So… Is It the Economy, AI, or Something Else? (And What IECs Should Do About It)

Recently, I've been noticing a recurring theme in discussions with IECs: everything seems to be moving at a slower pace. Families appear more hesitant, numbers are down, and there's an ongoing question about whether this is due to the economy, AI, or a mix of both.

The short answer is it is probably both. The longer answer is that it does not actually matter as much as it feels like it does. Markets go through cycles. They always have. When money is flowing, people spend more freely. When it tightens, they pause, ask more questions, and become far more intentional about their decisions.

That is not necessarily a bad thing. It is a filter. And in a filtered market, the right businesses become easier to see.

So instead of asking what is happening to your business, a better question is how do you become the clear choice when people are choosing more carefully.

That is where the real opportunity is.

1. Differentiate Like It Is Your Job (Because It Is)

Differentiate, differentiate, differentiate. The new location, location, location.

When families are being more thoughtful with their money, they are not looking for just any IEC. They are looking for the IEC. And that is never the most generic option.

A lot of consultants stay broad because it feels safer. The thinking is that if you appeal to more people, you will get more clients. In reality, the opposite tends to happen. When your message is too broad, it becomes easy to overlook.

The opportunity right now is to get specific:

• The IEC who thrives with neurodivergent students and knows how to advocate for them

• The one who works with high-performance athletes navigating recruitment and academics

• The one who connects with creative, design-driven students building unconventional paths

• The one who just gets a certain type of parent and can speak their language without trying

You do not need everyone. You need the right people to recognize themselves in your work. And that only happens when you are clear enough to be recognized. Now is not the time to be casual about your differentiation. It is the time to go deeper, get sharper, and become known for something.

2. Be the One Who "Gets It"

From there, it becomes less about what you know and more about how well you understand the people you are speaking to.

Families are not just looking for expertise, they are looking for resonance. They want to feel understood, not just advised.

If someone reads your content and thinks, "yes, this!" you have already done a significant part of the work. That moment builds trust, and trust is what leads to action.

That kind of connection does not happen by accident. It comes from knowing your audience on a deeper level than most are willing to go. It means understanding:

• what keeps them up at night

• exactly what overwhelms them about the process

• what they wish someone would just say out loud

• what success really looks like to them beyond the polished version.

When you understand those things, your content shifts. It stops sounding like information and starts feeling like a conversation.

And that level of understanding does not come from guessing. It comes from paying attention. Listening to how your clients actually talk. Noticing patterns in what they ask and repeat. Having real conversations. Watching what resonates and what falls flat.

Approach your marketing with curiosity first. When someone feels like you truly understand them, you do not have to convince them. They have already started to make their decision.

3. The Case for Doing the Opposite (Thank You, Justin Bieber)

Once you understand your audience and your positioning, the next move is not to do more of what everyone else is doing. It is often to do the opposite.

A simple way to see this is through what happened at Coachella.

You know the energy. Bigger, louder, more production, more outfits, more spectacle. Everyone trying to outdo the next.

And then Justin Bieber shows up and does the exact opposite. No overproduction. No attempt to compete with the noise. Just him, stripped down and bare, in a metaphorical way of course.

It stands out because it is different.

The same dynamic is happening in the IEC space. There is a lot of polished messaging. A lot of automation. A lot of streamlined, fully virtual experiences. None of that is wrong. In fact, much of it works. But when everyone is doing it, it starts to feel predictable. And when something feels predictable, it becomes easy to ignore.

So instead of asking how you can do it better, it is worth asking where you might go in the opposite direction.

• If everything is automated, where can you be more personal?

• If everything is virtual, where could you offer something in person?

• If everything sounds calm and controlled, where could you evoke the actual feeling of this process without your services?

This does not require a complete reinvention. It requires awareness and a willingness to not default to what everyone else is doing. Scary, I know.

Standing out right now is less about doing the same only louder, better and more about doing something people do not expect, in the most strategic way.

4. A Sea of Blue… and Then There Is You

By now, you have done the deeper work. You know who you are. You know who you are speaking to. You are willing to think differently instead of just louder.

Now it has to show.

In a space where many IEC brands look and feel similar, that initial impression matters more than most people realize.

We all know the standard associations. Blue communicates trust. Yellow communicates optimism. And because of that, those colors show up everywhere. Seriously, if you are reading this and your colors are some form of blue and yellow, raise your hand. I love you and there is nothing inherently wrong with that. But when everything starts to look the same, people stop noticing the differences.

This is where your brand should become more than just good design. It becomes an extension of you.

That might look like choosing a color palette that actually reflects your personality rather than defaulting to what is expected. It might look like incorporating a subtle accent or visual element that feels distinct. Or it could just be the way your content is styled or the overall tone and feel of your brand presence.

The goal is not to be bold for the sake of attention. It is to be specific enough that someone can feel the difference, even if they cannot immediately explain it. When your words resonate with someone and your brand visually supports that connection, it creates a moment of clarity. You transition from being just another option to becoming the preferred choice.

5. The Move No One Feels Like Making (But Should)

When things feel uncertain, the natural instinct is to pull back. To spend less, do less, and wait for things to stabilize. It makes sense, but it also creates a gap.

While others become quieter, the people who remain visible become easier to find, easier to trust, and ultimately easier to choose.

This does not mean you need to spend aggressively or act out of urgency. It means: getting grounded in your strategy. Being clear on your positioning. Being confident in your messaging. Being consistent in how you show up.

Marketing in this context is not about pushing harder. It is about staying present so that when families are ready to move forward, they are not starting from zero. They are choosing from the names they have already seen, heard, and remembered.

The Good News

A market like this refines opportunity. It rewards clarity. It rewards personality. It rewards people who are willing to stand out instead of blend in. And that is a good thing.

So whether this moment is being shaped by the economy, AI, or something else entirely, you are not stuck reacting to it. You get to decide how you show up within it, and that Is pretty cool.

About the Author

Lisa Mitchell is the founder of Alchemy Marketing, a boutique agency based in Massachusetts that specializes in business growth through thoughtful branding, strategic marketing, and content that actually connects. With over 18 years of experience in small business marketing, she holds a Marketing degree from Stonehill College, MBA program work from Suffolk University, and a Digital Marketing Certificate from Cornell University.

Lisa’s approach blends strategy with intuition, helping clients move beyond generic marketing into clear, differentiated positioning that drives real results.