Gen Z is turning our edtech childhoods into careers in the industry.
It's nice to relate to your end users, especially if you're looking to channel a range of emotions, from excitement to stress, into compelling copy.
However, you don't need to be a Gen Z to bring this sense of connection to your marketing work.
By reading stories of what's fueled our journey to edtech, like the ones featured in the monthly Raised On Edtech newsletter, you can turn these insights into info to plug the right mix of student needs for your buyers.
Because even if you weren't raised in the industry, you went to school. And issues like motivating students and connecting the classroom to the real world still exist.
First, a little about the rise of Gen Z in edtech
Every Gen Z kid who made the transition from learning to working in edtech has their own story.
Mine is this. For years, edtech motivated me to become a better student. Once I passed this knowledge to my little brother when the pandemic hit, I realized my calling was to promote quality products as a marketer.
Here are a few of the many issues Gen Z entrepreneurs and industry workers are looking to address:
Shortened attention spans
Craving face-to-face interaction (especially post-pandemic)
Real-world skills
Mentorship
We're just growing into our maturity to create change. Here's how you can bring our lived experience to support your marketing outputs.
Kids don't always connect. Soothe your buyers' trials and tribulations with empathy
We edtech kids have seen the good, bad, and ugly. Your buyers have, too.
What if you painted a full-spectrum picture of what searching for learning solutions feels like? Exciting, recognizable, and full of possibilities. But also maybe a little unfamiliar, stressful, and confusing.
When solutions don't deliver results, dollars feel wasted. Buyers may feel disincentivized from pouring more into their search for the right fit.
Especially for buyers who've felt burned before:
Explain CLEARLY what they'll get from a trial
Whatever you're selling, get to the point FAST
Show don't tell with different multimedia and get CREATIVE
Show off your tech's real-world connections
A solution might be able to coach a kid through the next 9 months of their life. Then what?
The tech boom has grown up with Gen Z. With it are vague recommendations of what to use it for, like learning how to code. Many times, we're not given a clear reason why.
Connecting students with their why only matters more as they grow up.
How can you signal your long-term why to your buyers? After all, the potential of real-world connections can inspire them as much as the kids.
It may feel like all those financial literacy platforms have it in the bag. The long-term takeaways of using a solution like this are clear. Teach money management today to build a financially literate future tomorrow.
For companies that sell more traditional curriculums, you can get more creative in sharing the long-term effects of your solution.
After all, there's more than one outcome a student can have from using a reading, math, or science program.
It's important to meet kids and buyers where they are. Let's find them.
Marrying entertainment and learning is important. At times, maybe even necessary.
The stronghold mega-platforms like TikTok and Instagram have on educational content arrived just when my student days ended.
In the 00s I had DisneyXD's chain reactions—physics challenges based on the exhilarating kid builders on the brand's hit cartoon series, Phineas and Ferb.
But back then, the TV had to market the website where the challenges lived. Today, kids and educators are already actively seeking out content on social media.
There are different ways you can reach out:
Partner with influencers to promote your products (#teachertok)
Build up your brand's own social platforms
Create strategic campaigns targeting these channels
Ready to channel your tech kid into your work?
Start NOW by getting a monthly roundup of fresh blog posts and a challenge to bring your kid self to work, delivered straight to your inbox.