So, what do we know about teachers?
We all know that teachers are busy people. They have lesson planning, assessments and report writing, paperwork, dealing with behavioural issues, planning school trips, parents’ evenings, not to mention keeping on top of their emails, all on their list of responsibilities!
That’s why when you’re email marketing to teachers, you really need to stand out. With 101 things on their to-do list every day, you need to create an amazing and inspiring marketing campaign that gets their attention straight away.
To get some useful insights to help with your email marketing strategy, we asked the teachers themselves to tell us more about how they work, and how they really deal with marketing emails.
Our network of fantastic teachers were only too happy to give us lots of useful information…
Short on time?
Check out the essential stats instead
When they use email
Gone are the days of memos and notes in pigeon holes – email is king!
And as we all know, access to emails is becoming quicker and easier. With the advent of smartphones and other mobile devices, teachers can access their emails anytime and anywhere! In fact, teachers use a variety of devices which means they can check their emails at school, at home and on the go.
"I check my emails on my journey to work"
While around two-thirds of teachers use a more traditional device like a PC or laptop at school, 64% also have a smartphone or a tablet for checking their emails outside of school hours.
Psst…This is where a mobile responsive email design can work wonders - responsive emails can look amazing on any device!
Check out our email portfolioSo, we know teachers are pretty tech savvy and like to use the latest devices. But how much time do they actually spend on their emails?
The answer? A lot! (That’s why email marketing to teachers is such a great avenue to take!)
As we’ve already discovered, email is the most common way of communicating in schools.
And it isn’t just 9am until 3pm – teachers really do work all hours. Of the teachers we spoke to, 91% check their emails outside of school hours. This is usually from around 7.00am (but can be as early as 5.30am) and as late as 11pm. (We can’t help but wonder when they get time to sleep!)
"I check my emails as soon as my alarm goes off!"
A lot of teachers arrive at school at around 8am each day, by which time 77% of them have already checked their emails.
And by 9am when school starts, 98% of teachers will have already checked their emails at least once.
Then it’s a continuous flow of sending and receiving emails at various times throughout the day. In fact, 81% of the teachers we spoke to check their emails 5 or more times a day.
It’s no different in the evening – 82% of teachers check their emails after 7pm, and more than half will check their emails up to, or later than, 10.00pm.
The times that teachers check their emails can often depend on the time of year and the experience and responsibilities of each individual teacher.
"At key points during the year like reporting and
coursework submission dates, I can be working and
checking emails until around 10pm."
Oh, and weekends too! 84% of teachers check their emails at least once over the weekend.
As you can see, teachers really do access their emails a lot. In fact, you could email them at any time of the day, any day of the week!
And it’s not just term time…
Despite popular belief that teachers have 13 weeks holiday a year (and there’s no doubt they’d deserve this!), unfortunately for them, it’s simply not true.
At least 88% of teachers check their emails during the school holidays.
School holidays are a fantastic time for email marketing to teachers. They use this time to prepare for the next term, catch up on admin and generate new ideas – it’s a great time to attract their attention before the busy new term starts. In fact, we’re managing more email campaigns for our clients during school holidays than ever before!
So what emails do teachers receive?
76% of the teachers we spoke to said they receive less than 5 marketing emails per day. But this doesn’t mean there’s no competition…
What we need to remember is teachers receive both internal and external emails, from a range of people.
Internal emails will be from other teachers, administrative staff, the Head Teacher, and maybe even pupils, depending on the type and level of school.
External emails will be from companies like you who are wanting to market or sell to them, emails from local authorities or other external agencies, and the unlucky ones will also receive emails from parents!
This means your email needs to really stand out in the inbox. Your subject line must attract their attention and interest immediately. Otherwise, you’re likely to get ignored or, worse still, deleted.
Teachers might not always open and read your email straight away, but if it’s of interest to them, they’re likely to flag it to go back to later. We know that over half of teachers prefer to work on their emails after school hours – this is when they have a bit more time to go back to emails received earlier, read them in more detail and click links to find out more.
If you really want to attract their attention, free teaching resources or free samples are the way to go!
This is by far the most preferred type of email that teachers receive. And for your marketing, what better way to get them hooked than to offer a free trial of your amazing new teaching resource? Or a free sample of your fantastic new homework planners?
It's SO worth email marketing to teachers
Our clients sometimes ask if it’s worth marketing directly to the teachers in case they aren’t the main decision makers or budget holders. Understanding school spending will help you to choose the right teachers and decision makers for your marketing.
Whilst 63% of Business Managers approve all school spending, 67% of the teachers we spoke with have a budget of their own to manage. This usually means they will research suppliers, and make spending decisions – just needing final sign-off from the Business Manager.
A teacher’s budget can range from £500 up to £10,000. This depends on what their role and department is.
Their budget goes towards a whole range of things:
✔ Science resources ✔ Stationery ✔ Textbooks ✔ Photocopying
✔ Sports equipment ✔ Exercise books ✔ Musical instruments
✔ Art materials ✔ Website subscriptions ✔ Class trips ✔ IT resources
Remember though, 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 approve your product than the teacher themselves?
There are huge opportunities for email marketing to teachers…
Teachers are email savvy – they regularly check their emails throughout the day on a variety of devices, and not just during school hours, so no matter when you send your email, there will be a teacher checking their emails at that time!
Of course, there are certain days and times that see higher engagement rates than others. We’ll always help you to decide on the best time to send your email campaign.
Remember, too, that teachers are busy! Your marketing needs to attract their attention and inspire them. It needs to stand out in a busy inbox, be relevant and quick and easy to understand. Here are a few more tips from our lovely teachers about how you can market to them…
"Tell me all the key information and
how to find out more in a quick and easy way"
"Make it clear in the subject line what the email is about
so I know if it’s relevant to me"
"Include a specific, clear heading
so I can see exactly what the email is about"
What next?
Hopefully that’s given you a peek into the minds of teachers. You can use this information to plan your next email marketing campaign.
There’s a lot to think about, but don’t worry, you don’t have to do it alone.
We’re here to help with all of your marketing to teachers plans. Our experienced Campaign Strategists will support you every step of the way.
They’ll help you to:
Build your bespoke mailing list
Help you to decide which teachers and schools to target.
Plan your email marketing campaign
Identify the best options and create marketing packages to suit you.
Create a buzz in the education industry
Our friendly team of marketing and education experts are the leading team to support your marketing to teachers.
If you’re ready to get started or want to find out more about our email marketing service, just get in touch with us on 01257 460036 or email info@buzz-education.com
Get a quote now
*Just so you know, we don’t pluck statistics out of the air here at Buzz Education – every statistic and piece of information you’ve just read is from genuine teachers in UK schools, who took part in our 2019 Schools Survey.
