The education sector is unlike any other and marketing an education-related business is very different from any other kind of business. You cannot sell educational services as aggressively as you would other products or services and there might be some advertising methods that you’ll have to scratch off your list. Some time-tested techniques have been proven to work in this sector, however, and you should know what they are so you can use them to your advantage. Trying a good mix of techniques and keeping track of your efforts and budget is eventually what will lead to success. Here are some marketing ideas education consultancy services can use.
Social media is one of the most powerful tools any company in the education industry can use. You can use it to showcase the results you’ve been able to get for your clients or spread useful content as well. You can use your social media page to provide people with a little bit of comic relief, introduce them to new technologies, announce important rules affecting the sector, and start contests and challenges too.
Social media can be used to redirect people to your other piece of online real estate as well. You can also use social media to collect leads by offering free initial consultations, for instance. The most important part is releasing content that will be relevant to your client base. Anything that will teach them something new should work. You shouldn’t be focusing on trying to sell your services either. Instead, try to understand what your prospective clients’ pain points are and address them at any chance you get.
If you deal with local clients principally, then you will need to ramp up your local SEO efforts. Local SEO will both allow you to get more visibility in your city and help you build social proof thanks to reviews. The first thing you have to do is make sure that you have your Google My Business account set up properly and that your NAP information (name, address, phone number) is consistent everywhere it’s posted online. If your contact information is different on your social media, Google My Business account, and any directories you might be registered with, you will end up confusing search engines and you will lose SEO points.
The next thing you have to do is find a way to increase mentions of your brands in local media. This can be done by making press releases, but one of the surest ways to get local media coverage is to give back to the community. So, if you can see a cause you can align with, helping out with genuine efforts could work in your favour.
Sponsorships and special events can also be used to build your brand and attract clients. There are tons of possibilities here. You could sponsor an academic competition, for instance, or a local school team. Or you could start an academic competition yourself.
Sponsoring a maths or science competition, for instance, could provide tons of exposure for your consultancy and will attract exactly the type of people you want to attract to your brand. If you haven’t considered the idea, we would suggest that you look at the costs of starting an event like this and also if you can bring outside partners so you can split costs. Make sure that you ask people who aren’t your direct competition, however.
Releasing relevant content through the right channels is one of the most efficient marketing techniques anyone in the educational sector can use. People in the educational space tend to privilege the written word, and as long as you can create content that is helpful and interesting, you’ll be able to bring attention to your brand while establishing yourself as an authority in your niche.
It would be a good idea to upgrade your credentials before you start, however. Not only does having an advanced degree will make you look more credible, but it will allow you to create content that will be even more insightful. People will be able to tell that you know what you’re talking about, and you’ll get instant respect from people in the field.
If all you have is a bachelor’s, then we would suggest that you go for something like a master’s in education. And, if you want to continue running your business while you’re getting your credentials, we suggest you check out some of the online master’s programs in education like the ones Exeter University offers. They will allow you to get all the expertise you need to become a better consultant without skipping a beat.
Know that you don’t need to have a master’s degree to start creating and releasing content, however. You can start with your blog and reach out to other blogs in your space. From then on, you should try to get as active as you can in the comments and try to build some sort of rapport with blog owners. If you manage to get close to some of them, ask them if they would be willing to let you write for them as a guest. All it takes is for one post to appear on the right blog to open the floodgates for your business, so don’t underestimate how powerful blogging can be.
You should use video content as well. While education clients tend to read a lot, they love consuming video too and educational content is one of the most popular categories on YouTube. You could use your YouTube channel to introduce people to know methodologies or technologies, for instance. Or you could create content that aims specifically at solving some of your clients’ most pressing issues.
If you’re trying to get your education consultancy business off the ground and reach as many clients as possible, use our advice. Make sure that you stay consistent and have monitoring systems in place so you can know what works and spend most of your efforts and money on it.