Road To 2022: Digital Marketing Trends in the EdTech space - what to expect in the New year

Jagadeesh J, Vice President - Digital Marketing, Unacademy writes about how EdTech Digital Marketing Trends such as region-specific content channels, increasing spends on SEO, and a hybrid mix of automation and manual tools, will shape the space.

COVID-19 was a watershed moment for the education sector as it transformed the way we teach and learn. As we enter 2022, finding EdTech Digital Marketing Trends and tactics to reach further into digital channels and optimizing existing content to adapt to the dynamic industry landscape has become critical.

Keeping all the learnings in mind owing to the new normal, digital marketing should concentrate on broadening its reach through digital channels and effectively communicating how online education platforms are modifying their approach, courses, and online experience. The dependence on technology and the internet has heightened the necessity for digital/technological adoption in all sectors, including education. 

Technology powered by Digital Marketing has democratised education, breaking barriers of geography and high infrastructure costs. It enabled access to the best quality resources at just a fraction of the cost, but most importantly, it accorded learners the freedom to learn at their own pace and convenience. According to a report by Dentsu, Digital media is expected to rise at 20% to reach a market size of Rs 18,938 crore by 2021 and with a CAGR of 22.47% to reach Rs. 23,673 crore by 2022, making the sector exceedingly helpful in resolving the disruptions caused by the pandemic across the globe.

The year 2022 will be about leveraging new opportunities to broaden the reach of Edtech platforms and harness the specific values each platform has to offer through Digital Marketing.

Exploring marketing channels beyond Google and Facebook, increasing the importance of influencer marketing, boosting organic search growth potential, prominence of personalised content, and AI optimization are just a few digital marketing trends projected in the Edtech space in 2022. 

Marketing beyond Traditional Digital Channels:

In the last two years, India and several other markets have seen a surge in the Edtech sector, with brands using the traditional digital channels like Google and Facebook to build their user base. However, Google and its other marketing platforms (YouTube, Google Display Network) have reached a saturation point. On the other hand, smaller brands use Facebook and other social media platforms such as Instagram to build brand recognition and growth.

New region-specific digital channels like Glance, MX TakaTak, Roposo, Chingari, etc will see a surge in 2022 as these platforms will help brands target segments beyond metros, especially in Tier 3 and below cities.

Influencer Marketing to become mainstream:

Influencer marketing is getting increasingly popular in the field of digital marketing. The number of social media influencers in the education sector has grown exponentially in the last two years. As many influencers are catering to a contextual niche, using influencers will provide contextually to the communication. Many brands have begun to use Influencer marketing, particularly micro Influencers, as part of an outcome-based or return-on-investment approach. This trend is picking up momentum, but it is critical to understand its return on investment of it over time since it will become a bigger channel in the next few years.

Furthermore, Edtech companies are harnessing the power of educators, mentors, education enthusiasts, and thought leaders to further motivate and ease decision-making.

Also Read: Road to 2022: How can brands prepare for the Metaverse

Organic Search Growth Opportunities will increase:

The scope of organic search growth prospects in the next year is vast. Organic search marketing allows brands to optimize their websites so that they appear in relevant search results. The number of people searching for education content has increased threefold in the last two years.

While search engine optimization (SEO) has been the focus for many Edtech brands in the country, everyone will double down on the SEO efforts in 2022. 

Personalised Content to gain prominence: 

When compared to advertisements, personalised content tends to be more entertaining and engaging for consumers. Personalised branded content triggers better consumer behaviour than batch-and-blast emails or advertisements. Marketers have seen increased conversion rates and visitor engagements through the personalisation of content.

Learners, particularly in the Edtech space, are more likely to absorb content that they can relate to, and understand.

Automation to take a lead:

With the exponential growth witnessed in the education sector along with the parallel increase in the use of digital channels, solely relying on manual examining of digital platforms is a vain attempt. Automation is the key to seamless functioning and brings effectiveness in various processes. The need for automation in marketing especially in digital marketing in the Edtech sphere has a lot of nuances, unlike other categories. 

Seasonality is heavily observed in the education sector, especially in the K-12 category in the 2nd quarter of the calendar year. Likewise, the seasonality for all the categories is seen to unfold right after the exams, so as seasonality comes in there is an aligned need for automation and the role it plays in neutralising the ups and downs seen in the numbers.

A hybrid mix of automation and manual tools is what will take the lead this year.

The pandemic might have posed several obstacles for brands, but marketers could further innovate to reach out to the masses and engage with them virtually. 

The writer is the Vice President, Digital Marketing and Growth at Unacademy. Jagadeesh penned this article as a part of Social Samosa's #RoadTo2022 series.