What Higher Ed Enrollment Leaders Are Really Asking About EdTech

(And Why Most Vendors Are Missing the Mark)

If you’re trying to sell your edtech product into higher ed, you’ve probably noticed something:

👀 You’re talking about features.

🎯 But your buyers are asking about something else entirely.

That disconnect? It’s what inspired us to dig deeper.

We spent the past few weeks reviewing forums, Reddit threads, Quora posts, LinkedIn discussions, and enrollment-focused communities to answer one core question:

What do higher ed enrollment leaders actually care about when evaluating edtech tools?

What we found confirmed what we’ve been seeing in the field for years—but it also revealed a few surprises.

The Big Takeaway: They’re Not Ignoring You… They Just Don’t Trust You Yet

The majority of edtech teams are focused on outbound volume.
But the buyers they’re chasing—VPs of Enrollment, Directors of Admissions—are filtering everything through a simple lens:

• Does this solve a problem I actually have?
• Will this integrate with what we already use?
• Do I believe these people understand our world?

If the answer isn’t a clear yes, you’re getting archived.

The 7 Categories That Drive the Buying Conversation

Our whitepaper organizes the most common buyer concerns into seven buckets:

1. Integration with Existing Systems
2. Data Security and Privacy
3. User Training and Support
4. Cost and ROI
5. Student Engagement and Outcomes
6. Customization and Scalability
7. Vendor Reputation and Reliability

And here’s the kicker:
Trust and credibility—while rarely asked about directly—are the throughline in every single one of them.

Buyers don’t say “Can I trust you?”
They say “Who else is using this?” or “Will you be around next year?”

Why This Matters for EdTech Teams

This research isn’t just interesting—it’s actionable.

If your website, sales materials, or outbound messaging isn’t speaking to these concerns, you’re creating friction before the conversation even starts.

The edtech companies that stand out are the ones that:

• Reflect the enrollment calendar in their timing
• Use language that mirrors the buyer’s pain
• Lead with relevance, not a pitch
• Build trust before the meeting ever gets booked

We Put Everything Into One Strategic Brief

We compiled all of this into a whitepaper:
The Higher Ed Buyer Intelligence Report: A Strategic Brief for EdTech Marketers

Inside, you’ll find:

• A breakdown of the 7 most common buyer concerns
• Direct quotes from enrollment leaders
• Real examples of how to align your messaging
• Tactical ways to build trust and avoid the traps most teams fall into

📥 Download the whitepaper here

Final Thought

Selling into higher ed doesn’t require a louder message.
It requires a more relevant one.

If you're ready to build marketing that reflects how this market actually operates, this is a great place to start.

Let me know if you check it out—and what’s resonating.