Education marketing is getting squeezed from both sides. Buyers are moving slower and asking for more proof, while the marketing landscape is moving faster than most teams can realistically track. AI is changing how people search and evaluate credibility. Conferences are still a major growth channel, but they are expensive and hard to measure. And social platforms keep rewriting the rules midstream.
In this solo “Field Notes” episode, Elana Leoni surfaces practical signals from the last few weeks across AI, conferences, K–12 funding, and social media. The throughline is focus. What matters now is less about chasing every update, and more about building a marketing system that can hold up in a noisy, high-scrutiny, high-stakes category.
What You’ll Learn
Why AI is reshaping how websites get found, summarized, and trusted, and what marketers should change now
What the “Hour of AI” shift signals about where K–12 expectations are heading
How to think about conferences as a portfolio strategy, not a one-off bet
What “booth roadkill” is, and how to build a booth experience people actually want to step into
Why conference content capture is non-negotiable if you care about ROI
What YouTube Shorts data suggests about reach, engagement, and pairing short-form with long-form
How to use user-generated content to build trust in a market where peer validation wins
A grounded view of FY2026 K–12 funding signals, plus what was cut and why it matters
Two LinkedIn posts worth saving, one on vision-led district buying, and one on how EdTech sales differs from traditional B2B
Why It Matters
Education marketers are being asked to justify every investment while still delivering results in a constrained environment. This episode reframes the moment as an opportunity to cut what is not working, double down on what shows real signal, and build credibility through relationships and proof. The $10,000 question is not really about budget. It is about focus, time horizons, and understanding where your audience actually pays attention. Teams that approach 2026 with this mindset will be better positioned to compete without burning trust or energy.
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Conference strategy and content capture
2026 EdTech Marketer’s Planner Spreadsheet Template (the Excel version you can purchase, especially relevant when the free planner is going away in March)
AI, search visibility, and bot-first traffic
Neil Patel LinkedIn Live on LLM bots driving more traffic than humans, plus practical tips for making your site easier for LLMs to summarize and trust
GitHub Copilot, the tool Elana referenced for AI-assisted coding workflows
K–12 budget and policy signals
Education Week breakdown of the FY2026 education budget approval and how key programs are affected
Whiteboard Advisors The EdSheet, a practical way to stay current on policy context and funding dynamics
Platform updates and how districts actually buy
YouTube Shorts stats referenced in the platform update section (reach, engagement, and why shorts plus long-form can accelerate growth)
Kurtis Pake LinkedIn post on districts pursuing vision over products, and what marketers and sellers should do differently
Tim Good School Harbor infographic on how EdTech sales differs from traditional B2B
Demystifying the EdTech Buying Cycle: Related LCG episode Elana referenced on the K–12 buying cycle and why EdTech is not standard B2B
Some rabbit holes, just for fun:
Elana Leoni, Host
Elana Leoni has spent nearly two decades helping education organizations grow through strategic marketing and storytelling. Over the past nine years, she has built and scaled Leoni Consulting Group, an education marketing agency that has partnered with more than 50 education and EdTech brands. Earlier in her career, she led marketing for Edutopia (The George Lucas Educational Foundation).
About All Things Marketing and Education
What if marketing was judged solely by the level of value it brings to its audience? Welcome to All Things Marketing and Education, a podcast that lives at the intersection of marketing and you guessed it, education. Each week, Elana Leoni, CEO of Leoni Consulting Group, highlights innovative social media marketing, community-building, and content marketing strategies that can significantly increase reach, relationships, and revenue.
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