One Sentence from an Educator Explains the Power of Inbound Marketing

By Jacob Hanson

In a recent post I wrote titled “Why is Inbound Marketing Such a Great Fit for Education?” we dove in to what the inbound methodology looks like and why the approach is so perfect for reaching decision-makers in education. I’d like to continue that narrative and bring inbound marketing even closer to home for you all.

A few years back, our company held a panel discussion at ISTE that brought industry and district leaders together for a conversation about marketing in education.

One of our panelists, Rob Dickson, IMS Executive Director for Omaha Public Schools (OPS), made an invaluable comment that was aimed at the marketers in the crowd: “Unfortunately my buying cycle does not align with your fiscal or end-of-year cycle.”

What he was trying to say was: “You can offer me the best deal in the world, but if the timing isn’t right for my team, my district or my educators, we will not move forward.”

Think about that: “You can offer me the best deal in the world, but if the timing isn’t right for my team, my district or my educators, we will not move forward.”

Mr. Dickson’s short comment on our panel sparked a multitude of questions from the audience, all of which he answered—but I can’t imagine he would have been that forthcoming during a first conversation with a vendor working to earn his trust.

The challenge for marketers is this: Without speaking to decision-makers like Mr. Dickson, how can you learn where they actually are in their journey towards making a purchase? How can you find out whether they are just kicking tires or making a final decision between two products?

One way to answer these questions is through an inbound marketing campaign that features strategically crafted content delivered via a variety of methods, including social media, email, and your company’s blog.

A well-run inbound campaign will:

• Allow you to collect information on what types of content Mr. Dickson is reading and how often;
• Show you what calls to action (if any) he is acting on; and
• Allow these actions (or inactions) to be your guide to finding him on his buyer’s journey, meeting him where he is, and guiding him where you want him to go.

Once you have learned where he is and potentially where he is headed, you have enough information to serve up the right content and either nurture him to becoming a sales-ready lead or serve up the perfect piece of content to lead him further down the sales funnel.

By anticipating decision-makers’ questions and proactively creating dynamic content to answer them, you can use data collected to personalize your interactions with your audience.

Ultimately, this approach will help you segment your audience appropriately and continue to personalize their journey to becoming one of your many delighted customers.