2. Who makes the spending decisions for your offering?

You’ll need to consider the financial costs of your product or service. Most of the organisations we work with include head teachers or business managers in their mailing list – simply because they’re the key decision makers. And they’re right – our school surveys showed that:

• 66% of head teachers and business managers approve all school spending. 
• 100% of business managers regularly review spending ideas from other staff members.

But it’s important not to forget the role of other teachers and education staff. We know that:

• 52% of teachers have their own small budget to use for learning resources and classroom supplies.
• 73% of this budget goes towards department-wide resources.

Heads of department and subject teachers will often research suppliers, agree spending amounts, allocate budgets across the department, and make any decisions before getting final sign-off from the business manager. 

Remember also that any heads of department and teachers who don’t have a budget of their own can still be huge influencers. If you’re selling teaching resources or classroom equipment, what better person to be your product advocate than the teacher themselves?

3. How much budget is needed?

It’s important to note that, if a large budget is needed, senior staff members must be involved in the decision-making process. For example, we know that products or services that are on the higher end of a school’s budget must be approved by the school governing body, and they typically ask for three quotes to put forward.

So, when choosing your education mailing list, consider the following:

• Is your offering free?
• Is it a low-budget, cost-effective solution?
• Does it need an ongoing financial commitment?
• Will the decision-making process be longer due to how much the school needs to invest?

Buzz’s Inside Insight: 82% of teachers and decision makers in our School Survey told us that the price of the product is what causes them to switch suppliers.

If your product is free, we recommend sending it directly to the staff members who will benefit, such as subject teachers. They’ll be able to access it straight away without needing approval.

Consider whether your product or service is…

• A low-budget solution
  If you’re promoting something that’s subject specific, e.g., maths workshops, we recommend targeting heads of department and subject teachers. This is because we know that 71% of departments manage their own budget, and 52% of teachers have a small budget of their own (sometimes up to £5,000).
  
  
• Over £5,000
  Target the senior leadership team, in particular the head teachers. Primary school head teachers can usually approve all spending up to £10,000 and secondary head teachers can approve spending up to £15,000.
  
  
• Higher levels
  You should target senior leaders, especially head teachers and the chair of governors. The chair of governors usually works with the SLT and the full governing body to approve all purchases over £20,000 in primary schools and £30,000 in secondary schools.
  

Buzz’s Inside Insight

In our School Survey, 86% of teachers highlighted a good price as their main priority when purchasing from education suppliers.

So, anything you can do to help
schools keep spending down and access cost-effective solutions will generate you more leads.

Key takeaways for your education mailing list

There’s lots to consider when choosing the right teachers to include in your education mailing list. When you’re planning your next campaign audience, remember these key points:

• School spending is influenced by a number of education staff members.
• Some staff members are key financial decision makers and others are influencers.
• A focused mailing list will help boost your engagement rates.
• Think about who the end-user is and include them in your mailing list.
• Free resources or any special offers are effective ways to generate interest.
• Schools are focused on finding cost-effective and cost-saving solutions.
• The senior leadership team are involved when a high investment is needed.
• Tailor your content to the job roles and education phases you’re targeting.