When Covid-19 hit, it disrupted families and schools across the United States. Parents were overwhelmed, teachers were displaced, and children had to start learning from home.
A year and a half later the pandemic continues to take an unthinkable toll on our communities, creating social, emotional, and academic burdens – especially for students and teachers.
New research, conducted by the Harris Poll and sponsored by Agile Education Marketing and SheerID, draws from a survey of more than 900 K-12 teachers across the United States to deliver valuable insights into the disruption that occurred during the past school year. It also details how brands can help and connect with teachers as they face the ongoing challenges brought on by the pandemic.
Teachers represent one of the largest consumer communities with more than seven million members. As the nation heads back to school with a pandemic cloud still hovering above, this research offers a clear message: teachers need support and brands can provide it.
Teachers Are Struggling
Not surprisingly, the survey revealed that teachers are one of the groups hardest hit by the pandemic. More than 3 in 4 educators (77%) said 2020-21 was the most challenging year they have ever experienced.
Many of those teachers remain concerned about the upcoming 2021-22 school year, too. Of those surveyed:
- Nearly 8 in 10 (79%) said that the pandemic caused their students to lose out on learning.
- 7 in 10 (72%) said the pandemic set back their students’ learning
- 40% admit to feeling unprepared.
Teachers face a host of additional challenges, including budget concerns, uncertainty about what the pandemic will bring, and a thinning of their ranks as many colleagues retire early. According to the US Department of Education, nearly all 50 states reported teacher shortages for the 2020-2021 school year.
Teachers Are Trying to Overcome a Deficit
The pandemic has left teachers trying to do more with less. Around a third of teachers (35%) say their school budget did not adequately cover their needs for classroom supplies, instructional resources, and professional development this past school year.
Teachers are using their own money to make up for this loss. Two in five teachers (40%) who spent money out-of-pocket to augment their learning/classroom supplies and materials say they spent more during the 2020-21 school year than the years before. More than a third of teachers (35%) say they spent $500 or more of their own money.
Being A Teacher Is A Calling
Marketers should take note: many teachers see their work as a central aspect of who they are. When asked what were important components of their overall identity, nearly all said that being a teacher (96%) and the school where they work (81%) were both important components of their overall identity.
What’s even more striking, however, is how much higher teachers ranked those components compared to other demographic traits, including:
- The city/neighborhood they live in (64%).
- Their religion (58%).
- Their national or cultural background (53%).
- Their political affiliation (50%).
When looking at the same responses on a regional basis you can see subtle, regional differences in which statements are most important:
- Midwest – Being a teacher (97%)
- Northeast – Their family role (94%)
- South – The school where I work (85%)
- Northeast – Their hobby or activity (72%)
- Midwest – The city/neighborhood they live in (66%)
- South – Their religion (65%)
- South – Their national or cultural background (59%)
- West – Their political affiliation (52%)
| How Important Are Each Of The Following In Your Overall Identity? | |||||
| Response | Northeast | Midwest | South | West | Total |
| Being a teacher | 95% | 97% | 96% | 95% | 96% |
| My family role | 94% | 93% | 90% | 90% | 91% |
| The school where I work | 79% | 80% | 85% | 80% | 81% |
| My hobby or activity | 72% | 70% | 70% | 67% | 69% |
| The city/neighborhood where I live | 64% | 66% | 64% | 62% | 64% |
| My religion | 53% | 60% | 65% | 50% | 58% |
| My nationality/cultural background | 49% | 45% | 59% | 52% | 53% |
| My political affiliation | 48% | 47% | 50% | 52% | 50% |
| Source: SheerID and Agile Education Marketing | |||||
How A Brand Can Be Teacher-Friendly
Eight in 10 teachers said they know a brand is teacher-friendly if it provides solutions to the unique challenges they face, such as offering teacher-specific discounts (65%) or supporting causes tied to education or school (53%).
Regionally, 76% of teachers in the Northeast feel a brand is teacher-friendly when it provides a teacher discount compared to 65% of all teachers who feel this way. In the South, they know a brand is teacher-friendly when it supports causes that teachers care about (50%).
| I Know A Brand Is Teacher-friendly When It… | |||||
| Response | Northeast | Midwest | South | West | Total |
| Provides solutions for the unique challenges teachers face | 76% | 77% | 83% | 80% | 80% |
| Provides teacher discounts | 76% | 66% | 64% | 60% | 65% |
| Supports causes tied to education or school | 50% | 50% | 56% | 52% | 53% |
| Supports causes that teachers care about | 41% | 45% | 50% | 42% | 45% |
| Features people like me in their marketing and communications | 14% | 13% | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Other | 3% | 5% | 3% | 6% | 4% |
| Source: SheerID and Agile Education Marketing | |||||
Teacher Shopping Behavior
Most of the teachers surveyed (85%) plan to purchase some large items in the next twelve months. At the top of their list was going on a vacation of one week or more (61%) and remodeling a room in their home (31%).
| Which Of The Following Are You Planning To Do In The Next 12 Months? | |||||
| Response | Northeast | Midwest | South | West | Total |
| Go on a vacation for a week or more | 64% | 58% | 62% | 59% | 61% |
| Remodel a room in my home | 30% | 33% | 29% | 31% | 31% |
| Buy new furniture | 21% | 32% | 34% | 25% | 29% |
| Buy a new laptop or device for my home | 27% | 25% | 25% | 30% | 27% |
| Buy new electronics for my home | 23% | 23% | 24% | 20% | 23% |
| Expand my current investment portfolio | 21% | 23% | 20% | 22% | 21% |
| BUY HOME / REFINANCE / HOME EQUITY LOAN / HELOC (NET) | 20% | 17% | 25% | 17% | 20% |
| Buy a new home | 8% | 8% | 11% | 8% | 9% |
| Refinance my current home | 7% | 5% | 11% | 6% | 8% |
| Take out a home equity loan/line of credit to improve my home | 8% | 6% | 6% | 4% | 6% |
| BUY/LEASE CAR (NET) | 17% | 22% | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| Buy a new car | 14% | 20% | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Lease a new car | 3% | 3% | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Change financial institutions | 3% | 3% | 4% | 3% | 4% |
| None of these | 12% | 17% | 13% | 17% | 15% |
| Source: SheerID and Agile Education Marketing | |||||
How Teachers Share Their Discounts
Teachers are loyal to brands that give them exclusive offers, and they express that loyalty by amplifying the promotion. If teachers learned of a discount or offer that was targeted specifically to teachers, almost all (98%) would share it with their peers, primarily by telling others about it in person (78%) or forwarding the email with the discount in it (75%).
| If You Learned About A Teacher Discount Or Offer, How Would You Share It With Other Teachers? | |||||
| Response | Northeast | Midwest | South | West | Total |
| Tell them in person | 72% | 78% | 80% | 77% | 78% |
| Forward an email I received about the discount | 77% | 77% | 73% | 76% | 75% |
| Send a text message | 57% | 56% | 61% | 64% | 60% |
| Social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram) | 43% | 41% | 48% | 39% | 43% |
| Share a referral link through the brand’s website | 23% | 25% | 27% | 24% | 25% |
| Post on a blog, website, or other publication where other teachers could learn about it | 10% | 12% | 11% | 9% | 10% |
| Source: SheerID and Agile Education Marketing | |||||
The Most Appealing Teacher Offers
Not all teacher offers are created equally. Teachers find free perks (62%) the most appealing, followed distantly by periodic opportunities to receive 20% off of a purchase (45%).
| Which Of The Following Teacher Offers Would You Find Most Appealing? | |||||
| Response | Northeast | Midwest | South | West | Total |
| Free perks (free shipping, free checked bags, etc.) | 57% | 62% | 64% | 63% | 62% |
| Periodic opportunities to receive 20% off your purchase | 48% | 47% | 46% | 43% | 45% |
| 10% off every purchase | 44% | 40% | 39% | 39% | 40% |
| BOGO (buy one, get one free) | 27% | 39% | 44% | 31% | 37% |
| Free gift (sample product, small item as a reward for shopping in-store or making a purchase, etc.) | 35% | 41% | 37% | 33% | 36% |
| VIP experiences (access to special events, early boarding for a flight, etc.) | 28% | 24% | 30% | 33% | 29% |
| Free returns | 25% | 18% | 11% | 21% | 18% |
| Upgraded loyalty status | 6% | 9% | 12% | 9% | 10% |
| Source: SheerID and Agile Education Marketing | |||||
How Teachers Research Purchase Decisions
Nearly all teachers (97%) research brands before making a purchase, and their most popular methods include online reviews and online searches. This gives brands who do digital marketing a good opportunity to win teachers’ attention.
Here were the top ways that teachers inform their purchase decisions:
- Online reviews (80%)
- Through an online search (71%)
- Word-of-mouth by asking family/friends (68%)
- Asking colleagues (65%)
| How Do You Research Brands To Inform Purchasing Decisions? | |||||
| Response | Northeast | Midwest | South | West | Total |
| Online reviews | 77% | 81% | 83% | 77% | 80% |
| Online search | 69% | 67% | 75% | 70% | 71% |
| Ask friends/family members | 70% | 66% | 68% | 67% | 68% |
| Ask colleagues | 66% | 60% | 67% | 64% | 65% |
| Brand websites | 30% | 34% | 34% | 28% | 31% |
| Social media | 32% | 30% | 31% | 27% | 30% |
| I wait to hear directly from brands/wait for them to communicate with me | 3% | 8% | 4% | 4% | 4% |
| Some other way | 4% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 3% |
| Source: SheerID and Agile Education Marketing | |||||
How Teachers Would Use a Discount
When thinking about their purchases, most teachers said they would use a teacher discount not only to buy classroom or school supplies (92%), but also to purchase other discretionary or leisure items or services including:
- Restaurants (73%)
- Computers/mobile devices/electronics (68%)
- Travel (65%)
- Entertainment (63%)
- Subscription services (62%)
- Clothing (62%)
| For Which Of The Following Types Of Products/Services Would You Use A Teacher Discount? | |||||
| Response | Northeast | Midwest | South | West | Total |
| Classroom/School supplies | 88% | 94% | 93% | 92% | 92% |
| Restaurants | 71% | 70% | 78% | 70% | 73% |
| Computers/mobile devices/electronics | 72% | 66% | 69% | 64% | 68% |
| Travel | 64% | 65% | 64% | 65% | 65% |
| Entertainment (e.g., movies, concerts, sporting events) | 61% | 63% | 67% | 60% | 63% |
| Subscription services (e.g., mobile phone, cable) | 63% | 69% | 64% | 56% | 62% |
| Clothing | 63% | 64% | 63% | 58% | 62% |
| Software/Apps | 39% | 53% | 57% | 46% | 50% |
| Streaming media (e.g., music, video, sports, etc.) | 46% | 53% | 47% | 45% | 48% |
| Insurance | 42% | 41% | 46% | 40% | 43% |
| Home/Garden | 37% | 34% | 44% | 39% | 40% |
| Beauty/Personal care | 27% | 33% | 44% | 31% | 36% |
| Banking/Credit cards | 32% | 28% | 33% | 25% | 30% |
| Source: SheerID and Agile Education Marketing | |||||
The Best Ways to Market to Teachers
Substance matters when it comes to supporting these teachers, and personalized offers make a visible and immediate difference. Offers that have an impact include free perks (62%), periodic 20% discounts on purchases (45%), 10% off every purchase (40%), BOGO (37%), or free gifts (36%). In contrast, offers with more abstract benefits like upgraded loyalty status (10%), VIP experiences (29%), and free returns (18%) held less appeal.
The good news for brands is that if they take the right approach, teachers will feel emotionally supported and respond with greater loyalty. Here are some best practices for marketing to teachers:
- Make Your Offer Attractive. Price your items and your discount competitively, demonstrating your sincere desire to help this group.
- Create Messaging that is Genuine. Show teachers that you understand the challenges they face, such as tight school budgets.
- Leverage the Power of Word-of-Mouth. As you create your program, remember that 98% of teachers say if they learned about a teacher discount, they would share it with other teachers in some way.
- Run Back-To-School and Teacher Appreciation Campaigns. A teacher discount will be most effective during May and the end of summer, when Teacher Appreciation Month and the back-to-school season significantly increase the number of searches for “teacher discounts” and “teacher appreciation.”
- Make Your Offer Highly Visible and Easy to Access. Link to your offer from high-traffic areas on your website, share it through social media channels, and promote it heavily during peak times, such as back-to-school, Spring Break, or the holiday season.
- Engage with the Teacher Audience Online. Use social media to listen and respond to the teacher community by following trends, sharing articles, or simply participating in online conversations.
Teachers deserve recognition for the work they do every day, and providing them with discounts is not only an excellent way to show your support, it’s a great way to grow your business, reach new customers, and enhance your brand image.
You can view the full Harris Poll report and learn more about how SheerID can help you win teachers with personalized offers.
Survey Method:
This survey was conducted online by the Harris Poll on behalf of Agile Education Marketing and SheerID from June 16 to August 2, 2021 among 924 K-12 teachers. A random sample of teachers were invited to participate by email from Agile’s database of K-12 teachers as well as through social media. Results are not weighted and are therefore only representative of the individuals who completed the survey
