Marketing and Education

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education, we’re tackling one of the hottest topics in the world right now—AI, specifically generative AI, and its impact on education.

Elana sits down with EdTech expert and long-time friend, Mary Beth Hertz, who has spent decades thinking critically about the role of technology in education. Known for her thoughtful approach, Mary Beth isn’t swayed by the latest trends or flashy innovations. She asks the tough questions that keep us all grounded—ensuring that technology is always used with the ultimate goal of improving learning outcomes for students.

Together, they dive deep into the current state of AI in education, discussing how it can be leveraged effectively without losing sight of what truly matters: the students. Beyond AI, they explore the broader landscape of EdTech and what the industry must do to better support both educators and learners during these rapidly changing times.

If you're navigating the complex world of EdTech and wondering how AI can play a role in enhancing education, this conversation is for you. Tune in for an insightful discussion that will leave you with practical takeaways and a fresh perspective on the future of technology in education.

Here's the full episode show notes.

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education, Elana sat down with Thor Prichard, President & CEO at Clarity Innovations—a mission-driven, K-12 education-focused professional services and consulting firm. Clarity Innovations specializes in everything from education strategy and content creation to engineering and design solutions.

You may remember Thor from our last conversation about the challenges of creating effective EdTech products and the importance of designing with learning outcomes in mind.

Thor shares his insights on some of the most fascinating trends and innovations in education technology. Elana and Thor discuss the impact of generative AI, the importance of integrating EdTech products into the everyday practices of educators and students, and the different business models shaping the industry. They also explore the evolving role of family-school partnerships and future trends in product development.

Thor concludes the conversation with thoughts on what he believes are the keys to creating lasting and impactful products in education. This episode is packed with valuable insights and is not to be missed. Enjoy!

Questions Asked:

• What types of products and services have you and your team developed in the EdTech space, and at what stages of product development do you typically focus?
• From your experience, what are the most critical elements that a product needs to have during the design and development process?
• How do you ensure that a product achieves product/market fit, effectively meeting the needs of buyers, users, and the business?
• How do you approach prioritizing feature development, and how do you determine when a product might have too many features?
• Is it better to develop a product that excels at one or two key functions or one that offers a broader range of features? How do you balance depth versus breadth?
• How do you continuously evolve your product to stay aligned with the changing needs of users and buyers, while also meeting your firm's and clients' objectives? Can you share any examples where things didn’t go as planned and any warning signs to watch for?
• What’s something you’ve read or watched recently that has inspired you?

In this week’s episode of All Things Marketing and Education, Elana got to chat with Lawrence Korchnak, a Founding Partner of BLOQQ, a consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations scale in the education market.

As EdTech marketing execs, Elana and Lawrence have years of experience selling in the EdTech space. In this conversation, they get into busting some common EdTech marketing myths, such as, “starting with a freemium model is a sure way to guarantee B2B sales,” or “once I sell to a school, they’ll probably always use my product.” They also explain some of the nuances to marketing to an education audience, including some of the pitfalls that marketers without an education background might not catch.

You might remember Lawrence from our last episode with him, where we covered the challenges of EdTech go-to-market strategies.

Lawrence doesn’t sugar coat things or hold back — we appreciated his candid tone backed by years of executive experience. Enjoy this episode!

Myths Busted:

• Education marketers can sell to one decision maker.
• Freemium models guarantee B2B sales down the road.
• You can sell or market your EdTech product at any time of the year.
• Once you are adopted by a school or district, churn is low.

Here's the full transcript of Lawrence’s podcast episode.

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education, Elana sits down with Kristina Ishmael, now an education Strategic Advisor of her own shop, Ishmael Consulting, but has a long journey through so many perspectives within education, at a classroom, district, state, and national level. We speak a lot about her recent experience as Deputy Director of the Office of EdTech, where she spent two years working on EdTech policy at the national level.

You might remember Kristina from our last episode, in which we covered the challenges and priorities of the updated National EdTech Plan. 

In this episode, Kristina reflects on her unique journey within education and EdTech. She opens up about the one thing that’s helped guide her through it all. At the end, Kristina also gives some feedback on what EdTech vendors should and should not do when partnering with school districts and what EdTech excites her the most. 

We hope you enjoy this episode of what we’re calling “the EdTech version of chicken noodle soup for the soul.” ❤️

n this week’s episode of All Things Marketing and Education, our host Elana Leoni sat down with Ian McCullough, a consultant specializing in marketing, go-to-market strategies, and business development for the EdTech industry.

You might remember Ian from our last episode with him, Academic Integrity in the AI Era, took us on a journey into the fascinating intersection of ChatGPT, AI writing, and academic integrity.

Here, we delve into the intricacies of the EdTech buying cycle, exploring its metaphors and nuances that help make sense of the process. Ian’s insights are invaluable for anyone involved in EdTech sales, whether B2B or, as Ian suggests, B2G (business to government).

Before diving in, a bit about Ian: with over 20 years in education and creative technology, he has experience spanning consumer, corporate training, and institutional markets. He previously led the North American K-12 marketing team at Turnitin and now offers his expertise as a consultant.

Enjoy this engaging episode that makes the complex K-12 buying cycle both understandable and exciting!

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education, Elana sits down with Dr. Robert Dillon, School Designer, Author, Speaker, and Learner. Bob, as she likes to call him, has earned a doctorate in educational leadership and administration, and brings over 20 years of experience as a teacher, school principal, and director of innovation at multiple school districts; he is the author of five books, including the ones we dive into today: The Space: A Guide for Leaders.

In this episode, Bob and Elana discuss the crucial role of redesigning learning spaces in education, emphasizing that it's far more than just updating bulletin boards. They delve into the significant impact of classroom design on student engagement, sense of belonging, and overall well-being.

Make sure to listen until the end, as Bob shares practical tips for educators to create flexible, inclusive, and technology-integrated learning environments. They also explore the relationship between physical learning spaces and EdTech products, highlighting the importance of considering equity and the needs of marginalized students in the design process.

Whether you're already back in school or preparing for the upcoming year, this episode is packed with valuable tips and ideas to help you optimize your classroom space.

Here's the link to the episode show notes.

For even more planning resources, check out our EdTech Marketer's Planner.

Mentioned in this episode:

The EdTech Marketer's Planner - Extended Edition

Want a comprehensive list of timely education events to inform your 2024 marketing plans?

In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education, we sit down with Shawn McCusker, Senior Director of Professional Learning at EdTechTeacher, to discuss his passion, civic engagement. We ask him about some of his favorite tips and takeaways from the book Becoming Active Citizens, which he co-wrote with Tom Driscoll. He provides practical ways to encourage active citizens in the classroom by creating authentic, engaging learning experiences, emphasizing the need for students to actively participate in government meetings and simulations to truly understand how government works.

Shawn highlights the positive impact of quality civic engagement on communities, such as increased voter turnout and improved quality of life. He encourages educators to prioritize citic education and suggests ways for school leaders to support its integration into all subjects.

Here's the link to the episode show notes.

For even more planning resources, check out our EdTech Marketer's Planner.

In this week’s episode of All Things Marketing and Education, Elana sits down with Tatum Moser, who has the unique combination of an expertise SEO and a deep background in education and EdTech.

During this conversation, Tatum talks about all things SEO — and before you get concerned that this may be overly technical, Tatum has a beautiful way of breaking this all down in such an easy-to-understand way. She talks about practical ways to leverage SEO in your daily marketing and content efforts; specifically, we talk about tips on improving your SEO health score by conducting keyword research, optimizing user experience, and using some cool SEO tools.

SEO isn’t always easy, but if done right, it will completely change the way you approach your content strategy — and Tatum is exactly the right person to help you start your jouney. Enjoy!

• Episode show notes
• Extended EdTech Marketer's Planner

Mentioned in this episode:

The EdTech Marketer's Planner - Extended Edition

Want a comprehensive list of timely education events to inform your 2024 marketing plans?

In this week’s episode of All Things Marketing and Education, Elana sits down with Ilana Kurizki, the Vice President of Communications at BrainPOP, a 25-year-old EdTech brand that reaches millions of learners worldwide.

Ilana has spent almost 14 years at BrainPOP within different communications roles, and we talk about so many valuable things within communications and marketing, such as how you make the case for comms, what role should it play internally and externally, and best practices like how to integrate it within the entire company (and not let it be a siloed effort). 

Toward the end of the conversation, Ilana shares some really great nuggets of wisdom for anyone starting in comms or thinking about it as a profession. To top it off, we get into an inspiring conversation about how to integrate educator voice into your day-to-day.

This conversation is such a breath of fresh air that made us smile. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. 

Questions Covered:

• What is the relationship between communications and other leaders and departments within the organization, including the executive team and marketing?
• Why is a robust internal and external communications function critical to the success of any organization?
• How do you evolve a brand over time while preserving its core identity? What are the benefits of conducting listening tours with customers and colleagues?
• What advice would you give to aspiring communications leaders on finding their power, purpose, and voice?
• What are some of the things that fill your cup? 

Here's the full transcript of Ilana’s podcast episode.

Mentioned in this episode:

The EdTech Marketer's Planner - Extended Edition

Want a comprehensive list of timely education events to inform your 2024 marketing plans?

In this week’s episode of All Things Marketing and Education, Elana got to chat with Lawrence Korchnak, a Founding Partner of BLOQQ, a consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations scale in the education market.

Lawrence guides us through the unique challenges of a go-to-market strategy in the EdTech Industry, including how to plan a go-to-market strategy, including defining success, backward planning, and prioritizing marketing channels. He sheds some light on the seasonality and Budget Cycles in Education and don't’ miss the end of our chat, when Lawrence throws down some really candid pieces of wisdom. we talk about some important intangibles on Building an EdTech Go-to-Market Strategy.

For any EdTech marketers, but especially those who are new to the EdTech industry or the marketing profession, this episode will help set a solid foundation for your next go-to-market campaign.

Questions Covered:

• Why develop a Go-To-Market Strategy and let’s even back up and define what a typical EDTech GTM strategy is and looks like? 
• What are some key questions for success in building your startup in a crowded, bureaucratic, and complex marketplace?
• What are some of the things that you turn to to fill your cup? 

Here's the full transcript of Lawrence’s podcast episode.

For even more planning resources, check out our EdTech Marketer's Planner.

Mentioned in this episode:

The EdTech Marketer's Planner - Extended Edition

Want a comprehensive list of timely education events to inform your 2024 marketing plans?