Nowadays, child care providers need to rely on a lot more than just “word of mouth” and referrals to grow their centers. Your child care center could have the best curriculum, highest safety measures, and most qualified staff available to parents in your area, but that can only get you so far if your online presence is lacking.
With more and more millennial parents seeking child care, having a digital presence has become more important than ever before. While there are many user-friendly avenues available to utilize as you aim to increase your digital presence (such as social media), there are more effective ways to increase awareness for your center with measurable results.
From Facebook ads to online search engine optimization, leveraging these tools and creating a robust marketing campaign will increase your daycare’s visibility. This ultimately helps you scale your childcare business.
1. Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization, more commonly referred to as “SEO”, is the practice of using keywords to get your daycare ranking on search engines, such as Google. Ideally, your center should be on the first page of search results.
And it should appear in one of the top ten results that come up. Though it is somewhat of a time commitment, the upside is that the better your SEO is, the more easily parent leads will come across your daycare’s website.
2. Develop your website
Your website is your number one “salesperson”, and there’s no better way to showcase your daycare’s core values. Your website should be informative, and easy to navigate. It should also reflect exactly what makes your center stand out from your competitors.
Additionally, StoryBrand content can be a great way to tell your daycare’s story and exhibit its most unique qualities.
3. PPC (Pay-per-click) Advertising
PPC campaigns are one of the more cost-effective child care marketing ideas. Essentially, you can place your daycare in search queries on social media or search engines, but you only have to pay if someone clicks on your ad.
4. Social Media
This one is a no-brainer. Every small business should be posting on social media to increase its online presence. By giving you access to your target audience, you’re able to interact with parents, post updates, and ultimately personalize your child care brand. The more consistent your posts are, the better.
5. Coming Up With Creative Offers
Many daycare owners are open to attracting new clientele to their center through creative offers. Whether you offer perks like free registration, discounts on tuition, or reduced tuition for enrolling siblings, there are plenty of ways to reel in parents looking for affordable child care.
Alternatively, you can even leverage these offers to get parents to help you increase your enrollment. You can offer reduced tuition for referrals, or any kind of incentive that will encourage parents to get the word out about your daycare services.
6. Utilize Local PR
Local PR can be leveraged in a variety of ways. Whether you take on the more traditional route through radio ads, TV ads, or being featured in the local newspaper, establishing your presence in the surrounding community is a great way to get the message out. Effective local PR doesn’t necessarily require you to get in touch with every media outlet in your area.
Hosting or speaking at local events about issues related to child care can not only set you apart as a source of expertise but can also earn the public’s attention. Additionally, digital local PR can include blogging, as well as writing articles for sites geared toward child care.
7. Leveraging a CRM Tool
Getting your leads and messaging organized with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is incredibly helpful for your lead generation process. In addition to being able to see where your prospects are in the sales pipeline, you’ll also be able to manage your contacts that need long-term nurturing.
You can follow up with old leads, as well as staying on top of new ones. Managing email marketing campaigns, tracking communications and the results of your efforts will be available on an all-in-one, user-friendly platform.
These are just a few of the child care marketing ideas you can use to establish and increase your online presence. The one caveat, however, is that these strategies are only as effective as the person executing them. If you don’t have the time to learn these tools, let alone implement them, you might want to consider hiring an agency for your daycare’s marketing efforts.