Technology has disrupted every sector and it has become more significant now during the lockdown where everyone is working remotely. At such a time, edutech companies has come to the fore. Before lockdown it was looked at as a complimentary tool to the traditional methods of education. However, with the lockdown and schools being shut for over 2 months, more and more parents and teachers are exploring technology solutions for education and trying to bridge the gaps between classrooms and students.

With the on-going crisis the whole dynamics has been changed and even academics, which had been a relatively slow to adopt technology, are now embracing it. While edutech has been here in India for quite some time now, its role so far has always been very limited, keeping in view what it is capable of achieving. The COVID-19 crisis has, however, revealed the potential of edutech and the significant role it can play in not just continuing ‘learning from home’ but also create an ‘impactful engagement’ and enhanced learning possibilities, for students across various age groups. From benefits like focussed attention span, parent involvement and ease of operation and tracking of student progress, among other features, has led to the sudden popularity and comfort among parents and teachers, for edutech platforms.

However if we take a stock of the available edtech facilities in our country today, we will realise that there is very less awareness especially among parents and teachers. A lot of parents and teachers, who are still sceptical to depend on technology for the education of their children, are unaware of the potential and benefits it can have on the growth and development of the students. However, through effective use of PR and communication tools, edutech companies can leverage this current affinity towards technology and use this to build upon a sustained growth plan for the sector.

Here are 4 ways why edutech companies should utilise PR:

Educating stakeholders: With each passing day, technology is becoming better and also more complex. So it is imperative that brands educate stakeholders on the benefits, impact, and long term significance of the technology. This becomes even more imperative in case of education technology and its impact on children, especially since parents are vary about technology access to children. PR tools allows for a long term, informative approach towards edutech, offering content driven solutions that assist brands in creating awareness about the product and services and also defining key industry trends, all of which can go a long way in creating positive brand valuation in the eyes of  the stakeholders.

Category building: As an emerging sector, edutech currently requires a focussed approach to PR that can help brands to create a positive visibility for the edutech as a viable solution for impactful learning, creating an aspirational value for the same. Through content driven trend stories and opinion pieces around disruptions and future potential, PR can help kick start conversations around the category, creating consistent, relevant, and impactful narratives to build affinity for technology driven academic solutions.

Build thought leadership: Creating awareness and building a category for edutech as a sector is an extremely vital step before embarking on though leadership, for any brand aspiring to be viewed as a leader in the sector. While there are several brands in the segment currently, there is a lack of a clearly defined purpose and vision in terms of the holistic sector and thus, a massive first mover’s opportunity to create thought leadership! PR has in the past, demonstrated its might by building brands out of innovative start-ups that led to disruptive growth for the industry and enhanced principal and intellectual valuation for the brand. If leveraged effective, PR can help the modern edutech brands to not only create a presence and survive but to also lead the sector, by positioning the brand spokesperson as a visionary and thought leader in the domain.

Also read: The potential of edtech in rural India to provide new employment opportunities

Enhance reach and visibility: For any business to succeed it is important to first create a differentiated visibility followed strong reach and brand recall. From brands in the emerging edutech segment, this is more important than ever. Create the right image, with relevant narratives that can impact the trust and buying decisions of parents and academicians as secondary consumers, is vital for a segment like edutech, given its potential to shape and impact young minds. PR helps build trust, visibility and recall through interesting and research based narratives that can generate trust and reliability among parents and teachers.

Anindita Gupta, Co Founder, Scenic Communication

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