By: Mandi Andrejka
When you think of a teacher, what do you imagine? Probably someone standing in front of a classroom full of desks, right? But, just as there are many types of educators—from principals and superintendents to curriculum directors and literacy specialists—there are also many types of teachers. This distinction is especially important when edtech companies are crafting their buyer personas.
A common mistake many edtech marketers make when considering their target audience members is overlooking another teacher that every school has. This teacher is often one leading technology initiatives in her school, including (but not limited to) providing guidance on acquiring and using programs and products. I’m talking about the librarian or library media specialist—titles that can now be used interchangeably and vary depending on the school or district. Here are three reasons why these essential educators should be included in your edtech company’s list of buyer personas.
- Library media specialists are leading the way in many school technology initiatives.
Over the past couple decades, there has been a shift towards referring to librarians as library media specialists (or other similar titles), and that shift is due to the changes in school libraries. The space that was once filled with bookshelves for research now features computer stations, tablets, projector screens or smart boards, makerspaces, robotics stations, and more… all while still housing the books that many of us know and love.
With the change in the role of the school library (now often referred to as a media center or library media center) has also come the change in the role of the person leading that space. Library media specialists are using new technology right along with their students. In schools that don’t have a computer science or technology teacher, library media specialists are often some of the first to teach students high-tech skills like coding and computational thinking. They may also be at the forefront of teaching digital citizenship and digital literacy.
- School library services often have their own budget.
The school library’s buying cycle is generally similar to the rest of the school’s buying cycle, with the majority of purchases being made in the spring or the fall for back-to-school. What makes the school library market different is that school library services are often their own segment of a school or district’s budget.
If a school or district isn’t able to find the budget to work with your company, consider learning more about their library services program. In addition to making book purchases, library media specialists often also have budget for digital and electronic resources such as online database subscriptions, video and other multimedia equipment, and robotics and other technology.
- Librarians can promote buy-in among classroom teachers and other colleagues.
No matter how broad or narrow your target audience, a librarian can be an asset in recommending products to her colleagues or administration. By necessity, many library media specialists bring a cross-curricular approach to their lesson plans. If students are studying the solar system in their classroom science unit, the librarian may teach them to code robot spheres to follow each planet’s orbit during their media center time. In fact, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) created standards crosswalks that show where National Library Standards overlap with other curriculum standards that classroom teachers use.
Collaboration and communication are crucial components of a successful education team. If a librarian has a positive experience with a program or a product, she’s likely to share that information with her colleagues.
There are many different educators who can be a part of your buyer persona pool. If you don’t already have a buyer persona for a library media specialist, consider adding one! These tech innovators are leaders in their school and are paving the way for future technology trends in education.
Thanks for sharing!
