The power of social media such as Facebook and Twitter should not be underestimated for your daycare center. Not only are they effective marketing tools, but they also allow your daycare to engage parents on a completely new level and help to foster a real sense of community.
Those two things alone may make the use of social media invaluable. Add in the millions of visitors to social media sites and it is easy to understand the potential visibility your daycare center can generate.
1. Marketing
Your daycare center can use social media as an inexpensive and cost-effective marketing tool. The use of Facebook and Twitter are both free to use and only require the time involved. For example, your daycare can post promotions on Facebook or offer savings discounts to followers on Twitter. Posting informative articles or tips can also help establish your daycare center as a leading expert and authority in your field.
2. Prospective Clients
Besides promoting your daycare, these social media tools can also be used to generate prospective clients. Consider it a modern-day word-of-mouth phenomenon. Someone looking for a daycare might post on Facebook their need, and one of your parents might be able to refer them to your page. Twitter can also generate leads by catching references to daycare centers in your city.
3. Creating a Sense of Community
One of the biggest advantages of a daycare center that uses social media is the sense of community. This may be more important in this industry than in any other because parents want to feel like their child is being left with family. With Facebook or Twitter, parents can engage with their staff and each other. They can share news or simply tell funny stories.
4. Improving Communication
There is also an improved sense of communication for the parents. Social media such as Twitter allows parents and your daycare center to communicate in almost real-time, improving the responsiveness of the center. Also, the brevity and ease will increase sharing the little things such as a cute story, making the parents feel as if they were a part of their child’s day.
5. Eye on the Competition
Since approximately 57 percent of all Americans now use some kind of social media, it is a good bet that the competition might be using it too. On Twitter, daycare can follow the competition and learn what is new. Perhaps they are updating playground equipment or have implemented the latest curriculum. Knowing this could help your center respond in kind, or with your own innovation.
The benefit of using social media marketing for daycare centers is a lot. You definitely need to try out these amazing tools. Your center will have access to free marketing and potential customers and may discover or create a true sense of community with your parents. As an added benefit, an eye can be kept on the competition, which just might provide a distinct edge.