Social Insights: What Marketers Need to Know About Teachers

Posted on by Jennifer Brett

teachers linkedin
NInety-four percent of teachers purchase school supplies.

With the school year now in full swing, marketers should take a long look at some all too often unsung heroes—teachers. In the U.S. 6.7 million consumers are teachers, a group that spends $1.5 billion annually. The lion’s share of teachers (94 percent) purchase school supplies, which is worth considering if you are working for big retailers like Staples, Office Depot, or Walmart, or smaller specialty ecommerce sites targeting educators.

There are 14 million LinkedIn members who identify as educators for K-12, college and post-graduate programs.

Top 10 Topics Engaging Teachers

The top topics on LinkedIn for educators show that they are serious about improving both their professional skills (training, Montessori) and being fairly compensated (unions).

  1. United Federation of Teachers
  2. American Federation of Teachers
  3. Teacher Training
  4. Montessori Education
  5. Diane Ravitch
  6. Teach for America
  7. Principals (School)
  8. Teachers and School Employees
  9. Pedagogy
  10. Home Schooling

This list shows opportunities for marketers promoting services such as continuing education, to reach teachers exploring ways to further their own learning with online courses. Retail marketers who sell school supplies should make sure their messages recognize the mindset of their target audience, incorporating both the right keywords and imagery to connect with these professionals.

Top 10 Articles Engaging Teachers

In the second quarter of 2019, the top 10 articles for educators on LinkedIn showed that teachers were interested in new ways of teaching. One, for instance, offered insight on how to teach children to think critically. And being human is at the center of being a teacher, so it’s not shocking to see that nearly half of the top 10 stories explored empathy and emotion.

This diverse collection of articles not only shows a breadth of content but also highlights that the teaching profession, which doesn’t have as many job changes as other fields, highly values the importance of professional advancement.

  1. Universities Should Ban PowerPoint — It Makes Students Stupid and Professors Boring By Paul Ralph, Business Insider
  2. Critical Thinking is a 21st-Century Essential — Here’s How to Help Kids Learn It By Mary Halton, TED
  3. Should Emotions be Taught in Schools? By Grace Rubenstein, TED
  4. Attention Students: Put Your Laptops Away By James Doubek, NPR
  5. Teen Writes Children’s Book to Encourage Other Girls to Code By Taylor Pittman, HuffPost
  6. This School Replaced Detention with Meditation. The Results are Stunning By James Gaines, Upworthy
  7. RSA Shorts — The Power of Empathy By research professor Brene Brown
  8. How to Practice Emotional First Aid By psychologist Guy Winch
  9. Books to Help You Answer Big Questions about Yourself By Thu-Huong Ha, TED
  10. Man Graduates from NYU School Where He Worked as Janitor By Alexandria Hein, New York Post

Perhaps because they are so busy, teachers are eager to consume videos: Two appeared in the top 10 for the second quarter.  If you want to reach educators, consider video as part of your social strategy. And appeal to their professionalism and empathy—two core pillars to their work lives.

Jennifer Brett leads North American Insights for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions.


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