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Hey Marketing Pals!
Thanksgiving came and went and just like that. Boom—we’re in full on holiday mode. Are you ready for the madness?! I am… not.
But back to Thanksgiving. Thanks to trusty email automation, I wrote this before turkey day, but I wanted to share a few things that I’m thankful for—because one of them, that rises to the very top of the list, is YOU!
Writing this newsletter has become one of my favorite things, and I’m grateful you keep coming back for more.
Other things I’m thankful for: iced coffee year-round (cold brew if I’m feeling fancy), friends that become family, and audio books via the Libby app. In this edition’s “Meet a K-12 Education Marketer” I share a book I recently listened to that really stuck with me (spoiler: it involves AI).
What have you been reading lately? Hit reply and tell me; I’m always on the hunt for my next favorite book. A few that rank high on my list over the last few years are Demon Copperhead and Tom Lake (Meryl Streep narrated it on audio, and it’s so so good).
Alright, now for the stuff you actually came here to read. Enjoy!
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Your WirED Marketer,
—Melissa, Senior Director, Marketing at Education Week
P.S. — 📩 Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here.ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ⠀⠀⠀⠀
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✨ In this edition you’ll find:
- A guide to K-12 leaders’ user needs
- 3 takeaways from the latest Market Brief report
- Meet a K-12 education marketer—me! 💁♀️
What’s Trending ✨
In the EdWeek newsroom, reporters and editors commonly categorize content based on user needs. While I wish I could claim this user needs framework as our own, the model comes originally from BBC and recently updated from Smartocto.
Per FT Strategies, “The idea behind user needs is that readers consume news for reasons beyond simply staying informed.”
Here are the 8 categories that content can fall into when drawing from the user needs model:
- Inspire me (feel)
- Divert me (feel)
- Help me (do)
- Connect me (do)
- Educate me (understand)
- Give me perspective (understand)
- Update me (know)
- Keep me engaged (know)
Here are the top 3 content types that district leaders over-index on:
- Help me (41%)*
- Inspire me (14%)
- Connect me (9%)
*This means that they are 41% more likely than other EdWeek readers to consume this type of content. Same goes for the 14% and the 9%.
I’ll share more on this in an upcoming edition. We’ll touch on what doesn’t resonate too, because every marketer knows that what isn’t working often is an important data point in the grand scheme of things.
User needs model 2.0 (c) 2023 by Smartocto is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
👇 DO THIS – Actionable Guidance for EdMarketers
Taking what we know about the type of content that district leaders over-index on, let’s put that into action.
‘Help me’ content: Explainers, how to guides or tutorials, checklists, etc.
DO THIS 👇
This starts with tapping your SMEs and leaning into what you can offer to help K-12 leaders. Bonus points if you can keep it brand agnostic because K-12 leaders don’t want to be pitched every moment of every day. Getting recognized as a thought partner before a marketer is when the magic happens. Here’s an example of an EdWeek article that is classified as ‘help me’: 5 Best Practices for Crafting a School or District AI Policy.
‘Inspire me’ content: EdWeek Leaders to Learn From does a great job of this. It’s an annual recognition program that highlights K-12 leaders who have shown persistence and creativity as they navigate the challenges facing schools. The idea here is that other leaders can draw inspiration from what their peers have done. It’s also a popular report among advertisers for obvious reasons. 😉
DO THIS 👇
Highlight a peer who you work with—tell their story, so they’re more than just your new customer success manager; she’s a person beyond that. Before becoming a customer success manager, she was a kindergarten teacher, and that’s where she developed her love of early education. Certainly, there are plenty of learnings from her classroom experience that she can share.
‘Connect me’ content: Being in leadership can be lonely—regardless of the profession. This is partially why in-person events and online communities exist; they give individuals a chance to connect with their peers. Here’s an example of an article that EdWeek produced that falls into the ‘connect me’ category: The One Thing Superintendents Want to Change This Year.
DO THIS 👇
Think about ways you can connect your customers at the same peer level, but from different organizations. Even if there isn’t an obvious monetary benefit to your business, it will build credibility, no doubt. Our team at Iterable recently did this—building a media council and inviting our email manager to join the group. There, she was able to connect with others who also use the Iterable platform and share ideas.
What We’re Reading 📚
The State of the K-12 Industry: Breaking Through Economic Barriers—the full report is for Market Brief members only, non-members can get a preview here. In this report, we share findings from K-12 companies, so you have a better understanding of how you stack up.
Here are 3 interesting findings:
- Outcomes data is a must have.
Per the report, “Having strong data on a product’s impact is more important than ever for companies looking to open doors with potential customers. Outcomes data surpassed alignment with state standards and PD customization—the top answers in 2024. The shift likely reflects how districts’ expectations have risen, and that some factors are now a basic requirement for doing business with many districts.” - Industry-wide, we’re seeing flexibility in pricing.
Over 1/3 of companies surveyed opted to offer a longer-term contract at a lower price to expedite sales. - In-person meetings matter.
We asked, “When school districts have informed you that they are considering canceling a contract with your organization, which of the following have you found to be HIGHLY effective in convincing them not to do so?” The most popular response? An in-person visit to client from company leadership/staff.
➡️ Read the whole thing here. Share it with your product development team, C-suite, marketing, and sales. There’s something for everyone here. You’ll be the most popular colleague around.
POLL 📊
Last edition, 75% of people said they’d rather have a 4-day work week (same pay, more weekend) and only 25% of people said they’d take a 10% raise (more money, 5-day). Me? A four-day work week please and thank you!
This edition’s poll:
Would you rather…
| HAVE PERFECT CREATIVE |
| HAVE PERFECT DATA |
Meet K-12 Education Marketer 👋
Hey! It’s me! Your overzealous WirED Marketer friend, Melissa, Senior Director of Marketing at EdWeek. In this edition, I’m stepping into the spotlight. Ack!
3 words to describe yourself:
“Creative, Curious, Strategic (in that order, lol).”
What’s been on your mind lately?
“Teachers matter when it comes to your marketing strategy. It’s hard not to prioritize the district leader or superintendent first, after all, they are the ones on the purchasing teams.However, ignoring the teacher in your marketing campaigns can be shortsighted. According to EdWeek Research Center data, when district and school leaders were asked, “What are the top reasons you’d purchase a certain curriculum or assessment product?” #1 was state mandates. #2 was research based. #3 was teacher buy in. #4 was price. Teacher buy in came before price! Let that sink in. Teachers’ voices matter; their adoption is critical to your success. Take this advice to heart—work them into your marketing plan.”
What’s one book you recently read that really stuck with you?
“Culpability by Bruce Holsinger. Don’t let the cover image (a serene dock overlooking the Chesapeake Bay) fool you—it gets dark at times. Amazon described it as, “A suspenseful family drama about moral responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence. Culpability explores a newly shaped world by chatbots, autonomous cars, drones, and other nonhuman forces in ways that are thrilling, challenging, and unimaginably provocative.” This book is living rent free in my head right now and these days I find myself having such conflicting feelings about gen AI. Don’t get me wrong, I use it every day, but it still weighs heavily on me.”
What’s one trend I’m currently into?
“OK, so this isn’t really a trend, but thought leadership content and developing really good content to stay relevant during tough economic times is SO IMPORTANT. We know it’s tough out there—many education companies are doing layoffs, and schools are not purchasing the way they were 3+ years ago. But things will improve, and when they do, you’re going to want your company to be top of mind. So, don’t go dark when things are slow, stay relevant and top of mind by continuing to put out great content.”
Say What?! 🦜
What we’ve heard at the watercooler, on social, out and about…
“Done right, the content you create will position your company not as just a seller of stuff, but as a reliable source of information.”
—Ann Handley
That’s all folks. Thanks for reading. See you again in 2 weeks.
Your WirED Marketer,
Melissa AND team, because every marketer knows, it takes a village.
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