If you own a childcare center, you may find it hard to maintain a steady enrollment in your program — especially if your center is relatively new and unknown. Depending on your location, there may be dozens of other centers vying for new enrollments, and your competitors may have years of experience and an ironclad reputation, making it hard for you to stand out.
So, what can you do to turn your childcare center into a thriving success? Try developing a comprehensive childcare business marketing plan. With a compelling strategy, you can alert potential customers to your childcare program and make a convincing case for signing up. Learn the techniques underlying an effective childcare marketing plan, including email marketing, social media, a website, and local networking.
Understanding the importance of marketing for daycare centers
Marketing is essential for any business but is especially important for childcare centers. Many daycare centers run on thin profit margins, so even a slight dip in enrollments can result in a monetary loss. Even if you charge top dollar for new enrollees, you’re still responsible for rent, utilities, and supplies. And, if your center is large enough to hire childcare workers, you’ll pay their salary, too.
If your center is in an area with an abundance of childcare centers, you’ll face lots of competition. The only way to stand out is through a well-designed daycare marketing plan that tells parents exactly why your center is the best fit for them.
Developing a childcare marketing plan
Gearing up to implement a childcare marketing strategy starts by outlining your game plan. Start with these steps.
1. Research your audience
Who is your ideal client? Outline the attributes they might have so you understand the customers you’re seeking to attract. A few traits to consider include:
- Location
- Age of child or children
- Income level
- Type of care needed, such as all-day or after-school
Narrowing down your audience helps when it comes time to finesse your marketing messaging.
2. Set achievable goals
Your next step is to define your objectives. What are you hoping to achieve from your marketing plan? Set a few short-term and long-term goals, and be as specific as possible.
For instance, in the short term, you might aim to attract three new enrollments by the end of the month. Over the longer term, you might want to make your childcare a household name in your local area.
3. Differentiate your business
Think about your childcare center compared to others in your area. How does it differ? Some areas you might try to stand out in include:
- Depth of your offerings, such as availability, early childhood education plans, and ages of children you care for
- Education and experience of your staff
- Affordability
- Core values or beliefs
- Location
Once you identify your unique selling proposition (USP), you can make it a focal point of your marketing message.
4. Perform a competitor analysis
Before developing your marketing materials, it’s smart to take heed of your competitor’s approach to marketing. Their campaigns may serve as inspiration for your own childcare marketing ideas.
To perform an analysis, identify three to five local childcare centers offering similar services. Then, check their website, social media accounts, and customer reviews on third-party platforms to see what messaging they use. If they have an email marketing list, you can sign up for it under a generic email address to see what type of content they share.
5. Decide on marketing strategies and messaging
Your next step is deciding how to advertise your childcare center. Some options include setting up a website, promoting your business through social media and email, networking at local community events, and direct mail. You’ll also need to create content for each marketing message.
6. Evaluate results
As you deploy marketing strategies for childcare, analyze the outcomes. Compare your actual results to your target goals to measure your success. If you fall short of your objectives, review your marketing strategies and make adjustments to drive a better outcome.
Effective childcare marketing strategies
You don’t need an extensive daycare marketing budget and a full-time team to run a successful childcare marketing campaign. The key is learning the basics of marketing and the tools available to help you reach your audience. With a bit of time and effort, you’ll find it much easier to grow your childcare business.
Some of the most persuasive marketing campaigns combine digital and traditional strategies. Digital marketing encompasses strategies using online channels, including your website, social media, email, and paid advertisements. Traditional marketing may include direct mail, commercials, and local networking.
Market your childcare services online
Online marketing is one of the best ways to expand awareness of your childcare center. It’s also budget-friendly, so you can scale up or down your marketing efforts based on your available funds. Here are a few techniques to try.
Create a well-designed website
One of the first things new clients look for is your business website. According to research, 73% of U.S. small businesses have a website, and 81% of consumers look at a company’s website when making a purchasing decision. So, if you don’t already have a website for your childcare center, creating one is a good idea.
You can outsource the job to a provider that offers the best childcare marketing services or try to build it yourself using a web hosting service like WordPress or Wix. Web hosting services provide an economical, no-code website-building solution that doesn’t require much tech expertise to get started.
Optimize a Google Business Profile
You may be familiar with Google Business Profiles, which appear on Google Maps when searching for local companies in your area. A Google Business Profile lists pertinent information about a company, including its contact information, services, location, and website. Customers can leave reviews on their experience, telling others what they thought about their experience.
A Google Business Profile alerts people in your local area that you offer childcare services. If they’re looking for a nearby provider, they’ll see your services and may try to contact you or drop in to see what your facility offers. It’s an easy way to attract new customers, and it’s completely free, so setting up an account is a direct benefit.
Leverage social media marketing
Many of your future customers may be millennials or older Gen Zers, both of whom are known for using social media relentlessly. So, social media may be an excellent place to draw in your target audience.
Try setting up a business account on your chosen social media platform and adding information about your services and location. Promote your account to friends, family, and the local community to attract social media followers. As your account gains steam, try a few other social media marketing tactics, like running ads or encouraging audience engagement.
Use content and email marketing
Email marketing is a great way to stay connected to current and future clients. Start building a list in tandem with your other childcare digital marketing activities. As people opt into your communications, you can inform them of upcoming childcare events and promotions. Your content can also include informative messaging about childcare and early childhood education.
Showcase expertise through blogs
Your website is an excellent platform for demonstrating your childcare expertise through blogging and short-form videos. Try committing a few hours weekly to writing an article or creating a new video about childcare topics. Your blogs can increase your website’s traffic, generating more buzz about your childcare center. You can repurpose blogs for other marketing content on social media or email.
Building and maintaining a reputation
A strong reputation as a dedicated and experienced childcare practitioner will quickly bring in new clients. Use every opportunity to enhance your reputation in your community. To get started, try these strategies.
Get online reviews and testimonials
Ask your existing clients if they’d mind leaving you a review on your Google Business Profile or other third-party sites of your choice. The more positive reviews potential customers see, the more likely they will consider your childcare center when they need your services.
Word-of-mouth marketing
Your clients may have friends or colleagues with young children who could use childcare services. Consider offering a special discount to clients who successfully refer a new client to your business.
Community engagement and brand presence
Since childcare centers serve a local community, it makes sense to make your business known in your area. Here are a few ways you can boost your business presence.
Hosting events and open houses
Consider holding one-time events or open houses so interested parents can check out your childcare facilities and meet your staff. You can boost attendance by offering free child-friendly events, such as a scavenger hunt, arts and crafts day, or a holiday-themed meetup.
Educational initiatives for parents
Classes that teach skills such as first aid, infant care, potty training, and early childhood education may benefit new parents. Consider hosting a class you think local parents would appreciate and promoting the event through your marketing platforms.
Networking with local communities
Since people in your local area are most likely to become your clients, make an effort to be a part of the community. Sign up for child-oriented conferences, seminars, and events and connect with parents who attend. You can also partner with local non-competitor businesses that market to parents, including pediatricians and recreation centers.
Advertising and paid promotions
Another powerful way to reach your target audience is through paid advertising. In a paid ad campaign, you run ads via search engines or social media to reach potential customers that fit your ideal customer profile.
Paid ads can help you expand your network past existing customers and followers to reach a broader audience. If you don’t have experience running paid ads, it’s not hard to get started — especially if you lean on Constant Contact.
Constant Contact provides easy-to-use features for running paid ads on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. You can use our platform to define your target audience and create professional-looking paid social media ads in just a few clicks.
Integrating apps and services
Many marketing apps and platforms are available, but to minimize your expenses and reduce time spent switching between different media, invest in systems that handle multiple marketing tasks and integrate with each other.
For instance, Constant Contact provides social media and email marketing support in one platform. You can create your marketing emails and social media posts directly within the system.
Our CRM system allows you to manage all your customer contact information and interactions, and analytics provide insights into your marketing campaign performance. Other integrations we provide include email, design and video support, and event hosting sites like Eventbrite.
Compliance considerations
Before initiating a marketing campaign or finalizing your website, it’s essential to understand your legal responsibilities. Federal and state laws restrict businesses from taking certain actions, like sending unsolicited emails. For instance, the CAN-SPAM Act requires companies to allow email recipients to opt out of receiving your messages. If they unsubscribe, you must promptly remove them from your mailing list, or you may face fines.
If you market to California residents, you must abide by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). This act limits the amount of information you can collect on consumers and allows them to request that you delete it or opt out of any sale of their personal data.
Consider consulting with a business attorney who can explain the legal obligations that apply to you before you start a full-scale marketing campaign.
Childcare marketing helps your business grow
If you’re looking for new leads for your childcare center, a well-crafted daycare business promotional strategy is a solid way to attract clients. Start by defining your ideal customer and unique selling proposition, then outline your goals.
Consider combining a few methods from our list to reach new clients and retain existing ones, such as setting up a website, getting active on social media, and building an email marketing list. Over time, your efforts will pay off, and you’ll see more interest in your childcare services.
Not sure how to fit marketing into your busy schedule? Check out our Digital Marketing Quicker.
