The Personalities of Education Seekers

What kind of people go to different types of schools? and why?

Earlier I wrote about the four different sandboxes marketers can think about in the education space. Using the (in)famous 2x2 quadrant four different goals can be obtained based on how general or specific the program and school are. In summary, they were defined as follows:

• Stepping Stone: the badge needed to eliminate a potential objection
  
• Short List: the credentials to be recognized as highly qualified
  
• Open Doors: the secret hand shake (and Rolodex) to move in certain circles
  
• Keys to the Kingdom: the seal of approval from the most respected place to gain skills

People who follow each of these paths do so for different reasons and there selection process of where to go to school is very different. As such, they can be turned into personae that help us develop the right messaging and media plans.

The following picture highlights each of the benefits, decision behavior and motivations of each of the four named personae.