By: Julia Brolin
Not every company serving the education market has the ability to spend millions—or even thousands—on PR strategies, but the good news is this: a quality public relations strategy doesn’t always need to come with a daunting price tag. There are many ways you can get the word out about your product or solution that costs you nothing but your time.
Here are five easy ways your company can share you story without breaking the bank.
- Find a brand champion.
When companies share personal testimonials from educators or administrators, potential customers start to think, “If this product worked for their school, then it might work for mine!” The more stories you have, the wider the audience you are able to reach, which builds brand recognition and has the power to generate leads.
For example, one member of our client family tracked 200+ new leads as a result of earned media placements in education trade publications. All this success was the result of a single 30-minute interview and the educator’s eagerness to share his story via social media, on his personal blog, with his inner circle, and with a number of consumer and education publications. How do you find your brand champion? Here’s a blog to give you some ideas.
- Start blogging!
Think of blogging like online dating. You yearn to attract the right audience and provide them with relevant content that will push them further down the funnel to becoming your next customer. Blogging is a great way to promote your customers and share tips and tricks with potential customers. Your blog is your company voice where you can openly share your thoughts, opinions, and wins with anyone and everyone.
When you have amassed a variety of posts on different topics, if PR opportunities arise you can add links to those posts into an article so readers can take a deeper dive into the subject area. At the same time, they are guided to your website where you have the opportunity to engage them even further. Writing three to four blog posts a month takes very little time, and the rewards can be substantial!
- Strengthen your social media presence.
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. Social media is hands-down the greatest and most powerful free marketing tool ever. Effective PR in the education market is all about knowing your audience and meeting them where they already are. Roughly 7 in 10 Americans have some sort of social media account, so it’s a convenient way to reach a wide audience. Another benefit of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram is that you have complete control over the text, images, and timing of everything you post. Use that space to solidify your brand with your community, including current users and potential leads. If you lead the conversation with your audience in mind, you will demonstrate that you are a valid source of quality information that they can count on.
- Leverage local media.
Have you seen this headline? “Local Education Company Makes Major Impact on Student Achievement,” or something along those lines? Every company has a story, and you never know what might pique the interest of your local media outlets. Whether your local news coverage comes from a massive daily newspaper and three TV stations or just a website run out of someone’s spare room, many local media outlets have interest in stories about local schools, companies making waves, or a CEO with a great story. Reach out to a reporter who covers the business, entrepreneur, or education beat and see if they’re interested in meeting. Your transparency and honesty will create a trusting relationship and increase the likelihood of having your company featured in positive stories. If you aren’t working with reporters to tell your story, you are leaving it up to them to “get it right.”
- Reach out to the community.
Embrace your entire community by being part of it! Sign up to take part in and volunteer at local events, parades, or celebrations. Make a donation to a local school and let your friends from the local media know about it. Businesses are part of the community. You never know where your next sale may come from, so brand awareness and making others aware of your presence is huge! Showing that your company cares about students in and out of the classroom makes a big impact.
Thanks for sharing!
