Bertha's Blog: How Businesses Can Use Education as a Marketing Tool

Businesses have become what they are today due to an element of expertise you possess. The expertise or knowledge can be in any domain. Be it finance, or supply chain — at the helm of it is education driving our businesses.

Even if you are not formally educated to devise a new business idea, it may have been your secondary education at the very least that would have served as the catalyst to your coming up with a business idea.

Understanding how to leverage education for business

In his book “Education of Millionaires,” Michael Ellsberg states that education should be considered as an investment. According to one study, it takes nearly 20 years to fully materialize the four-year degree, we so earnestly seek at college.

Education should be something that can serve us in the long term and by making you more financially stable. There is no point in spending six figures for a traditional college degree when in the end you have to settle for “peanuts” in the name of salary.

The idea is to network and seek mentors who will teach you the in-demand skills. It doesn’t matter, if you aren’t college graduated, skills learned from your mentors will be enough to keep your economic engine running. Moreover, it will prove to multiply your means of income or income streams, for that matter.

The trend

Although, this piece is not meant to preach to you on how not going to college is the trend. But this aspect cannot be totally denied. Although you can resort to mentors for knowledge and learning skills, it is also the world of digital marketing that has shaped the way we gain education.

If you have mastered the skills in digital media and specialize in the use of offline tools, you can thrust your business into a world of endless possibilities because the online medium has proven to supersede traditional forms of marketing.

For instance, Udemy, a platform offering thousands of courses, some paid whilst others free, is a business. On the face of it, it is an educational platform dealing in online education but for the creators, it is a business that hosts tutors/instructors from all around the world, specialized in their niches. They impart training and that is, in itself, marketing for Udemy.

Education to promote your brand

You must be wondering how you can channel your formal education which you cannot “un”-acquire, of course, for promoting your brand. See, whatever public need you are adhering to it becomes a commodity and people will buy it. The distinction arises when they prefer your product over the rivals.

Education never gets wasted. If it’s a degree you have the competitive edge in the market. Whether or not you have work is another debate. But you stand out because of your degree which others don’t have. Similarly, if a brand of shoes just sells shoes, okay, but what if that shoe brand began to facilitate fitness and fashion education?

Startling statement, eh? Just imagine what if it does? Wouldn’t it be a USP for the brand? Similarly, if its food items you sell, talk about nutritious elements of it. If it is painting, teach about design and the list goes on.

Referring to my earlier claim of how if you learn digital media tools you can deliver a seamless marketing experience. The answer is that an online presence of your brand will increase your chances of sale. Even if you are not well-versed in the domain of digital media, hire an expert. Allow room for your brand to speak volumes about your business, digitally.

This does not mean that you should compromise on the quality of the product or that pricing doesn’t matter to customers, you online presence is only meant to act as a value addition. What if the person browsing his favorite shoe from your online store happens to come across a blog on fashion educating him on current trends or an advice from the expert, would it hamper or help in the sale? I ask you. Think, decide and answer.

Too much clutter – stand out through education

Ok, I can’t hear what you have to say but I am sure, anyone in their right mind and with the slightest business acumen would never pass up on an opportunity that has to do with maximizing business revenue and in turn, personal gains.

There is a lot of competition. Cutthroat, to be honest. Tools like SEO and meaningful content can gravely bring in traffic to your website and subsequent conversions can result in both online purchases and at your brick and mortar store as well.

If you learn SEO, you will be able to rank your business higher in search results. If you are just starting out with your business, focusing on the organic form of SEO is your best option in promoting your business. In organic SEO, you should have powerhouse content to go with it else you cannot reap the desired benefits.

If you are an established entity, you can experiment with paid SEO. I don’t intend to drift from the topic but it is to give you an idea and not brief you on how to SEO. So, forgive me for not delving into it any further. You can browse for dissertation help online. As mentioned, running a blogs section on your business website can greatly help you to leverage digital media as a marketing tool. Make sure blogs are informative and serve as a takeaway for the visitors. With time, you can build a loyal base of readers.

Bringing it together

Thus, you must have observed by now how everything is connected and walks hand in hand. Through education, you initiate a business that you then market. Or, your business can educate which, technically, is marketing your brand. I know, it’s a lot to digest on the first read. So, read again but this time slowly to absorb the message.

Businesses are built around a need that the society is deprived of. Most often than not, education aims to stimulate the brain and makes you look around at what is lacking. You identify what’s amiss (it can be a product or a service) and formulate a strategy to translate that idea into reality. The same effort that goes into enacting a business, usually acts as a marketing vessel for your business. Startups are a classic example.