6 Content Marketing Strategies for Teacherprenuers

When you decided to take the leap from classroom teacher to teacherpreneur, you likely thought the hardest part would be creating your products and services. But somewhere along the way, you probably realized there was a lot more to running a teacher business than just creating your store items. When you’re ready to grow your business, it can be challenging to understand the different content marketing strategies and everything that goes in to promoting your products and services. THAT is where content marketing comes into play.

Content marketing strategies are essential for businesses to effectively engage their audience, generate leads, and drive conversions. Neil Patel (an SEO guru!) said, “Great content is the best sales tool in the world” and he wasn’t wrong! In this post, I’ll cover six key content marketing strategies that can help you create valuable content and achieve your marketing goal.

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is a strategic approach to creating and distributing valuable, relevant content. Its goal is to attract, inform, and engage your audience to drive them towards a specific action, likely buying your product/service or signing up for a lead magnet to enter your sales funnel. Your content marketing strategy should take the pain points, challenges, and needs of your audience into consideration.

Here are some examples of tools for content marketing:

• Blog posts
• Videos
• Podcasts
• Infographics
• E-Books
• Webinars
• Email newsletters
• Interactive content such as quizzes, polls, or calculators
• Checklists and cheat sheets
• Templates
• Social media posts
• Live streaming
• Courses and tutorials

While each content marketing strategy is valuable, you should carefully consider your audience (and personal strengths!) when deciding which strategies to use first. Here are six of my favorite content marketing strategies that are perfect for teacherpreneur businesses.

If you haven’t read my article about content pillars, make sure to open another tap for it! Utilizing those content pillars will help you consistently publish relevant content, which in turn will drive more traffic to your business and strengthen your SEO.

#1: Blog Posts

Blog posts are the number one place to start content marketing! Through your blog posts, you can share your knowledge and insights on specific topics related to your industry. By providing detailed and informative content, you can establish yourself as knowledgeable and build your reputation as an expert in your field. You can also “soft sell” your products and services within your posts.

Blog Post Examples

Here are some examples of blog posts topics:

• The Best Engagement Strategies for Middle Schoolers
• 6 Classroom Management Techniques to Conquer Your First Year
• 5 Ed-Tech Tools to Boost Your Class Productivity
• 10 Time-Saving Lesson Planning Tips
• Homework Tips for Parents: Stop the Nightly Struggle!

Why Blog Posts Work

Blog posts provide a place for evergreen, long-form content to live. They will gain traffic from social media, Pinterest, emails, and Google for years to comes. For this reason, blogs are invaluable for SEO!

Who Blogs Are Best For

Blog posts are ideal for anyone who wants to educate their audience. Your posts allow you to showcase your expertise, provide guidance, and share practical tips or best practices. This not only positions you as a knowledgeable professional, but also encourages audience engagement as posts are shared on social media.

Tips for Creating Blog Posts

There are thousands of blog post tips, but the most significant ones will be leveraging SEO by focusing on specific keywords and using a mix of trending and evergreen topics.

If you’re wondering how to plan your blog post ideas, I’ve put together a blog post idea guide for you here.

#2: Social Media

Social media can be overwhelming due to the number of different platforms to choose from, each with its own purpose and set of pros cons. However, social media has many benefits for promoting your content.

• Direct engagement with your audience by interacting with your followers, answering questions, asking for feedback, etc.
• Showcasing expertise, particularly on platforms such as Twitter or Linkedin, where you can share thoughts, articles, or even personal reflections
• Diverse content options that allow you to decide to create long-form articles on LinkedIn or quick videos on TikTok.
• Personal brand building as you sell your products and services and yourself. Social media is a great way to build a personal connection with your audience.

Not sure which platform is the best for you? Here’s a quick overview:

Instagram

• Pro: Instagram is very visual, so it’s perfect for showcasing visuals such as classroom tools, teaching methods, and behind-the-scenes moments. It also has a large teacher community that’s already established.

• Con: The many algorithm changes make the reach unpredictable. From pictures to stories to Reels, Instagram often changes the type of content that gets the most views. It’s also highly competitive, so you need to consistently post unique content in order to stand out.

Facebook Page

• Pro: Facebook is a common place consumers look for brand credibility as an official representation of your business. It also offers advanced audience insights, paid advertising possibilities, and other monetization potential.

• Con: Facebook Page’s organic reach has declined over time, forcing many to pay for promotion. A page also fosters a different feeling of community than other social media platforms. Updates are needed frequently to keep your audience interested and engaged.

Facebook Group

• Pro: Many users are more likely to participate in discussions within closed or private groups, visibility is increased due to members receiving notifications of new posts, and you are more likely to receive direct feedback. A group is perfect for building a strong community around a specific niche or interest!

• Con: Facebook groups need heavy moderation to keep members on-topic and respectful of the rules. It’s also more challenging to grow quickly within private or closed groups.

TikTok

• Pro: You have the potential to go viral quickly. It’s fairly simple to find ideas and create short videos that can be educational or entertaining (or both) with trending sounds.

• Con: Video creation can be time-consuming and requires significant effort to edit the content. It also has an uncertain future due to ever-changing regulations in some countries.

Twitter

• Pro: Twitter is great for quick insights, articles, or academic tidbits. Many other educators regularly contribute, which makes it easier to have real-time discussions on trending topics. This platform can also be great for sharing memes that your audience can relate to and even infographics, depending on the purpose of the post.

• Con: Twitter is competitive and can have a limited reach, unless you have highly engaging content with popular hashtags. The character limit can make it harder to form more in-depth replies. Twitter also has a unique subset of teacherpreneurs.

Social Media Examples

The sky is the limit for social media ideas, but here are a few:

• Showcase classroom tools through an engaging video
• Share behind-the-scenes classroom prep for the new school year
• Do a “day in the life” series
• Highlight quick teaching hacks, either as video or tweet/post

There are countless ways to make social media content, so I put together 25 free social media post ideas to help you get started.

Why Social Media Works

Social media works because it gives your audience a direct line to you. TikTok and Instagram are great for visual storytelling, while Twitter and Facebook pages can be great for delving deeper into discussion and sharing professional insights. Facebook groups assist you in developing your own dedicated and close-knit fan base. Ultimately, social media works because it is designed to facilitate real-time communication and the rapid expansion of your brands.

Who Social Media is Best For

Any business owner can benefit from social media, but those who want to establish their brand around their personality, visuals, and storytelling will find it particularly beneficial.

Tips for Creating Content on Social Media

Consistency is key for social media growth. If you look at successful content creators, you will notice that they regularly post content that is both personal and distinctive in tone and style. They also encourage audience participation through likes, saves, shares, comments, etc.

#3: Email Marketing

Email marketing will forever be king in my eyes as a MUST-DO content strategy. Here are some reasons why you should focus on email marketing:

• No matter what happens to your social media accounts or your blog, you will always own your email list.
• You can build stronger brand engagement with consistent email communication.
• Email marketing is a cost-effective way to reach out to your audience directly based on their needs (this is especially great if you’re segmenting your email list!)
• Automation opportunities mean you can “set and forget” many aspects of your email marketing, such as sending new subscribers a nurture sequence or nurturing repeat buyers through targeted offers.

Email Marketing Examples

Email marketing can be as general or specific as you choose, depending on the information you want to convey to your audience and the email segments you use. There are various ways to maximize your email marketing by focusing on specific content, which could be:

• Biweekly newsletters with curated resources and exclusive deals
• Targeted offers based on your audience’s interests and clicks
• Case studies or testimonials highlighting success using your products or services

Why Email Marketing Works

Email marketing works because you can establish direct and personalized communication with your already engaged audience. Emails aren’t bound to algorithms, which means you’re guaranteed a spot in their inbox if you keep a clean email list.

Who Email Marketing is Best For

Email marketing is for any teacher entrepreneur who wants a direct line of communication to send out highly personalized content.

Tips for Creating Emails

My number one piece of advice for email marketing is to tailor your messages to the people you’re trying to reach. For example, if you’re a tutor who offerrs services to teachers/schools and families, you should only send content related to lesson plans to teachers instead of everyone on your list.

If you’re looking for more tips, check out three must-send emails here.

#4: YouTube Videos

Many teacherpreneurs have told me they aren’t comfortable showing their face, especially on video. However, video content is here to stay, so it’s time to embrace it. In this section, we’re specifically looking at long-form video content instead of shorts that are posted on social media.

Video Content Examples

Short videos work well on social media, whereas longer videos work best on YouTube. YouTube videos are perfect for more complex topics like:

• Reviewing your favorite/least favorite educational tools and resources (what makes them great? Or not?)
• Interviewing fellow industry experts
• Explaining educational best practices and your unique approach with them
• Sharing step-by-step tutorials (these are perfect to share a lead magnet!)
• Sharing tutoring sessions and specific strategies for parents

Why Long-Form Videos Work

Undoubtedly, this content’s visual and narrative (storytelling) aspects are what people generally find engaging. However, long-form content is effective because it allows you to explain more complex topics to your audience, which in turn helps you build expertise and establish yourself as a leader in this field.

Who Youtube is Best For

If you want to use visuals to inform potential customers about your products or services, then YouTube is where you need to be. YouTube is best for teacherpreneurs who want to establish themselves as experts and become the go-to person for specific subjects or topics.

Tips for Making Videos for Youtube

While you don’t need a fancy studio, you should make sure to have clean, quiet, and bright area to film. Also focus on the sound quality, as it is often the deciding factor in whether or not a viewer will enjoy a video. Just like blog SEO, search engine optimization (SEO) is also important for videos so that your content can be found.

#5: Podcast

If you’re short on time for video edits, but still have a lot to cover, then podcasts may be for you. Podcasts offer convenient consumption on-demand for busy parents and teachers who need your expertise.

Podcast Examples

Just like your blog post strategy, compile a list of topics you’re passionate about based on your content pillars. Think of all the different things you could talk about for hours without needing to research– start there!

Here are some more ideas:

• Your favorite study hacks and why they work, which is great for teachers, tutors, parents, and even students.
• Classroom management techniques and why you like or dislike them: This is especially for new teachers or tutors.
• Teacher Well-being and Self-Care: Explore topics related to stress management, work-life balance, and self-care practices that help educators maintain their mental and physical health.
• Inclusive Education: Discuss inclusive teaching practices that cater to diverse student needs, including special education, English language learners, and culturally responsive teaching.
• Guests: Podcasts lend themselves well to conversations, so invite others in your niche to join you for guest episodes.

Why Podcasts Work

Podcasts provide a versatile and cost-effective way to create and distribute content. They can be incorporated as part of a larger content marketing strategy because they complement other types of content, such as blog posts, videos, or social media posts. By integrating podcasts into a broader content marketing strategy, businesses can reinforce their message and create a cohesive brand experience.

Who Podcasts Are Best For

If you enjoy delving deeply into particular issues and have a passion for the topics you discuss, then podcasts are for you. They’re also great if your strength is more verbal than visual– no need to create a ton of visuals here!

Tips For Creating Podcasts

If this is your first time recording a podcast, you may want to try both written episodes and improvised ones to see which you prefer and which flows more naturally.

The audio quality of your podcast episodes is a crucial factor in making them a success, so you should invest in a good quality microphone.

#6: Webinars or Courses (Free and Paid)

One of the most overlooked pieces of content for promoting your products or services is free mini-courses that function as lead magnets and can even upsell. Free webinars or courses are fantastic for capturing someone’s attention and pack a high perceived value.

Selling webinars or courses that are more in-depth are also great for long-term residual income. After experimenting with a free offers and learning the ropes, a paid offer is the next logical step.

Webinar and Course Examples

If you’re currently creating in-depth content for blogs, videos, or podcasts, try turning one of your most popular topics into a free mini-course or webinar first. Then create more in-depth evergreen paid courses.

Here are some examples:

• Live webinars that demonstrate teaching techniques
• Live Q&A sessions with your audience
• Introductory courses for new teaching methods using one of your product lines
• Reading strategies for parents
• Study techniques to pass SATs

Why Courses and Webinars Work

In comparison to blogs or social media where your audience might need to read several posts to find everything related to a topic, webinars and courses provide a more organized and thorough learning experience.

While you may be questioning why someone would pay for content that is available for free elsewhere, keep in mind that customers aren’t paying only for the content itself, but also for the organization of it. This is why you can package many of your posts and resources into a single course for a larger price. You can also add exclusive freebies to up the value.

Who Courses and Webinars Are Best For

Courses and free webinars can cater to your audience’s needs to have a sample before committing to the full price of your product or services. This type of content is especially beneficial for any teacherpreneur looking to monetize their skills, grow a loyal audience, and provide value-driven content in a more structured way.

Tips for Creating Courses and Webinars

Consider choosing a platform that meets your goals without breaking the bank to set up courses and webinars properly, such as Teachable or Thinkific. I personally use Thinkific for my own course.

Creating a course might be as simple as taking a Zoom video of yourself discussing the material or capturing the live sessions. Further, consider incorporating these aspects:

• Make it shorter and digestible – sometimes it’s easier to have more shorter videos than just a few long ones.
• Keep it updated so it stays relevant
• Incorporate engaging aspects, such as quizzes and assignments to increase engagement and directly impact your customers’ success.

Content Marketing Strategies That Work For Your Business

With so many different content types to choose from, knowing where to start can get overwhelming. It’s important to look at your own strengths when deciding which type of content is best for you. Focus on content types that feel the most natural to you. If you thrive in the spotlight, video content for social media and even long-form videos for YouTube may be the best fit. However, if getting in front of the camera is the last thing you want to do, you can always expand your reach through other mediums like podcasts and blog posts.

Also remember content marketing is an ongoing process. By consistently producing valuable content, understanding your audience, and adapting to their needs, you can build a strong brand presence, establish credibility, and drive business growth!