Successfully Integrating your K12 Market Strategy

1. Relevance, Relationships & Revenue Successfully Integrating your K12 Market Strategy EIA University, 2014 1

2. Building Relationships What does it take to grow your business in K-12 today? GreatProduct StrongValueProp AccessibleSupport ClearProspectAudience Brand Recognition Visibility Fans & Evangelists

3. The Importance of STORY Know your customer’s story and become part of it… • Intertwine your story with theirs • Use a mix of tools to become a relevantvoice

4. How can you find the right mix of channels to become a relevant voice to your customer?

5. Define your marketWhat does my customer look like? • Historically, we’ve had a very building-centric view • Enrollment, poverty indicators, and Title I funding drove marketing strategy from the rooftop down to everyone in the building • A demographics-based approach can be useful in determining high-level targeting Segmentation at the rooftop level

6. Define your customerASK: What does my customer look? • More and more opportunity to understand the prospective buyer as a person • Firmographics and psychographics can enhance demographics • Know not only who to market to but how to market to them • Understanding behaviors can better position your marketing message

7. Harness all the data you can… • Contact: School & Home Address, School Email, School & Home Phone Numbers • Demographics:Age, Ethnic Group, Marital Status, Gender, Number/Presence of Children • Occupational: Job/Course Title, Highest Degree Level, Years of Teaching Experience, Years at a School • Financial: Household Income, Lifestyle Indicator, Home Ownership • Buying Behaviors: Direct Mail Buyer, Multibuyer, Recency of Purchase, Online Purchaser • Social Media: Engagement, Activity, Influence • Direct Marketing Channel Preference: Email, Direct Mail, Phone • Advertising Receptivity: Web, Newspaper, Magazine, Radio, TV • Interests:Travel, Investor, Charitable Contributor

8. …and get started with analysis

9. Understand educator behavior • 64% of educators check their email on a wireless mobile device • 77% of teachers make buying decisions based on personalrecommendations • 74% of educators purchase products for teaching online How does this research affect my strategy? Source: Digital Marketing Trends in the Education Market 2013: A Comprehensive Analysis of the 2011-2012 School Year

10. Use data to define your strategy and shape your tactics What is the profile of my best customers? • Use research to shape your go-to market strategy Where can I find them? • Use an integrated strategy to introduce your brand, invite them to engage, and build a relationship

11. Here’s an example… Who is today’s educator, and how can you engage with her using an integrated strategy?

12. Meet Michelle Swan… • 24-year-old, single female • Resides at 123 College Street, New Haven, CT • Rents condo • Bachelor’s degree • 3 years teaching third grade at Center School, Shelton, CT • Heavy social media user, Twitter user, blogger • Uses Internet for professional and personal use – involved in iPad pilot program in her school • Strongly influenced by social/mobile site/blogs/reviews • Median HHI $65,000-$80,000 • Prefers to purchase online • Prefers solicitations via email and mobile

13. Connect with Michelle at all her favorite touch points • Michelle reads a tweet from WeAreTeachers that links to an Infographic about classroom management…and it references your product. • Michelle visits the WeAreTeachers Facebook page and sees a discount promotion on your product, with positive comments about it from other teachers. • She Googles your company, visits your website, and signs up on your email list. • Michelle sees your Display Ads on various sites she visits throughout the day and remembers how helpful your newsletter was. • Michelle gets your email newsletter, full of helpful teaching tips. She puts one idea to use in her class the very next day, with great results.

14. Over multiple impressions, Michelle develops a positive association with your brand Using the discount code from FB, she purchases your product and creates and executes a successful lesson with it. Now a loyal brand fan, Michelle: • Writes about her positive experience on her blog • Tweets her teacher friends about it • Likes your page on Facebook • Pins photos from her lesson—featuring your product—on her Pinterest board

15. So how can you make the most of every channel? Let’s talk about: • Creating an effective presence at industry events and trade shows • Maximizing email to generate and nurture leads • Incorporating display advertising • Social strategies and content marketing

16. Trade Show Strategies • Metrics • Presence • Social Media

17. Get Serious About Metrics • Establish a metrics tracker and update every event • Define metrics to evaluate pre- and post-event activities as well as on-site • Establish a “Hot Lead” objective and track it

18. Assume Nothing About Your Team Exhibit You’ve worked hard to create a lovely exhibit—now get out. HEADS UP Talk to anyone, but don’t encourage everyone.

19. Social Media: Include or Stay Home • If you aren’t integrating social media domains into your events strategy, you might as well stay home • Leverage communities to drive traffic on-site and online • Get involved with event/association communities • Invite third parties to contribute to your social media content

20. Making the Most of Your Digital Channels

21. Email Marketing • A marketer’s bread and butter • Educators’ preferred channel

22. Percentage of Teachers Purchasing an Educational Product or Service as a Result of an Email Advertisement Source: Digital Marketing Trends in the Education Market 2013: A Comprehensive Analysis of the 2011-2012 School Year

23. Amount Spent by Teachers Who Purchased Educational Products as a Result of Email Advertisements Source: Digital Marketing Trends in the Education Market 2013: A Comprehensive Analysis of the 2011-2012 School Year

24. Direct Marketing Channel Preference Source: Digital Marketing Trends in the Education Market 2012: A Comprehensive Analysis of the 2010-2011 School Year

25. Channel Effectiveness Source: Digital Marketing Trends in the Education Market 2012: A Comprehensive Analysis of the 2010-2011 School Year

26. Best Practice: 3 Checks • What is the campaign’s goal? • What is “success”? • Does your call-to-action support the goal?

27. Best Practice: Design and Landing Page Optimization Important Aspects of Email Design • Images • Image Suppression • Mobile 300% Increase in opens on mobile devices since 2010 -Return Path “Email Mostly Mobile” Infographic

28. Best Practice: Targeting Works KEY TAKE-AWAY Targeted campaigns perform better

29. Best Practice: Nurture Leads Responder Triggers engage your responders for maximum conversion! 4x Click Rate!

30. Web Advertising • A natural digital extension • Amplifies campaign reach • Easy real-time optimization

31. Display Advertising…Natural Extension of Your Existing Strategy Web advertising is a low-risk strategy that supports your overall marketing plan and boosts the performance of your campaign • Increased reach • Brand/product awareness and favorability • In-progress campaign testing • In-progress campaign optimization • Strong metrics and measurability

32. Web Advertising Optimization Tactics Design • Use animation • Clear, well-written message or hook • Strong call-to-action • Simple design elements Landing Page • Design connectivity • Call-to-action actualized • Brief, clear, concise messaging Confirmation Page • Use conversion tracking

33. Wrapping Up • Walk before you run • Define measures of success up-front • Lean on your marketing partners’ expertise

34. Content marketingis thebackbone of an integrated strategy • Build brand awareness and interest • Establish thought leadership • Extend the reach of all your channels A robust content strategy can…

35. How? With a winning formula. relevant content + multiple repurposed iterations + multiple channels = Relationship development and audience engagement

36. …and the more engaged your audience is, the more likely they will be to think of you when it’s time to buy

37. Make It Real. Make It Relevant. Build Relationships. • Is not about products or services • Speaks directly to customers’ needs, solves their problems, or gives them information they need to overcome challenges • Focuses on building a Relationship, not making a sale Real relevant content…

38. Check out our products for new teachers!

39. 5 Classroom Management Tips for New Teachers

40. Tip: Real, Relevant content doesn’t always have to be yours! Use your social channels to share valuable content from other sources • For every 1 piece of your original content posted, share 3 to 4 pieces of relevant content from other sources

41. Get the most out of every piece of content: Repurpose • Step 1: Create real relevant content • Step 2: Create another iteration of that same content • Step 3: Repeat Step 2

42. Create stronger Relationships: Propagate content in various forms across multiple channels Build every channel strategy around real, relevant content, such as: • Incorporating user-generated content into your email newsletter or blog • Highlighting article content or research in email and direct mail campaigns • Creating a survey-based infographic and sharing across all your social platforms

43. Did you know…? The most popular reasons for visiting these sites are exchanging ideas (39%) and obtaining free resources (38%). The most frequent cited reason for doing so is to get coupons or discounts.

44. Example: WeAreTeachers & Volunteer Spot • Sometimes 2 is better than 1! • What brands add strength to what your brand represents? • Goal: Both brands wanted to demonstrate brand leadership to related audiences through the creation of relevant and valuable content

45. People love data and factsStep 1: Research survey to each audience • Brands collaborated to develop one survey altered for their audience of teachers or parents • WeAreTeachers compiled the results • Both brands worked together to determine key findings

46. Step 2: Content development to support multiple channels • Checklist • Hook • Headlines • Bullet points • Graphics • Repurpose for distribution channels • Copy • SEO friendly • CTA • Review for best practices

47. Step 3: Distribute & Promote!Post, publish, email, share, pin, tweet…etc.

48. Example: “Smart Screen Time” • Goal • Brand awareness • Engagement • User-generated content • Content Strategy • Data/stats on how teachers and parents can be smart about screen time • Facebook poll on teachers’ favorite apps

49. Distribute & Promote!Post, publish, email, share, pin, tweet…etc.

50. Expand the social reach of your content with PR efforts • Identify bloggers and journalists that would most be interested in your content • Start outreach with sample content so they know your area of expertise and can come to you when they need that information • Create a page on your site or a quarterly “tip sheet” for bloggers and journalists Even with little to no marketing budget, you could: