5 Ways to Rethink K-12 Marketing, Now!
At Ed2Market, we’re talking with marketing leaders every day, and we’re hearing the same thing again and again—it’s harder than ever to reach and support schools. District budgets are in flux. Political tensions are coming to a head in school systems and classrooms. Educators are overwhelmed, and decision-makers are stretched thin.
In this climate, marketing teams can’t afford to waste time on strategies that don’t move the needle.
Whether you're navigating shifting policies, tighter procurement cycles, or increased competition, you need campaigns that deliver real value—fast.
Here’s what we’re advising education marketers to do right now to make the biggest impact:
1. Double Down on Value-Driven Messaging
Why: Schools are under pressure to justify every dollar spent. If your product isn’t positioned as solving a critical need, it won’t survive budget cuts. Remind leaders that your solution is not a “nice to have” but a “need to have.”
What to do:
Reposition offerings to highlight cost-effectiveness, learning outcomes, teacher time savings, and student impact. Don’t highlight your products, but instead, highlight the current needs it solves.
Use case studies and testimonials to prove ROI and ease of implementation. See some recent examples of our case studies for ACS and Taito Learning.
Test language that emphasizes alignment with state or district-specific mandates. Even better if you can tie it to funding or grant opportunities.
2. Hyper-Target and Personalize Outreach
Why: Generic campaigns won’t cut through the noise when decision-makers are overwhelmed with inbox fatigue. Personalize content by researching state or local initiatives, funding opportunities, personas, and competitive insights.
What to do:
Refine audience segments by district size, region, competitive intel, or funding type. Ensure your campaigns are speaking to these segments. Better yet, use a tool like Edulead to do some of the groundwork for you.
Use marketing automation tools to personalize nurture journeys based on role or persona.
Dedicate time and resources to doing the research that will strengthen your messaging and ensure that prospects know how your solution aligns with their unique needs.
3. Reinvest in Thought Leadership and Content That Supports Educators
Why: Helping, not selling, builds trust—and trust is even more critical at this moment. While the budget may not be available right now for every school or district, you are building a future pipeline of highly-engaged leads.
What to do:
Launch content hubs around high-need topics (e.g., AI in the classroom, summer learning loss, literacy acceleration).
Publish whitepapers, host free professional development (not product or sales-driven) webinars, and offer downloadable toolkits that help teachers and admins do their jobs better. Explore a recent webinar led by The Center for Collaborative Expertise and check out this teacher-friendly flipbook that one of our clients has used for a few years to engage clients and prospects.
Amplify educator voices via co-authored blog posts or social media spotlights.
4. Leverage Partners and Like-Minded Organizations
Why: In tight markets, co-marketing can 2-3x your reach and credibility at half the cost. Whether you lean on adjacent companies who support a similar need or others in the market who have captured a like-minded audience, partnerships can elevate your brand awareness.
What to do:
Co-host webinars, resource swaps, or bundles with non-competitive edtech companies, professional associations, or respected consultants.
Look for joint grant-writing or RFP opportunities to increase purchasing feasibility.
Offer a regional association a benefit like a customized resource or webinar they can provide to their membership base.
5. Obsess Over Retention and Expansion
Why: Keeping a customer is cheaper than winning a new one—and champions inside schools are your best marketers.
What to do:
Ensure your sales and customer success teams are tightly aligned with marketing on renewal messaging, upsell journeys, and resources on how to encourage usage.
Create user communities, office hours, or a district showcase series to nurture engagement and advocacy. We helped one client launch a content-driven Facebook group that has led to strong membership and engagement of both clients and prospects.
Regularly collect client feedback, analyze trends, and respond.
Use product data to spot usage gaps or success stories, then act on them fast.
The road ahead for education marketing isn’t easy—but many of us have navigated these rough waters before. By staying focused on what schools truly need, leading with empathy, and refining your strategy for today’s realities, your team can still drive meaningful results.
At Ed2Market, we’re here to help you adapt, execute, and grow—no matter the climate.