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1. Set the tone of the relationship.

Position your follow-up communication so that you come across as a consulting partner committed to the district鈥檚 success, rather than focusing on your company鈥檚 solutions.

2. Tailor communications to your target audience.

District leaders have different priorities from school leaders and teachers, and the more you personalize, the more effective you鈥檒l be. EdWeek has many resources, such as our Guide to Trending Topics, that can help you understand which issues are top of mind for K-12 buyers. Contact your regional sales manager to learn more.

3. Embrace the long sales cycle.

Although the purchasing window varies by district and product category, the K-12 sales cycle spans multiple school years. Remember that it often takes numerous attempts to capture someone鈥檚 attention, so be persistent and reach out repeatedly throughout the school year.

Know your customer:

• What is driving the school district鈥檚 needs and initiatives?
• What are their pain points? (Understanding their challenges will build trust.)
• What are their priorities for their students and staff?
• Where will funding come from鈥攄istrict, state, or federal dollars

Tips to keep the momentum with your leads

• Follow up in a timely manner. The longer you wait, the less likely it is that you will convert a lead to a sale.
• Create a sales cadence. Streamline your follow-up efforts by defining methods of contact and planning the frequency and timing of all your touchpoints including calls, voicemails, emails, and social media. This process can be automated or manual.
• Do your research. Many districts make their mission statements, goals, and objectives easily accessible. Doing your homework can help your sales team understand how your solutions can assist the district in reaching its goals. Keep in mind to share results from school districts that resemble your leads in student enrollment, staff expertise, etc.
• Consider where leads come from. In other words, where in the marketing funnel was this lead acquired and what message is appropriate based on that status? Differentiating your messaging will likely improve conversion.

• Segment your leads based on buyer persona. While 54% of superintendents say they make purchasing decisions for their districts, other stakeholders increasingly have a say in the process. According to EdWeek Market Brief, District Leaders, School Leaders (including Principals, Vice Principals, Directors/Managers/Specialists), are the greatest influences when designing a district鈥檚 strategy. So, ask yourself:

  禄 WHO makes the purchasing decisions for your project/service?
  禄 WHAT challenges are those leaders looking to solve?
  禄 HOW do they prefer to communicate with vendors?

• Meet potential buyers where they are. Make sure your leads see your message throughout their day. Add new leads to your target lists through account-based marketing (ABM) strategies (EdWeek Marketing Solutions can help).
• Ditch product pitches. K-12 leaders want insights and resources that help them do their jobs better, so show them how the product works and the positive results in other school districts.
• Be mindful of the purchasing cycle. The education purchasing cycle is 12 or more months long. As a general rule, districts typically begin planning in Summer/Fall, submit an initial budget late Fall/Winter, review products in Winter/Spring, make purchasing decisions in Spring, and sign contracts in Summer/early Fall.
• Make contact again and again. It often takes multiple exposures to the same message to get your target audience to act. Don鈥檛 think of just one follow-up email, but rather an email nurture campaign to keep your clients engaged.
• End each communication with a follow-up plan. Set up a time for the next 鈥渕eeting鈥� with the client. And during this email, call or other communication, offer value to respondents鈥攆rom upgrades and resources to free content and product demos.
• Share testimonials. Gather testimonials from district and school leaders who are satisfied customers. Also consider implementing a discount or promotion in the weeks after your presentation or resource-share.
• Provide links to images and videos of your products in action. EdWeek has some great ways to showcase your video content for K-12 leaders.
• Make each communication count. District and school leaders are bombarded with emails, so nurturing should happen in platforms beyond email, such as social media, events, direct outreach from sales team members, and other channels that leads turn to for information.

Need help breaking through to district and school leaders, or nurturing existing leads? To learn more about our campaigns, contact Advertising & Marketing Solutions Director Mike Bell mbell@educationweek.org.