Attract More Leads Now with the Help of Your Education Technology Rivals (EdTech)

If we told you that your competitors are willing to help you, you’d think we’re either crazy or lying. “Willing” might not be the best choice of words, but we can assure you that your rivals are helping you out . Learning from others’ examples can give you invaluable insight. Technology being what it is makes this process all the more easy. Take note of the following points when analyzing the competition’s online marketing strategy.  

Look at Their Content. What Are They Producing?

Content has the power to boost web traffic that can later translate to qualified leads. Good content is king. You don’t have to be a fan, but following other EdTech blogs will show you the type of content that resonates with your market and why. Keep these points in mind when browsing:

• What are their most popular posts? Can you see a common thread?
• What aren’t they writing about? Are there gaps that need to be filled?

With these observations in tow, you can start to put together the beginnings of your content strategy.  

Are Their Readers Doing More Than Just Clicking?

Page views, likes, all of these click-based statics are good barometers to see if you’re on the right track. Yet, if that’s where visitor engagement ends, you won’t be able to convert them to qualified leads. At the end of the day, we all want followers who are actively involved with our content. This is how you can gauge if your competitor’s readers are really tuned in:

• How many comments do you see? What are your rivals doing to encourage comments?
• How many shares do you see? Likes are nice, but shares do more in spreading awareness (literally).
• Are there any polls or quizzes? How many visitors have participated in them?

   

What Are Their Keywords?

There’s so much that goes into how search engines operate. Basically, it all comes down to choosing the right words. Even if you’re not an SEO whiz, applications like Hubspot’s Keyword Tool make this process doable. Analyzing your competitor’s keywords is a good place to start, but you’ll quickly find out that just about everyone is vying for the cream of the crop. It’s a good idea to pick the ones that are not too hot, but not too cold, and creatively weave them into a long-tail keyword phrases.  

Whose Sites Are They Linking?

It never hurts to have a glowing letter of recommendation. Linking and being linked to other trustworthy and respected sites does your online reputation a world of good. The search engines will also give you a big nod of approval. Wherever your rivals are referring their visitors to is where you want to tap in. You’ll find members of your market who may not know of your company, and you’ll gain some new insight into their habits and behavior. Pay attention to the links on those referrals as well. You might uncover some additional sources to expand your network.

What’s Their Site’s Level of Performance?

Everyone has a smart phone nowadays, and having quick access to everything at all times means that people’s patience isn’t what it used to be. If a site is slow and difficult to view on a mobile device, no one’s going to stick around to see its great personality. Test your competitor’s blog and see how well it holds up on a variety of platforms. The general user experience should also be a point of emphasis: Is the site easy to navigate? Do you ever feel lost? Ultimately, you want your site to be a resource that you would actually enjoy using. If you follow this simple but vital guideline, you will produce an online experience that delights your consumers.

The Bottom Line

Seeing what works for your rivals and what doesn’t can help you tweak your website to provide the most optimal user experience. This will only help to draw in web traffic and attract more leads. Couple this with a customer-centered approach, and you’ll have an extra advantage.   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!