Any daycare owner knows that marketing is essential to attracting new families and growing your business. And while there are many different elements to an effective marketing strategy, one of the most important is photos. In daycare marketing, photos are worth a thousand words. A picture of a smiling baby or a toddler playing with a toy can tell potential clients everything they need to know about your daycare: that it is safe, fun, and loving. 

Of course, words are also important in daycare marketing, but photos can be the difference between someone scrolling past your daycare’s website and someone who stops to take a closer look. In a world where first impressions mean everything, photos can be the key to making a good one. Here are 8 tips for how to leverage photos for your daycare marketing:

1. Thoroughly plan out details

Whether you’re capturing the photos yourself or hiring a photographer, it’s important to have a clear plan for what you want the photos to achieve. What message do you want to communicate? What feeling do you want to evoke? Answering these questions ahead of time will help ensure that your photos are on-brand and effective.

2. Make sure photos are high-quality

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to make sure that the photos you use in your marketing are high-quality. This means they should be in focus, well-lit, and properly composed. If you’re not a professional photographer, it may be worth hiring someone to take care of this for you.

3. Use a mix of posed and candid shots

While posed shots can be helpful for conveying specific messages, candid shots are often more effective at capturing the essence of your daycare. Try to include a mix of both in your marketing materials.

For example, you can take photos of the children playing, eating, and doing other activities throughout the day. These shots will give potential clients a better sense of what your daycare is like and what their child’s experience would be like.

4. Take portraits of kids in your daycare

In addition to photos of the day-to-day activities, it’s also a good idea to take some portraits of the children in your care. These can be used on your website or in other marketing materials, and they’re a great way to show off the individual personalities of the kids in your daycare. Parents also love seeing their kids all dressed up in smiling faces, so this is a win-win.

5. Focus on the details

In addition to taking photos of the big picture, don’t forget to focus on the details as well. Shots of things like toys, art projects, and healthy snacks can all be helpful in conveying the message you want to communicate about your daycare.

If you want to send the message that your daycare is educational, for example, you might want to include photos of the children doing things like reading books or working on puzzles.

6. Get creative with your angles

When taking photos, don’t be afraid to experiment with different angles and perspectives. This can help add visual interest to your photos and make them more eye-catching.

For example, instead of taking a photo of the entire group of kids, try focusing on a few individual children or even just one. Alternatively, you could try shooting from above or below to get a different perspective.

7. Use props

Props can be a great way to add interest to your photos and help convey the message you want to communicate. If you’re trying to show that your daycare is fun, for example, you might want to use props like balls, bubbles, or streamers.

8. Edit your photos

Once you’ve taken all the photos you need, it’s time to edit them. Again, if you’re not a professional photographer, this is something you may want to hire someone to do for you. But even if you don’t have any professional help, there are some simple things you can do to improve your photos, like cropping and adjusting the brightness and contrast.

We live in an image-driven world and leveraging high-quality photos for your daycare marketing can make a world of difference in how potential clients perceive your business. By following these tips, you can ensure that your photos are on-brand and effective.

LCCM offers integrated digital and offline marketing solutions specifically designed for a child care business.

We exist for only one reason: to help you, the child care owner, create & maintain your web presence, dominate business directory listings and search engines in your market, generate enrollments through paid advertising opportunities, and put your center on the map.