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Imagine walking into a virtual classroom, discussing upcoming assignments with your classmates and learning real-world skills, all from the comfort of your bed.
As per the latest trends in educational technology, pretty soon we might all learn this way.
Marketing trends in the edtech have seen revolutionary changes right from the moment edtech came into the limelight in 2021. Here are 7 marketing trends in the edtech in 2022
1.Earn and Learn at the same time!
The most apparent among edtech trends in 2022, is the globalization of learning. It is also the fastest-growing edtech trend. A student can pursue an online MBA or Data Science degree from reputed Ivy League universities across the globe anytime they want.
A major edtech industry trend, especially targeting working professionals, is offering attractive online degrees from reputed universities and institutions both in India and abroad. These courses are also offered at minimal cost, making the deal far more lucrative for willing learners. Following this marketing trend in edtech, Indian institutes like MICA, IIMs and IITs offer courses in digital marketing, finance, data analytics and product management among others, to students and working professionals through platforms like Upgrad or Coursera.
2.Learn on-the-go, anytime, anywhere!
Speaking of edtech trends 2022, bite-sized learning comes to mind. It has made it easier for learners to learn as much as they want, whenever they want to. For example, if you are into marketing, you can do a quick chapter on display advertising while taking the morning commute to your office. It’s that easy. Bite-sized content has become a standard trend in educational technology by many edtech players because it keeps the users engaged and motivated.
3.Learn exactly what you want, how you want.
After bite-sized came into the picture, this was the natural next step in the evolution of edtech trends. Most of the players in the market, like Byjus, Unacademy, Coursera and Upgrad have adopted the Netflix approach of allowing their learners to choose what they want to learn. This has been one of the more innovative trends in educational technology. With increasing competition among the edtech players in the market, it became almost necessary to offer customisation so as to retain users on their platform.
4.Compete, play and win! Gamification of learning
Another innovative trend in educational technology is the gamification of learning. Traditional forms of learning are dull and require huge amounts of concentration and effort. On the other hand, gamification makes learning effortless. With gamification, learners compete against each other or a set timer, can see their scores in real time on leadership boards and win rewards for scoring high. This has made learning exciting and enjoyable to the modern user. Following this edtech trend, many major players have adopted gamification as a marketing trend for edtech.
5.Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
AR and VR are the latest in cutting edge edtech industry trends.
What’s the difference? Virtual reality creates a fictional reality and can be accessed only through a VR headset. Augmented Reality (AR) on the other hand uses real-world surroundings around you and can be accessed on any smartphone device.
According to a 2020 study by Pwc, learners learn up to four times faster using VR and are twice as confident in applying what they learn. No wonder the increasing use of VR and AR is a fast-growing trend in educational technology.
See also: Best Digital Marketing Strategies for EdTech Companies
6.Smartphones: Knowledge in the palm of your hand
When trends in education technology are evolving so fast, it makes sense for marketers to target users where they are the most. Smartphones! All of us spend a considerable amount of our time on our phones. Edtech players in the industry are catching up to this marketing trend in the education industry. Almost every major edtech player’s courses can be accessed on a smartphone through different apps. With the latest in edtech trends, knowledge is literally in your hands!
7.Highly qualified educators
It is evident that all of the technology in the edtech industry will not make up for the lack of good teachers. With so many innovative trends in the educational industry, it has become a fast-growing market. This is a reason why highly trained, accomplished and experienced educators are moving to corporate instead of teaching in traditional colleges and schools.
Online educators earn double of what their offline counterparts earn. This is because there is flexibility in the number of enrollments per batch. This has evolved into another marketing trend for edtech players, calling educators with attractive offers to join their ranks.
8.Blockchain technology
Quite recently, the students of India’s reputed technical and research institution, IIT-Kanpur were awarded theri degrees in digital form under the National Blockchain Project, launched by the honorable PM of our country. Blockchain is an upcoming edtech trend in this space. The name ‘blockchain’ is derived from the digital databases or ‘ledgers’ as they can be called, where information is stored as ‘blocks’ and these blocks are connected together forming ‘chains.’
Today’s edtech industry trends call for increasing digitisation and with it comes the need for more secure and safe systems that can track student’s activities, keep records of their academic records and access individual student documents without any risk of forgery or manipulation. This is where blockchain comes in, by providing the opportunity to build a decentralized, secure and transparent education technology.
9.Influencer Marketing trend in the edtech
When talking about marketing trends in edtech, influencer marketing is an important topic of discussion, simply because it is the rage right now. Marketers in the edtech space have realised the huge power influencers have and are monetising on this.
Big influencers and micro influencers are all promoting products, courses of different players. Teachers and educators are themselves becoming influencers and claiming their own share in this upcoming marketing trend in the edtech space. In the coming years, this edtech trend is sure to pick up the pace.
10.Expanding to new segments
As online education technology penetrates even the rural countryside, we are seeing the opportunity for a new type of marketing trend in edtech. If you are looking out on the edtech trends in 2022, keep a watch out for edtech’s penetration into multiple segments. Online education will soon spread to tier-III, tier-IV cities and even remote villages.
People from the unorganised sector such as daily wage labourers, electricians, drivers, househelp will need extra certification to boost their employment opportunities. Even professionals like people from the Defence forces looking for a change can opt for online education and start their second careers without disrupting their daily routine or changing geographies.
So there you go. These are the latest in marketing trends for edtech that the industry has predicted for the coming years. While these may seem quite advanced, the revolution in education technology is just getting started.