Ed2Market Monthly Insights: Unlock Your Best Marketing Year Yet ??

It’s hard to believe, but January 28th marks Ed2Market’s five-year anniversary! We are feeling extra grateful for all of you and your trust in us to support your marketing efforts and goals.?As we step into 2025, it’s the perfect time to refresh your marketing strategies and stay ahead of industry trends.

In this issue, we’re sharing the latest in education marketing news, practical tips to help you navigate evolving K-12 trends, and a spotlight on one client’s inspiring milestone. Plus, don’t miss part two of our blog series on why a multi-channel marketing approach is essential for success in the K-12 space. Let’s make this year your most impactful yet!

Industry News

• Forbes recently released a list of five free online marketing courses that can help entrepreneurs, freelancers, and marketers refine their skills. If you’re looking for something more comprehensive, consider enrolling in the Ed2Market Academy, our 12-week on-demand course that will equip you with essential marketing skills. One participant shared, “The Ed2Market Academy is a great way to move your marketing further ahead, especially the resources, homework, and encouragement that push you to create a marketing plan and content!”
• GSV Education, a global platform focused on driving innovation in the education and workforce skills sector, recently released its annual list of the top 150 private companies transforming digital learning and workforce skills. By sector, 48% of the 2025 GSV 150 are K-12 companies, followed by 46% workforce learning, 31% higher education, 12% adult consumer learning, and 4% early childhood. It’s worth noting that generative AI is embedded in virtually every offering of the 2025 cohort.?
• According to a new survey of over 2,000 U.S. educators conducted by SMART Technologies’ Lumio software, teachers are most interested in the following technologies for their classrooms: 1) interactive displays with advanced features and 2) platforms with ready-made lesson content. The survey is meant to capture insights into teachers’ experiences, challenges, and preferences regarding the use of technology in the classroom.

Marketing Tips

Based on our learning at EdWeek Market Brief before the holidays (and also captured in this article), there are five key trends to watch in education going into 2025. Check out our recently updated Education Marketing Playbook for relevant tips and best practices that will help you align your marketing efforts to the below trends.

1. Amid growing interest, career-technical education policies and programs are expected to grow. Our advice? For those whose products and services have a logical connection to CTE, solidify your messaging and value proposition related to this topic so districts easily recognize the relevance and value of your offerings. Use our Messaging Grid Template to organize your thoughts and hone your brand awareness outreach efforts.?
2. Social-emotional learning will remain an essential focus of school districts, despite some political controversy. Our advice? If you are an SEL product or service provider, keep a pulse on the state-level climate and preferred language around SEL in the markets you serve. Consider setting a Google alert for “social-emotional learning” so you’re pinged with the latest news and updates.
3. The K-12 market will be increasingly influenced by states. Our advice? Stay on top of state-level legislation as well as district-level strategic plans. Try searching the term “mission and vision” along with the district name as a starting point. These valuable documents are often housed on district websites under “About Us” or “About the District.” Tools like the PreK-12 Education Legislation Database from the National Conference of State Legislature provide up-to-date information about the most recently proposed, adopted, and failed state bills.
4. Districts are facing increasing school closures. Our advice? First and foremost, be sensitive to this topic, as these are emotional decisions for the schools and districts you serve. Further, explore private, charter, and parochial schools as well as homeschool markets – these are becoming more common choices for families and are projected to grow more with the new presidential administration.
5. K-12 culture wars are expected to resurface. Our advice? Again, refer to states’ legislation and district strategic plans for specific information about the culture and climate in the districts you serve. Note any state- or district-specific terms used in the plan so you can align your messaging to their preferred verbiage. For example, often for political reasons, some districts have veered away from the term “social-emotional learning,” and instead use “21st century skills” or “soft skills.”

Client Spotlight

Inspiring client, TeachUNITED, just reached a remarkable milestone of impacting two million students! In fact, in just one year, this global nonprofit doubled their reach, and lab site studies show strong gains in math, literacy, graduation readiness, and teacher retention across all regions they serve. Well done, TeachUNITED!?

Tools We Love

Struggling to juggle content across multiple social channels? Interested in venturing into the world of influencer marketing (which, by the way, resulted in $8.14 billion sponsored content spend in 2024)? Look no further than Later.com. This social media management platform helps users plan, schedule, and analyze content across social media platforms, saving time and effort. Further, this tool allows you to discover, recruit, and vet creators, while also streamlining communication, collaboration, and payment.

Our Favorites

Looking for an easy way to boost your energy and invest in your health? Ed2Market Content Strategist, Ashford Duffy, recently made the switch from Athletic Greens to lesser-known greens brand Huel and is loving the results! She shares, “While I liked Athletic Greens, the price point was just too much. After doing some research, Huel has 91 vitamins, minerals, and wholefood sourced nutrients, compared to 75 in Athletic Greens. Plus, it’s nearly half the price!” Shake it up for a quick chug in the morning or mix it into your smoothie. You’ll love how it makes you feel!

Conferences

Don’t miss recent updates to our Ed2Market Conference Guide. Spring is peak education conference season, so check out your options and schedule a few into your calendar if you can!