Myth Buster: Schools Don’t Use LinkedIn

Okay, here’s the deal: I’m on a mission to change the way Salespeople and Customer Success people approach schools.

Now, before I go any further, let me make one thing clear – I have nothing but respect for the amazing folks in Sales and Customer Success teams in Education businesses. In fact, I want to help them out and make their lives easier.

How? By helping them generate better leads, uncover more opportunities, and empower Customer Success teams to confidently handle upselling and cross-selling activities.

But – above all – my ultimate goal is to ensure that schools have an outstanding experience when dealing with EdTech and Education Service businesses. Yep, that’s what I’m all about. I firmly believe that there’s a better way, a win-win situation, where vendors can thrive with more and better opportunities, while schools get the top-notch experience they deserve.

And you know what? I’m not the only one who thinks this way. To quote Stephen Covey – and I do it quite often – “Think Win-Win.”

So get a cuppa and keep reading, because together, we’re about to make a positive change in the way sales happen in the education sector.

In this blog, I’m going to put my case forward for people in EdTech and Education Services businesses to learn all about ‘Social Selling’. Why? Because this modern way of selling means:

• You’ll say goodbye to spray-and-pray tactics that end up irritating schools with generic marketing.
• You’ll be using data and creating useful content that truly engages the right people within schools. It’s all about making meaningful connections and providing value.
• When you nail Social Selling, schools end up having a way better experience with you. They become your biggest advocates, spreading the word and singing your praises.

Disclaimer

Okay, I have a little disclaimer to make: yes, we offer a Social Selling course specifically designed for Education businesses. And, hey, I’m not going to hide it – I’ll definitely mention it in this blog.

But hold on! This isn’t just some shameless pitch for our course. It’s actually a pitch for something bigger – the widespread adoption of Social Selling to revolutionise the selling and buying experience for everyone involved.

Sure, our course is brilliant and can really boost your lead generation through Social Selling skills. But the main point here is that Social Selling has the power to transform the way you connect with potential customers and create a more satisfying experience for schools. It’s about ditching those generic marketing tactics and embracing data-driven strategies and valuable content to engage with the right people in the education sector. Believe me, when schools have a better experience with your product or service, they become strong advocates for your brand.

So, while I may sprinkle in a bit about our course along the way, remember that the real focus here is on embracing Social Selling as a game-changer for all. Let’s dive in and discover how it can supercharge your sales approach and enhance the overall buying journey.

Are Schools On LinkedIn?

The short answer is “yes”. Absolutely! But hold on, there’s more to it than a simple “yes.” Let me share some exciting insights with you.

Now, I often come across people who believe that schools aren’t really active on LinkedIn and that they’re all about Twitter. Well, let me set the record straight. There’s a massive community of school professionals on LinkedIn, especially in the UK. And guess what? It’s not just limited to Multi-Academy Trusts. There are thousands upon thousands of educators and staff members from schools who are actively using LinkedIn to connect and collaborate.

To give you an idea, I did some quick searches on LinkedIn, and here’s what I found for the UK alone:

Senior Leaders

• 23,000 Headteachers
• 10,000 Assistant Headteachers
• 7,800 Deputy Headteachers

Teaching Staff

• 19,000 Secondary Teachers
• 65,000 Primary Teachers

Coordinators

• 13,000 SENCOs
• 5,800 Assessment Coordinators
• 3,700 PE Coordinators in Primary Schools
• 2,700 PE Coordinators in Secondary Schools

My point here is that you need to be aware that whatever your ideal customer profile is in a school, it’s likely that they’re on LinkedIn.

Do School Staff Actually Use LinkedIn?

Just the other day, someone asked a question that got me thinking:

“How many of them are actually active on LinkedIn?”

Not the simplest question to answer, but I was up for the challenge! To find our initial numbers, it was as straightforward as using the search functions in LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Piece of cake!

But to dig deeper and uncover the ‘active’ numbers? That required some detective work with the more advanced features of Sales Navigator. So, I rolled up my sleeves and dove in, focusing on headteachers and primary school teachers. And guess what I discovered?

Drumroll, please…

• 60% of the headteachers had been active in the last 30 days.
• 64% of the primary teachers were also stirring things up in the past month.

And by ‘active,’ I mean they did any one of these:

• Made a post on LinkedIn 📝
• Updated their job title 👩🏫

Keep in mind, this doesn’t even consider the ones who ‘liked’ a post, shared a post, or simply logged in to scroll through some posts. So, if we took these actions into account, we could potentially have much higher numbers.

Great, Let’s Get Going Then? No!

Alright, let’s get this straight. We’ve established that schools, including your key persona within schools, are using LinkedIn. But here’s the deal – just because they’re on LinkedIn doesn’t mean you should dive in headfirst and treat it like any other traditional marketing and sales method.

Trust me, you don’t want to make the rookie mistake of repeating the same old tired tactics like cold calling schools or bombarding them with mass cold email campaigns.

That’s a big no-no!

So, what’s the right approach? Here’s what you should do instead…

Implement a True Social Selling Strategy

Social Selling is a game-changing skill that anyone in Education Sales, Customer Success, or Marketing should take the time to understand. Trust me, it will give you a real edge over your competitors.

So, what exactly is Social Selling? It’s all about using social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter as powerful tools to build relationships and connect with potential or current customers. The goal is to create a community around your personal brand, where the conversations you have are meaningful and beneficial for both parties involved.

Now, the key to successful Social Selling lies in knowing your target audience inside out. You need to identify the right people who might be interested in your Education product or service, and then create content that really speaks to them. Once you have that figured out, it’s time to engage with them online. This could mean sharing interesting articles, liking their posts, commenting on their updates, and crafting content that entertains, educates, and adds value to their lives. By actively interacting with your target audience, you can build strong relationships and establish trust.

But here’s a tip: don’t just focus on pushing out your own content. Look for opportunities to join existing conversations and be a part of the community. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, participate in debates, and share your opinions.

Remember, the aim is to spark meaningful conversations, not just bombard people with sales messages.

Once you’ve built relationships with potential customers, it’s crucial to stay engaged by keeping up with their posts and offering valuable insights whenever possible.

So, give Social Selling a shot and see how it can take your lead generation game to the next level! We do it and we’re getting 10 meetings per week, each! Now that’s some successful return.