Stephan Rothe – quofox

As CMO, Stephan Rothe is responsible for the marketing of quofox, a fast-growing EdTech company in Germany. quofox was founded in 2015 with the vision of establishing lifelong, self-directed learning and individual development as a matter of course in the digital working world – for people, organisations and companies.

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING IS IN THE EATING

Referring to the “Moment of Truth”, Stephan Rothe spontaneously thinks above all of reducing any scepticism: “The core objective for us at the moment is to generate leads in the market, i.e. to identify contacts in companies and then to get them interested in us. What matters as well, however, is to convince other education providers who are currently still relying on a more traditional model to adopt our digital learning solutions”. He describes it like this: “We basically are the digital B2B equivalent of a bar of chocolate on the shelf. The decisive factors for us are product demonstrations or free test phases lasting several weeks. This is the only way we can set ourselves apart from the many competing products.

“We are basically the digital B2B equivalent of a bar of chocolate on the shelf. The decisive factors for us are product demonstrations or free test phases lasting several weeks”.

Emotional aspects are usually not relevant for us; instead, we often have to reduce scepticism. We come from an outdated educational landscape that is still not digitised at all and characterised by firmly entrenched, traditional models. The decision-makers are often still in the age group that is familiar with a very traditional school model and has internalised the corresponding expectations.

This is why often the question comes up whether digital learning can work at all. Many companies still lack the imagination to explore new digital paths when it comes to qualifications as well. That’s why a lot is on the line when they can try our learning platform solution themselves. We provide a platform in test phases, for example, that company employees can try themselves from both an administrator and a user perspective”.

GROWTH THROUGH INFLUENCER MARKETING

When it comes to its marketing strategy, quofox sets purposefully uses industry influencers, Stephan Rothe adds: “The education industry has a manageable number of promoters. The closer the connection to them is, and the more active we are in this network, the more they will push our content. Marketing in education is not comparable to large and fast-moving industries. For us, it’s about having regular contact on a qualitative level with a manageable number of influencers who are active in the industry, so that they have us on their radar. They are often consultants for other companies because they are very familiar with all the different models on the market. And a good relationship with them makes us particularly attractive. We’re all about actual follower growth, which means we’re really working with fans because the educational context is very much about sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas in communities. And when we’re a part of that and interacting with followers, that always translates into a good bottom line for us”.

CHALLENGES AND PITFALLS

“Particularly in small and mid-sized companies, there are decision-makers who are not yet fully digitally competent. That’s why many companies or departments and their decision-makers are difficult to reach via digital channels. This is why we have to continue to use traditional acquisition models such as trade shows and direct sales, which are often cost-intensive”, Stephan Rothe comments.

“Marketing in education is not comparable to large and fast-moving industries. For us, it’s about having regular contact on a qualitative level with the manageable number of influencers who are active in the industry, so that they have us on their radar”.

He also sees a lot of need for education when it comes to self-directed learning and the opportunities it can provide for companies: “Few people realise that education can be a solution to the skilled labour shortage. As a result, it is often not considered to be a solution to this fundamental issue of our time. That’s why a lot of education is needed, and why we have to address this issue again and again.

“Few people realise that education can be a solution to the skilled labour shortage. As a result, it is often not considered as a solutions to this fundamental issue of our time. That’s why a great deal of education is needed, and why we have to address this issue again and again.

Apart from that, the many different products and solutions that are on the market still deter many companies. The number of platform solutions continues to grow and the differences between the solutions are becoming smaller. Ultimately, or probably as a Moment of Truth for the entire industry, it is really this question that should be asked: will we be able to support these models – in which people decide themselves how they learn – and create appropriate digital learning solutions for them?

If we manage to do that as an industry, convince decision makers and promote a culture of self-directed learning in the company and among the learners themselves, we will find out whether this transformation, which we call the digital transformation of learning, actually works.”