Established Leaders

EdTech Business Models to Gain a Competitive Advantage

According to Forbes magazine, “despite global difficulties and rising consolidation, the medical device and technology market will eclipse $500 billion in sales by 2021“. While that’s excellent information, it also means increasing competition for Education Technology (EdTech) firms.

Because of this, businesses have to become more innovative in order to survive. Nevertheless, you will not gain a competitive edge by sticking to traditional sales strategies like trade shows, seminars, print advertisements, outbound telemarketing, billboards, and news release. These strategies are not only annoying, but are also expensive and overdone.

Research reveals that 80% of business decision-makers stated they like to get information via articles, not advertisements. 70% said that content makes them feel closer to a firm, and 60% claimed content supplied by firms helps them make smarter buying choices.

An alternative method has recently emerged called the ‘Inbound Methodology‘. This new technique involves bringing in new leads using appropriate and instructional content. The Earnest Agency reports that 81% of clients start the purchasing process by looking for information online.

Here are some excellent tips for staying ahead of the competition in Education Technology (EdTech) using Inbound methods:

Release long-form content

Customers are being pounded every day with content on virtually every subject you can possibly imagine. To stand out, you should develop long-form content that will capture the attention of both your target market and search engines. Frequently publishing content like long blogs will position you as an authority in your specific niche, drive more traffic to your site, and improve your site’s search engine position. You can also repurpose long-form content into email e-newsletters or premium content like eBooks.

Fact: Research by Odork found that long-form content performs better than short-form content.

Find and use long-tail keywords

Making use of the appropriate search phrases will improve your search engine positioning and generate even more traffic to your site. Nonetheless, stay clear of the brief, common keywords because a lot of your rivals could be using them and might even “own” them. Instead, opt for long-tail search phrases that have less competition. For an example, if you are selling medical scanning equipment in Portland, you might use the long-tail keywords ‘affordable medical scanning equipment in Portland’. This long-tail keyword will help you attract a much larger audience than a brief phrase like ‘medical scanning equipment’.

Write guest articles

Writing content for other authority websites in your industry will place you as an authority in the Education Technology (EdTech) market, bring in traffic to your website, and create backlinks to your site. Do some research to find reliable Education Technology (EdTech) websites that allow guest posts. Look for websites that have excellent domain authority (DA) and substantial engagement. Write compelling blogs that resolve trending topics in your market. Remember to include a link to your business’s website in the writer biography and be responsive when your readers leave comments on your articles.

Take advantage of email marketing

Email is one of the most reliable tools for nurturing your leads and transforming them into buyers. According to a recent State of Marketing record by Salesforce, 80% of businesses claim that emails significantly contribute to their total income. You might ask your website visitors to give their email addresses in return for free premium content like an eBook or report. As soon as you have a list of contacts, regularly send emails containing educational content that would interest your leads. Make sure your emails are optimized for all electronic devices. Create engaging headlines to tempt your leads to open your emails. A good email campaign will help you gain loyal fans and have a competitive edge.

Utilize user-generated content

When it comes to marketing, social evidence is essential, particularly for leads that aren’t aware of your brand. One of the best ways to develop social evidence is by leveraging user-generated content (UGC). According to research by BazaarVoice, 84% of customers say that UGC influences their buying decisions. UGC transforms your consumers into advocates that vouch for your product or services. For example, you could collect video testimonials from your satisfied consumers and publish them on your product pages. You could also run a photo competition where clients are asked to upload an image of themselves using your product to enter. Such UGC will increase brand recognition and draw in more traffic to your site.

Influencer marketing

According to Tomoson, 51% of marketing professionals claim that influencer marketing allows them to attract more clients. Before reaching out to influencers, you have to develop your objectives for influencer marketing. This might be boosting your social media presence, reaching new markets, or increasing brand recognition. The next step is to find influencers that could help reach your objectives. Find people who are popular in the Education Technology (EdTech) market and have a bigger fan base. They should be people with an excellent reputation. Make sure to regularly measure, analyze, and track your campaigns to see if your plan is working.

Use effective calls to action

A call-to-action (CTA) is a button or link that is meant to get your website visitors to take a preferred action. When a person clicks the CTA, they are taken to a landing page or a product page. Make sure your CTA is brief and states exactly what your site visitors will get. ‘Start a free trial’, ‘Get our free eBook’, and ‘Join our email list’ are some fine examples of CTAs. Always include a CTA at the end of every blog post or email.

The final word

Standing out in a saturated market seems like a lot of work, but with the appropriate strategies, you can always gain a competitive edge. Inbound Marketing and Sales will not only help you stay ahead of other Education Technology (EdTech) firms, but will also establish you as a leader in the Education Technology (EdTech) market over time.

We’ve worked with many CEOs and Directors to integrate these Inbound methods into their sales and marketing efforts. Don’t hesitate to book your free strategy session now to get help reviewing your assets and get free insights and suggestions to get a competitive edge in your end of the Education Technology (EdTech) market!

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