3 major mistakes
MOST EDUCATORS
MAKE IN THEIR COMMUNICATIONS
Communication is power in webbed and media rich society. Connecting students and professionals, predicting questions and hesitations, saving customers during negativity storms - strong communication helps organisations, from educators-solopreneurs to huge universities, develop and thrive.
Yet there are many mistakes educators make. I have collected my years of experience to cover TOP-3 of them in my guide.
Julia Graurock
Communication Strategist & Media Educator
  • 7 years of practice

    Started with PhD on political and social storytelling
  • 50+ organisations supported

    From solopreneurs and private schools to national universities and projects
  • 40+ tools in arsenal

    My clients get access to my whole list of tools and techniques to turn their communications into strong support for their growth

Mistake 1
Underestimating Customer Development
CustDevs are usually time-consuming and require a lot of focus. Solopreneurs might say, "I communicate with my customers directly, I know what they say," while big organizations usually think, "Our situation is already quite good, so why do we need it?"
But communication and deep interviews are not the same. Without a deep understanding of the needs, preferences, and pain points of customers, the organization risks losing additional sales and customer loyalty. This may also lead to missed opportunities for innovation and improvement, resulting in stagnation, one of the major threats in the educational world.
Not everybody needs CustDevs. But if your business stopped at the glass ceiling, custdevs are one of the greatest tools to LvlUp business.

What is CustDev interview?
CustDev is a structured conversation between a company representative and potential or existing customers with the goal of gaining deep insights into their needs, preferences, and pain points. These interviews are typically conducted to validate assumptions, gather feedback on product ideas, and identify opportunities for improvement. During the interview, the interviewer asks open-ended questions to encourage candid responses and listens attentively to the customer's perspective. The process involves active listening, empathy, and a willingness to adapt based on the feedback received. The insights gained from customer development interviews are invaluable for shaping product development, refining marketing strategies, and enhancing overall customer satisfaction.
There are different types and scenarios for CustDevs. There is no universal list of questions or universal script. And no, AI can not give you deep insights from customers' head too.
It is always better to consult with expert before investing time and money into interviews.
Mistake 2
Team in Shadow
Education is a sphere where the figure of the teacher holds significant importance. However, many educational organizations face difficulties when it comes to internal communication. Questions like "What if we invest in the development of our teachers, and then they leave?" or "What if we conduct a satisfaction survey and it sparks discussions about our problems?" often arise.

Despite the risks, I have witnessed how trusted communication has become one of the major anchors for professionals to remain in a team. Even if you work alone, you might have people who support you and highlighting their role will increase their inspiration.
Mistake 3
Clients, but not Community
In the 21st century, where ChatGPT and Google can provide nearly any knowledge, educational organizations lose part of their knowledge delivery function. On the other hand, the function of a learning community, uniting those with the same values, ambitions, and interests, grows even stronger - arguably becoming the most crucial one.

Yet, I usually hear "Yes, of course we have sales managers," but rarely "Yes, we have community managers," when talking to those who develop educational projects. This presents a great opportunity, as a good sales manager already possesses 70% of the qualities needed for a good community manager and requires only some additional training. Building a community around a project can significantly improve not only customer loyalty but also educational results - one of the major goals of every educational endeavor.
What is Community Management?
Community management involves building, engaging, and managing a community of people around a brand, product, or service. It includes activities like online-events, responding to customer inquiries and feedback, creating and sharing content, and fostering relationships with community members.
In simple words, community management helps projects grow by creating a loyal and engaged customer base. By nurturing relationships with customers and providing valuable support and content, businesses can increase brand awareness, drive customer loyalty, and ultimately boost sales. Additionally, an active and positive community can serve as advocates for the brand, attracting new customers through word-of-mouth referrals and positive reviews.

If you are familiar with online RPG games, you may already witnessed brilliant community managers in action, since originally this role was created in game industry.

Bonus Mistake
For Solopreneurs: products instead of product list
When educators start solopreneur journey, they usually focus on selling individual or group lessons. This is a good strategy, but only on the first stage. Without product list, there is a huge chance of finding yourself working for 10-12 hours a day providing lessons or feeling unconfident about announcing prices growth every 3 months.

I usually start my consultations with product list brainstorm so my clients have preliminary plan for further expansion and understanding of their project big roadmap. This not only helps my clients to manage their workloads better here and now, but also hugely inspires them as a vision of future in which they can work for 3-4 hours a day, while the product list gives various income sources.
Wrap-up of mistakes
These 4 steps can help you significantly improve your business communications
  • Regularly CustDev your audience
    There are many ways to do that, so feel free to chose those that fit your project and pace
  • Create community around your project
    Turn one of your sales managers into community manager or find ideas, how you can become the leader of community yourself - the skillset is rather simple.
  • Be transparent in critical situations
    When and if negativity arises, show your reaction, explain reasons and do not be afraid to accept that you could make some mistakes - mistakes are very important in education process after all!
  • Get communication strategy and adapt it with growth
    Strategy will become your guiding compass within many situations. If you don't know where to start - you can start right here below.
Still not sure if you avoid these mistakes or not? We can check it together during short intro call💫. It is free - we will outline your current situation and check the ways forward.
Julia Graurock
Communication Strategist
My special gift for you
Thank you for reading my guide! If you are a fellow educator who strives for growth, I would love to hear more about your current communications during free 30-35 minutes demo-session.
Book your place in 48 hours after getting the link to this guide - fortune loves those who are fast in decisions💫
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