What is Digital Content Creation for the Education Industry?
Simply put, “content” is anything your organization creates for users to engage with online. That can include social media posts, emails, landing pages, videos and even digital learning content. Every industry has its own content creation process and goals, but the education industry is distinguished by a few key characteristics:
Quality
Although all good content marketing relies on high-quality assets, expectations are particularly high in education. Prospective students want to know that you’re detail-oriented, capable and consistent — and that you hold yourself to the same standards you’ll apply to their work. Similarly, potential teachers or other employees want proof that your organization is capable of creating helpful learning material even outside of a classroom setting.
Tone and Voice
Educational content doesn’t always leverage elements of storytelling, but that absolutely must be the case in content marketing. The tone and voice of your content must match the personality of your organization — not just to create a consistent “brand personality,” but to advertise the experience students, teachers and staff can expect from you.
Value
Digital content always promises value to end users. For educators, that means going beyond the traditional customer experience to answer questions or solve problems unique to your industry. This illustrates empathy and dedication on your part while delivering on end-user expectations.
Accessibility
Education content marketing spans a variety of channels, from a blog on your website to your students’ favorite social media platform. This is usually to increase views and boost engagement — but as part of the education industry, you also need to think about how prospective partners, teachers or students will interact with all that engaging content. Storytelling isn’t your only goal; you must make learning material accessible to all — and content marketing is the first opportunity to prove that your organization is capable.
Why Does Content Marketing Matter for Education?
Engaging content is vital for success in the education industry. That’s not just because partner organizations, students, staff and faculty look to you as a leader in learning; it’s also because you must succeed in the digital space to stay competitive.
Fortunately, content creation and marketing aren’t just about staying on top of current trends. A good content strategy has plenty of other benefits, including:
Value for Your Brand and Your Audience
Content marketing creates value for two groups: your organization and your audience.
For You
When distributed and managed properly, engaging content has the potential to build incredible returns on investment (ROI). The value differs depending on your approach and key performance indicators (KPIs), but it can include:
- More site visitors.
- Increased social engagement.
- Improved brand awareness.
- New students or partners.
For Your Audience
Don’t forget that a significant portion of your marketing approach should be built around content ideas that matter to your audience. You’ll create benefits for both potential and existing students, staff, faculty and other members of your organization by providing digital assets that address their search queries.
Plus, when you answer questions, address key education topics or engage in an industry-wide conversation, you’re providing “passive value.” That means you’re serving your target market even if they aren’t paying for your services or offerings — and this is a great way to build a more loyal audience.
Thought Leadership
One of the most important roles of content marketing is making your brand look good. For education organizations, that often includes thought leadership — a chance to show off your experience, expertise and ability to engage critically with top industry topics. Along the way, you can also show off the benefits of your learning material, highlight student success and more.
Visibility
Quality content brings people to your organization, whether through your website, social media or some other point of contact. This increased visibility isn’t just good for brand awareness; it also helps you learn more about which content ideas do and don’t click with your audience.
Adaptability
There’s no single “right way” to approach content marketing. As long as your content aligns with your brand personality, voice and goals — and it resonates with your target market — you have the flexibility to try different things. That means you can keep up with student social media trends, connect with potential teachers by addressing top education topics and more.
Hear From Some of Our Education Clients:
Escoffier Revamps Online Brand with Custom Site Redesign from Brafton
Learn how Brafton redesigned Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts’ website for better user experience, easier navigation and stronger brand awareness.
$12K Worth of Traffic to 1 Stanford University Blog Post
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1 Infographic Series, 500 Backlinks for Preply — and Counting
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Choosing a Content Creation Provider for Education Organizations
Content creation and distribution are critical parts of any industry, but that doesn’t mean everyone has the skills, resources or time necessary to tackle them. Many marketers turn to the experts for everything from brainstorming and outlining to distribution and performance tracking.
Searching for a content marketing agency for your education organization? Look for these green flags:
- Skill sets: Does the agency employ a wide variety of content creator teams, strategists and SEO experts to serve your organization’s needs?
- Experience: Can the agency demonstrate a strong pedigree in digital content marketing, with many years of experience in the field? Has it worked in the education industry before?
- Testimonials: Are there case studies or testimonials from existing clients, ideally in the education sector?
- Flexibility: Can the firm serve multiple industries and business sizes, indicating strong attention to detail and an ability to address changing needs?
- Adaptability: Does the firm promise to build a marketing strategy based on industry insights and your organization’s unique goals?
- Capability: Can this partner create, distribute and track the performance of all content?
Furthermore, your partner agency should address all 3 steps of the marketing lifecycle:
1. Creating Content
Content creation shouldn’t take any single form. Instead, your digital marketing agency should offer expertise in:
Content Writing
Teams of expert content writers can create blog posts, landing pages, gated assets and more. They’re also trained in search engine optimization (SEO), so they know how to create assets that appeal to search engines and readers.
Graphic Design
Graphic designers bring written content and other assets to life and add pops of color to your website. They can design all kinds of content, including eBooks, white papers and infographics.
Video Production
From animations and whiteboard videos to long-form learning material and live shoots, a good video content team can tell your story in thousands of ways.
Web Design
Web design improves the user experience, which supports SEO and creates an accessible home for all of your content.
When you put these teams together, you have the flexibility to choose which assets will best tell your story. For example, video content is a great way to highlight particular features of your learning platform, while a blog post might be the perfect place to put student achievements (and therefore your organization’s success) in the spotlight.
2. Distributing Content
A digital marketing agency should have expertise in top distribution channels, including:
Email Marketing
An expert email marketing strategist, with help from content creation teams, helps promote services or assets. They can also build and maintain a distribution list.
Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing involves a lot of different platforms, character counts, hashtag strategies and more. Your agency should prioritize channels where your target audience is most active.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)
With PPC, you only pay when someone clicks your ad — so you want every click to count. This requires a lot of careful work from content writers, graphic designers, web experts, ad strategists and other teams you may not have in-house.
Which distribution channel should you use? Often, it’s a mix of all 3. For example, social media might be the best way to stay in touch with potential students, email marketing may appeal to professionals looking for a role in education and PPC could advertise based on a user’s previous searches.
3. Tracking Content
Once your content is created and distributed, you need to know how it’s performing. Expert digital marketing agencies track your assets throughout their lifecycle to determine what’s working, what isn’t and where you should focus your efforts.
Brafton Helps Your Educational Content Reach the Right Audience
Reaching the right audience isn’t just about choosing the proper channels. Your digital content creation partner must also know how to position and distribute assets, track performance and make targeted changes.
Here are a few examples of how this works:
Google Analytics Monitoring
You may not know how to take advantage of Google Analytics, but your content creation partner does. They’ll gather data from this tool and use it to improve their strategy and recommendations every step of the way.
SEO Scoring
An SEO score helps determine how well your website will appeal to search engines. Your marketing partner uses this information to help improve rankings and beat the competition.
Long-term Guidance
Content creation teams, content marketing strategists, account managers — these are just a few of the groups who work together to offer consistent, long-term guidance. This helps ensure you’re capturing every opportunity and getting maximum value from your marketing investments.
