Hello, community! The coronavirus brought many adjustments to everyday life. And it’s not just about having to constantly wash your hands (though we definitely shouldn’t forget that). The changes affect almost every sphere: from how we spend our free time to the economy, which still hasn’t fully recovered from the pandemic’s impact — and it’s unclear if it ever will.
Obviously, when everything around us transforms so much, it would be strange for affiliate marketing to stand still. When new products appear, someone has to promote them — and who can do it better than us? In fact, the coronavirus likely led to the surge in popularity of the EdTech vertical. And if you haven’t heard much about it yet, we’ll help you sort everything out.
We also remind you that earlier we covered the infobusiness vertical. Highly recommended!
What Is the EdTech Vertical?
EdTech is a modern vertical that includes various online learning products: not only courses from online schools, but also other tools that help people study independently at home, and more.
Not many people studied online before COVID. But now it’s clear that a diploma from a reputable online university can provide just as many advantages as a traditional one.
The war with our hostile neighbor has also contributed to more people studying from home because it’s simply safer. For those who had to leave their homes and became refugees abroad, it can be the only way to study in their native language. In such cases, online learning is the best way to gain skills that will be essential after our victory.
One of the main reasons we decided to review the EdTech vertical isn’t just its relevance. It’s also because many people confuse it with the infobusiness. That’s why we linked that vertical above; now let’s focus specifically on EdTech.
Advantages of the EdTech Vertical
To understand why this vertical is worth considering at all, let’s talk about its advantages. We include the following:
- “White” vertical. This immediately means a low entry barrier, allowing even beginners to get solid profit without unnecessary hassle. In other words, you won’t have to jump through hoops just to launch an ad campaign.
- Huge demand. In Ukraine, the demand for online learning is driven by the tragic events across the country. But even in calmer regions, online education remains relevant — and popular.
- Lots of offers. New schools and universities appear constantly. They compete with each other, often offering high commissions to affiliates — another strong plus.
Overall, the vertical is very beginner-friendly. If you choose a reliable affiliate program, you can be sure you’ll get help with launching. Payout models are convenient, too. Most often, payments are made via CPA, CPL, and also RevShare.
EdTech Offers and Who They Target
This niche boasts a huge variety of products. That means you can pick only those offers you actually enjoy working with. Some categories contain dozens of subtypes across different directions — so there will always be something to run traffic to.
Speaking of categories, we can highlight the following:
- Obtaining a profession or specific skills. These are offers from online schools and universities. The highest demand is for marketing and design, IT and programming, etc.
- Self-improvement courses. For example, financial literacy or chess.
- Language courses, as well as schools or even mobile apps that help people learn a language.
- Preparation for certifications or exams. For instance, prep for the NMT (formerly ZNO) in Ukraine. Similar final exams exist in many other countries, so paid prep is a viable offer to work with.
- Psychology, or even esoterics. Many people are currently learning to “predict the future” using tarot cards or astrology. Such courses sell very well.
- This also includes various informational products for health improvement — e.g., weight-loss courses and wellness programs.
The large number of offers allows you to run virtually any traffic to EdTech. You can match an offer to almost any target audience. And since you can launch targeted ads for most products without major obstacles, reaching the right audience won’t be a problem.
The same applies to GEOs. However, it’s important to understand the market of the country you plan to work with. For example, the niche in the United States is one of the most mature: traditional education is expensive, so people acquire professional skills via more affordable online courses. The needed infrastructure exists there, with major players in place.
In Europe, things are a bit less developed, but such products are still in demand. Language courses are especially popular now, as well as design and IT training.
A similar situation exists in Latin America, where a lot of conversions come from IT courses. Meanwhile, Southeast Asia favors English-language courses that help people from poorer countries emigrate for a better life in places like Europe.
Which Traffic Sources Work?
Affiliates are practically unlimited in their choice of traffic sources for the EdTech vertical — run traffic from wherever you like. However, to achieve a high ROI, we recommend focusing on the most effective sources. We’d single out:
- Targeted advertising, obviously. It’s the best option, though not the cheapest. Since you’ll usually understand who a given offer is aimed at, targeting is the most straightforward choice — clear, effective, and precise.
- Contextual advertising. Even more expensive, but no less effective than targeting. With Google Ads, you can drive an excellent number of conversions. The key is to choose “high-ticket” offers so your revenue not only covers costs but brings real profit.
- SEO traffic. Organic search brings very strong conversion rates with minimal trash leads. If you plan to run during peak season, start preparing now and create optimized landing pages.
Other ad formats work too — especially on social networks like TikTok. To maximize profit, analyze the offer first. This will help you choose the most appropriate and profitable source in your specific case.
Nuances of Working with EdTech
There are some downsides when working with EdTech, especially if you have to deal directly with advertisers. Vague definitions of what counts as a conversion are common here. Many courses are created and sold by people far from the affiliate world — and suddenly a salesperson’s poor call with a lead becomes your problem. That’s the minimum headache you might encounter.
Still, these are nuances, nothing more — and they can be mitigated by working through a trusted affiliate network. You definitely won’t have issues launching an ad campaign, and that matters most.
Conclusion
The EdTech vertical is a modern niche that’s convenient and profitable to work with. There’s a large variety of products, letting you effectively reach any audience: students, homemakers, or even successful professionals who want to gain an extra skill or learn a language.
Launching ad campaigns is straightforward — even a beginner can handle it. If you consider yourself a newcomer to affiliate marketing, EdTech can be a great place to start. It isn’t guaranteed profit (that depends on more than just launching), but the first steps are surprisingly easy.
Have you ever worked with EdTech? Share your experience in our Telegram community, where we always discuss the most important and interesting topics from the world of affiliate marketing!
Sincerely, Your Geek!