Overview
As a result of the shift to online and hybrid learning, higher education institutions and edtech companies alike are challenged to reassess their delivery of high-quality learning experiences to students. While many niversities and educational resource organizations have taken the initial steps to increase student access to such materials, one major concern remains: how will educators and edtech companies provide comprehensive, trustworthy learning materials that suit the evolving needs of students? Perhaps, the supplemental resources students are in need of already exist in the hands of reliable instructors across the country.
Challenge
In response to the increasing demands of online study material, one multi-million dollar edtech company recently launched a new platform created by and for leading academics. University faculty would now have the opportunity to be compensated for submitting their course materials to a developing database accessible to college students. Shortly after the platform was instituted, Partner in Publishing (PIP) was engaged to help this client achieve platform brand awareness and platform growth, specifically, the ideal goal was to recruit 1,000 higher ed instructors to sign up and upload course materials.
“I remember my first years in college being so challenging. The biggest part of that challenge was not knowing exactly what to focus on for exams and tests. With Professors sharing material, students will have more confidence that they are focused on the right materials to be successful on exams and assignments.”
Professor of Biology, Motlow State Community College
Solution
To address brand awareness and platform growth, the PIP team developed and executed two essential strategies: increase social media engagement and establish faculty relationships that would inform product messaging and the long-term direction of the platform. To increase the social media presence of the platform, PIP facilitated multi-touch campaigns. To foster and maintain faculty relationships, PIP interviewed more than 200 faculty and developed paid opportunities for them to participate. These opportunities built a community amongst faculty, giving them the space to co-create various forms of platformrelated content.
Content Marketing Opportunities for Faculty
- Highlighting topics and areas of interest that would inspire marketing content.
- Guiding advertorial messaging and communications.
- Authoring blog articles that cover teaching recommendations or general opinions in the academic landscape.
- Providing testimonials in written and video format about the platform.
- Advising user experience to improve platform accessibility and ease of use.
- Social media influencing to encourage use of the platform
Outcomes
To increase online engagement PIP determined effective brand messaging and implemented the following:
Email Campaigns:
- 200+ interviews conducted internally with higher education faculty members.
- Recruited 100+ faculty advocates and content contributors.
Paid Social Media Campaigns:
Converted 600+ faculty content uploaders.
Organic Social Media Campaigns:
- Created social media content such as videos, image posts, listicles, and infographics
- 1.9M total impressions since launch.
- 1,200+ followers since LinkedIn organic launch.
- An average organic engagement rate of 9.87%
Project Results
Ultimately, PIP directly contributed to the recruitment of more than 1,300 instructors as well as their academic material. The combination of increased brand awareness and solidifying faculty relationships would bring the platform’s name and mission to the forefront of education technology and ultimately expand the overall impact and reputation of this newly formed learning library.
“This is a great place for students and faculty to supplement their learning. With students turning to the web for learning materials, it is important they find legitimate resources.”
Assistant Professor of Communications,
Texas A&M International University