Eight Common Edtech Marketing Fails

Working with some of the very best edtech teams across the world, we notice the same marketing mistakes cropping up time (and time!) again. The good news is that most are very easily corrected. Below follow eight of the most common ‘fails’ to beware:

Failure to test. There’s a temptation to make assumptions about what’s working with marketing, but it’s essential to test campaign variants like subject lines, ad copy and landing pages. Results can be weird and unpredictable!

Failure to follow up. This one might sound like a no-brainer, but without the right processes, strong leads can slip through the net. This happens with surprising frequency in otherwise brilliant edtech teams. Avoid this by making sure sales and marketing efforts work in perfect alignment.

Failure to provide social proof. Humanise marketing by providing positive social proof. This can be as simple as adding a short testimonial to your website or referencing the size of your customer base.

Failure to call anyone to action. Whether it’s visiting a page, signing up for a trial or watching a video, both you and your prospects must know exactly what you want them to do. Here’s some inspiration. 

Failure to target repeat customers. We all know why trusty repeat customers are usually better than shiny new ones and we can’t afford to ignore them.

Failure to identify the customer. If a team is lumping all prospective customers together as ‘parents’ or ‘employees’, they’re thinking too broadly. Whether or not you agree with persona mapping, think carefully about your customers and their pain points.

Failure to focus on the customer. With all the best intentions, it’s easy to become ‘we focused’. Edtechs, particularly, can be so fixed on changing the education system that they overlook their customers’ immediate needs. A strong value proposition and carefully mapped personas will help.

Failure to measure results. Track your marketing efforts like your life depends on it. Use unique codes, custom URLs and remember to ask customers where they heard about you. Otherwise, how can you know what’s working and what isn’t?