(B2B) Business to Business Marketing Methods for EdTech

There is a growing awareness of the B2B model in EdTech. With business-to-business marketing methods, your company can reach a new captive audience, add greater business value, and experience significant growth. When deciding to make a purchase, one’s method of purchasing has evolved over the years, and Education Technology buyers are no exception. A prime example of purchasing power by the consumer is search engines and websites like Google, which have conditioned consumers with an expectation: instant gratification with the information they want. When we say “they,” we mean the consumer, who expects details as quickly as they request them with the convenience of making the decision. B2B marketers are no exception, either. No matter who you are, you will always do your research before making a purchase. B2B customers are consumers. But they want less jargon-loaded, spec-focused content and more utility-driven and engaging content. Today’s consumers are empowered like never before; the same goes with businesses. They are the stakeholders in the marketing and sales process (so to speak). Why are they empowered?

80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur in digital channels by 2025. (Gartner)The internet and website for your business have helped businesses and consumers to exchange services at lightning speed, and because of this technology, people are immediately informed and educated.

Business-to-Business Marketing

There is a sizable behavioral shift from the traditional take on being informed from word of mouth. With information readily available online, people are hopping on to get informed about their wants and needs. Within a “new-school” company environment, companies that are proactively informing and helping have the upper hand. With this information, the goal in B2B marketing for EdTech is to create useful material that assists in the district research process. Do that, and you’re on the road to success! Building and promoting practical material for your EdTech customers links you with prospects searching for an answer to their problems. Instead of speaking to a person who has already finished the majority of their research, you will be able to get the consumer much earlier in the buying stage and create  your strategy to adhere to each stage of the buyer’s journey. A key factor that many forget is that it’s not about the number of leads you gain. It’s the number of quality leads. Quality leads have a higher close rate than having a generally large number of leads. All this can be achieved through one primary form of marketing. Inbound Marketing! This approach enables you to shift the focus from “exactly what you offer” to “exactly what your customers need.” If it’s the ideal fit, the positioning between the two will develop organically and effectively.

Selecting the Best Marketing Strategy for B2B Education Tech Companies

Now that we understand what potential customers desire, the most reliable modern technique is Inbound Marketing.

“Inbound marketing is about creating valuable experiences that have a positive impact on people and your business. How do you do that? You attract prospects and customers to your website and blog through relevant and helpful content. Once they arrive, you engage with them using conversational tools like email and chat, promising continued value. And finally, you delight them by continuing to act as an empathetic advisor and expert.” (Hubspot)

Responsify puts together a Growth Marketing strategy, an “Inbound Game Plan.” It assists online marketing professionals and like-minded CEOs in understanding where their business stands in today’s marketplace with the consumer and developing a strategy to work towards their goals. An inbound game plan recognizes a company’s ideal targeted buyer personas and investigates the concerns expressed by prospective clients. As an outcome, you’ll have an effective and efficient technique developed to attract, convert, close, and delight your targeted buyer personas.

The Core Phases of an Effective Inbound Game Plan

Each stage is crucial for attaining your goal within the Educational Technology marketplace. If you can stick to the process, you will see the results. Skip a step? You could run into misdirected trouble acquiring the quality leads you want for your business. Remember, each stage will need a reasonable amount of time to develop and put focus on thinking outside the “comfort-zone.” Let’s dive in!

 

1. Self-assessment

Stage objective: This is the first step to success. The goal of this first stage is to give your business a thorough assessment. When we say thorough, we mean it. Be brutally honest with yourself. You’ll need to discover your strengths, weaknesses, and overall goals as a business and service. It may sound like a lot of work, but it will only help you and your business in the long run. You’ll find all your colleagues will be on the same page. You took the first step, so let’s continue the next. In this stage, you honestly evaluate where you reside to set a new target for your marketing efforts.

 

2. Buyer Persona Development

Stage objective: In this next stage, you will need to discover your ideal target Buyer persona. From their wants and needs to how they consume information, the goal in this stage is to ensure you have the correct information for your ideal targeted personas. In this stage, you detail and define a total image of who your buyers are. This stage requires you to work with your colleagues to agree on who your personas are and, ideally, get feedback from existing or possible customers< Buyer personas are descriptions of a person who represents your target audience. Personas can be created through research and customer interviews. You’ll create a persona that best represents your customer base.

 

3. Buyer Journey Mapping

Stage objective: For the third stage, you will outline your ideal Buyer’s Journey from attracting, converting, closing, and delighting. You want to map out what your ideal customer will go through as a consumer from start to finish. This will be your marketing funnel for your EdTech service. This will be very important for your business now and down the line. Mapping this out will help your marketing, sales, and other departments keep in sync in our busy work life. In this stage, offers such as eBooks and email subject lines are laid out to convert, certify, and support your leads throughout your buyer persona journeys.

Also Read – 6 Sales Strategy for EdTech To Accelerate Sales Processes

 

4. Inbound Campaign Setup

Stage objective: Now that you have reached this stage, you are aware of your company’s presence, you are knowledgeable about your ideal customers because you mapped out the Buyer personas for your service. You know the journey your consumer will go on as they become aware of their problems, seek the solution, become quality leads, and convert convert through relevant content that is informative. Setting up your campaigns will be the major task that will take some time. So be patient and effective in creating quality campaigns to help your consumers achieve their wants and needs. All content concepts come together in your Inbound Campaign Strategy at this stage.

Also Read – Choosing the Right B2B Content Marketing Agency

Key Takeaways

Now that you’ve taken your journey in understanding what it takes to satisfy your ideal customers, you are better equipped to tackle your goals within your Education Technology market. You want to attract quality leads through inbound marketing techniques and relative content that is quality in the reader’s eyes. Businesses that help inform and raise awareness stand out the most and capitalize on what’s to come. Want to be one of those businesses? Here are two options for you. Either take the time to hire a team of marketers, editors, writers, web producers, and have your cost expect skyrocket, or you could find an all-in-one solution for Inbound Marketing and your Game Plan. Responsify is an all-in-one Inbound “Growth” Marketing platform that helps businesses in many different marketplaces acquire quality leads that convert through quality content. Remember, it’s not about the number of leads you have. It’s about the quality of leads. To learn more about Inbound Marketing and the effects your business could achieve if you incorporated this technique, schedule a 1-on-1 strategy session with Responsify today!

Also Read – Choosing the Best EdTech Marketing Agency for Success