4 Keys to a Consumer Centric Approach in Education Technology

People are overstimulated. There are a billion different devices that offer limitless entertainment options. In a nutshell, it’s tougher than ever to grab someone’s attention. To cut through the noise, you have to craft a personalized message that can’t be ignored. In other words, you have to take your consumer-centered approach to a new level. That sounds like a huge task, and we’re not going to lie, it is. But we’ve got 4 easy steps that will help you to get started on the right foot.

1. Determine Who Your Customers Are

You’ve heard this over and over again, but we can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have an exhaustive knowledge of your Buyer Personas. Analytics have become every marketer’s best friend, and there’s no denying the value. Still, if you want to really get to know your customers, there’s no substitute for talking directly to the source. Just don’t expect them to have all of the answers…we’ll explain. Your clients know that they have a problem, but not knowing the solution, they have a hard time formulating the right questions. That’s where you come in. You know the solution, and having done your research, you understand your client’s perspective. Guide your client with a few questions and you’ll create an environment where they can comfortably pose their own inquiries.

2. Know Your Client’s Buying Habits

Habits are patterns that can be used as a great learning tool (even the bad ones). Knowing what your customers want to buy shows you which products or services they’re interested in. Once you’ve uncovered what they want, you have to ask yourself, “Why do they want this?” The answer to this question is the keystone of a consumer centric approach. It reveals what pain they need relief from, and their reasons for selecting one product instead of another. Lastly, don’t forget to pay attention to when your prospects are making purchases. This will allow you to take advantage of certain seasonal or cyclical trends. Additionally, paying attention to these details can assist you in spotting changes in buyer habits and the coming of future trends.

3. Produce Killer Content

Here’s the one truth that applies to all content: It has to be relevant to reader. You could have the most entertaining, thought-provoking article, but if the reader can’t see how it relates to their wants or problems, you’ll have a hard time keeping their attention. Fortunately, you’ve done your research and have a detailed understanding of your buyer personas, so answering those burning questions shouldn’t be a problem. Next, all we have to do is make those answers easy to understand and engaging. Now, you don’t have to do anything too extreme to keep things interesting. A few well placed metaphors, a dash of humor when appropriate, and you’re good to go. Also, make sure you use pictures. Just like in a classroom, visual aids work wonders.

4. Remember: It’s Nurture, not Nature

Your content is awesome, and the leads generated by the increased web traffic show it. You can’t pat yourself on the back just yet, though (well, maybe a little). The tricky part of converting qualified leads to clients is still to come. There’s no easy way to go about this. You have to put in the elbow grease and nurture those leads every step of the way. The good news is that you already have much of what you’ll need. Recall developing buyer personas? Take the questions used during each stage of the buyer’s journey to help in crafting targeted email subject lines. With a personalized message, prospects will be more inclined to open the emails and move further down the funnel.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, a consumer centric approach is a marketing strategy that takes persistence and planning. Many of the principles tied to this methodology are present in Inbound Marketing.   To learn about what’s needed to develop an effective Content and Inbound Strategy, grab our free eBook here! If you have any questions about how to get started with an Inbound Strategy for your company, don’t be shy, reserve a time to speak with us here. We’re happy to help!