
- Best days and times to post on Facebook – Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays – 10 am to 2 pm
- Worst days to post on Facebook – Saturday
- Best days and times to post on Instagram – Tuesdays and Wednesdays – 10 am to 1 pm
- Worst days to post on Instagram – Sunday
- Best times and days to post on LinkedIn – Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays – 10 am to noon
- Worst day to post on LinkedIn – Saturday and Sunday
With the right data, edtech brands can effectively plan content to post on different platforms. In most cases, a detailed analysis of the target audience might reveal the best times to post.
Social media management tools like Sprout Social, Buffer, and Hootsuite can help you dig deep into the analytics and develop a customized strategy for your brand.
2.5 Use Audience Targeting
You have created stellar content and crafted the best learning experience for your target audience. The challenge is – how to connect with them?
Social networks are an essential part of communication for edtech brands. They are the key to keeping their audience informed about the latest updates and happenings.
Audience targeting on social media helps you segment your target audience into groups based on different criteria, including demographics, interests, intent, and characteristics. Once the audience is grouped, edtech brands can use paid advertisements to target a specific audience.
Let’s take a look at the below table to know how to segment the target audience –
| Age | Category | Interests |
| 5-16 | Children | Games, sports, puzzles, dance, languages |
| 16-25 | Students | Sports, personality development, travel, music, entertainment |
| 22-60 | Parents | Sports, colleges, universities, cooking, health, fitness |
| 25-60 | Teachers | Self-development, teaching, lessons, curriculum, schools, and colleges |
Based on the category, age, and interest – create a social media marketing plan that engages them and conveniences them to interact with your brand.
2.6 Don’t Overlook Hashtag Marketing
Many edtech firms are using Facebook and Instagram to reach the right audience for new customer acquisitions and app installs. In social media marketing, #hashtags are an easy way to stay current and incorporate relevant content into online conversations.
#Hashtags will offer you an easy and convenient approach to joining a vital conversation or staying in the loop. If you are an edtech marketer, it is crucial to find and use relevant hashtags to join discussions on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
For instance, Vedantu, one of the leading online tutoring platforms, started #vedantulearningchallenge during the lockdown, calling up their target audience to send videos of skills they learned at home.
To get involved in hashtag marketing, identify the right keywords based on your products or services. Explore hashtags around such themes and select the one appropriate for your brand. Some of the popular hashtags in edtech are – #edchat, #learning, #teaching, #STEM, #elearning, #EdApps, #Schools, etc.
2.7 Repurpose the Best Content
Your website might have fantastic blogs, white papers, case studies, and ebooks but, how can you spread the word and urge people to read your content? Although the material you post on your website can lead to a high ranking on SERPs, it can be amplified when combined with social media techniques.
Passive social media marketing for edtech can redirect tons of traffic from your social media page by repurposing the existing content. Conversely, you can provide the repurposed content with a social media boost for additional reach. It can be through unpaid or paid marketing efforts, liking, commenting, enlisting influencers, etc.
For instance, you might convert your latest blog post on the best e-learning trends into a youtube video, split it into an interesting Twitter thread, or even create a carousel to post on Facebook. Likewise, if you have recently surveyed the best courses in cloud computing, pull the results into an infographic.
2.8 Bring Influencers on Board
The growth of the edtech industry is reflected on social media, with brands sharing their accomplishments and success stories. In addition, many edtech brands use influencer marketing to boost their brand and generate more leads. Check out the edtech influencers using social media to engage and entertain those in the education industry.
With people spending a precedent time on social media, many people follow their favorite celebrities to stay updated with their current activities. In addition, edtech influencers on social media are helping parents, teachers, and students by providing valuable tips and guidance.
There are millions of influencers on social media. Analyze an edtech influencer with a strong base who can help you run a top-notch campaign.
Check out how the top 10 edtech companies are growing their audience base with influencer marketing.
3. What Are the Best Social Media Marketing Software for Edtech?
3.1 VoiceThread
It is one of the best platforms to share documents, images, and videos. It was launched by Alexandra Pickett (an instructor at SUNY Albany) in 2006 to introduce herself to students through an informal video. With easy-to-use and intuitive features, it helps students to make the content more engaging and appealing.
3.2 Ted-Ed
While the original Ted Talks are not aimed at school audiences, this platform allows users to create interactive lessons around YouTube videos by adding discussions, open-ended questions, additional resources, and more. The platform has hundreds of educators who present their ideas and share lessons in TED-styled talks. In addition, one can find a massive collection of videos in various categories such as – science, technology, business, economics, etc.
3.3 Wikispaces Classroom
This engaging social media platform for edtech has been adopted by more than 10 million teachers globally. You can invite students and parents to get started and share announcements, study material, and other information. Like other platforms, it allows users to edit pages and produce informative content rather than just consuming it. Besides, teachers can create groups and assign projects to students to learn to collaborate with others.
Besides the above, Edmodo, The Connected Educator, TeacherTube, and Academia.edu are some edtech platforms worth trying.
4. Case Study Examples of Social Media Marketing for Edtech
4.1 Blackboard
It is a learning management solution for Higher Ed, K-12, business, and government earned the status of a legacy brand in the category of young products. Across the social media handles, they offer remote learning toolkits, tips for teachers and students, webinars, and more.
4.2 Duolingo
It is another in the list of “best edtech” firms engaging the target audience on social media in a playful manner. The promotional pieces with colorful visuals on social media have gained the attention of many.
5. How to Analyze Social Media Marketing Results?
According to social media statistics, 53% of consumers know about new companies on social media. Social media marketing for edtech has many benefits, such as filling the top of the funnel with leads, wider brand reach, better customer service, online reputation, and so on.
However, the question is how to analyze social media marketing results? Are you able to drive the best ROI?
To know if your marketing strategy is working for you or not, you need to analyze the effort and measure the key metrics. They will help you understand if you are meeting or exceeding your goals to plan for the best course of action.
In this section, we have covered the KPIs to measure your social media marketing results. Keep reading more about social media KPIs that help measure marketing efforts.
- Reach – Awareness of the brand
Reach KPI helps you understand how many people saw your post on social media. There are three types of reach – total reach, total impressions, and share of voice(SOV). Remember that your audience can’t interact with you if they don’t know about your existence.
- Engagement – Interaction with the brand
This KPI tells how well the content resonates with your target audience and to what extent your brand influenced them. The more the user interacts with your posts or page, the more likely you will gain their trust. Examples of engagement are – likes, shares, comments, replies, etc.
- Conversion – Converting interactions into customers
The lead conversion rate, non-revenue conversions, and sales revenue are the KPIs to measure the rate at which the interactions turn into customers. It tracks the results of social media efforts and how the audience interacts with your brand. You can look at Google Analytics to see which clicks from social media to your website converted into sales.
- Customer loyalty – Positive or recurring interaction with the brand
Positive interaction with a brand shows increased referrals, recommendations, and purchases. A recent study by Sprout revealed that 77% of customers are likely to choose a brand over competitors after a positive interaction. KPIs that measure customer loyalty include cost per lead, resolved issues, customer lifetime value, etc.
Tracking social media KPIs is an essential element of edtech social media strategy. Without this, you won’t know if you are achieving your business goals. For instance, by knowing how many comments, likes, and shares your posts generate, you will be able to take the overall engagement.
Conclusion
The education sector is no more confined to old classrooms and traditional teaching methods. With the increasing scope of digital marketing for edtech, companies have more opportunities to widen their reach and grow their business.
Growth Ganik is the best edtech marketing agency pioneer in providing brands with search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing (SMM), social media optimization (SMO), and content marketing services.
Our team of professionals assists edtech firms with brand positioning, lead generation, conversion rate optimization, and advertising. We help your edtech brand stand among others in the educational sphere and get more customer retention and loyalty.
6. FAQS
- How Do I Market for Edtech?
Some of the best ways to market for edtech are – SEO, video marketing, content marketing, PPC advertising, and email marketing.
- How Can I Increase My Edtech Sales?
Leverage the power of edtech marketing to drive more traffic, generate leads, and drive conversions.
- Who Are the Customers of Edtech Companies?
The main customers of edtech companies include – teachers, parents, students, and business owners.
About Us
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