Teachers are the perfect target market for brands who want to reach new, loyal customers. Marketing to teachers can be a strategy to gain incremental revenue and market share. Giving special discounts to teachers and faculty as a “thank-you” also presents some great press opportunities, especially during the back-to-school season and Teacher Appreciation week (in May).
Meet your new customers!
The stats:
- There are currently 3.9 million K-12 teachers
- There are nearly 2 million higher education faculty and administrators
- Teachers spent $1.5 Billion annually of their own money on school supplies.
- Teachers spend over $11 billion on their credit cards per year
- Teachers shop twice as often online than the general population
Teachers appreciate special offers and discounts, but they are also smart enough to realize when a brand is trying to pass an affiliate deal or a sub par discount as a special exclusive offer. Do a quick search, you’ll find some of the biggest brands in apparel, office supplies, and travel offer exclusive offers to teachers.
Extending an exclusive offers to teachers and faculty creates brand loyalty among the teacher market but it also makes your customers feel valued:
- 80% are more loyal to brands that offer a teacher discount
- 97.4% feel valued by companies that offer discount programs for teachers
Teachers also have a positive impression of companies that value education, and are more loyal to those brands. One of the best ways to demonstrate that education is important to your business is by offering a teacher discount or donating to schools or educational nonprofits.
Now that you know a little more about teachers as a target market, let’s talk about what you can do to reach them and keep your teacher offers truly exclusive!
