Looking for more tips to help boost your child care marketing efforts, attract more customers and increase revenue for your center? Look no further!
We’ve put together a list of 25 amazing ways to get the word out about your child care business, from local and in-person marketing tactics, to social media and digital advertising. Our list touches on many different strategies for connecting with potential customers, so we’re sure there’s something for everyone!
Keep reading to discover which of our 25 tactics will work best for you, and which ones you’ll use to take your child care program to the next level of success.
Why is Child Care Marketing Important?
You can’t run a successful child care business without a great marketing strategy.
Whether you’re spreading the news through word-of-mouth, networking for referrals or advertising online, child care marketing is how your potential customers find out about your business and the services you provide.
Another important thing to think about from a business perspective is staff-to-child ratios.
Staffing is one of the largest areas of expense for most center-based programs, and because of staff-to-child ratios, each staff member can only provide care for a limited number of kids. To maximize the revenue of your center, you want to make sure that staff members are fully utilized – that they’re providing care for the greatest number of kids allowed by law.
That means ensuring that your center is consistently full of kids – something you won’t achieve without effective marketing.
With that in mind, we’re excited to share 25 tactics that you can use to market your child care business in the community, attract new parents, generate more enrollments and increase revenue at your child care center.
25 Tactics for Marketing Child Care and Increasing Your Revenue
Make a Big Sign
Our first marketing tactic is super effective, so much so that it’s often overlooked! Just like any storefront, your child care program needs a big sign at the front door so anyone walking or driving by can learn something about your business. Include your business name and phone number (or website) in big lettering so potential customers can get in touch.
Understand Your Brand
One thing we can’t stress enough to new child care business owners is the importance of branding. Your branding is unique to your business and helps potential customers recognize you. Create a logo, a communication style and choose colors to represent your business – then, make sure they’re included in all of your marketing efforts and materials.
Start a Referral Program
Word-of-mouth referrals are a powerful way to market your business and increase your revenue. A great referral program offers an incentive, like a free week of tuition, to anyone who brings a new customer to your business. Referral programs encourage your existing customers to sing your praises to their friends and family, resulting in high-quality “warm” leads and a steady flow of new kids into your program.
Get Listed in Local Business Directories
Local business directories are still a popular avenue for parents searching for child care services in their communities. Getting your business listed is usually free – you’ll just need to contact the directory administrators and provide details like your location and contact information. This minimal amount of effort can absolutely bring you customers, so it’s worth investing the time to get your name out there.
Host a Grand Opening
Are you opening your child care business for the first time? Hosting a grand opening as a free public event for the community is a great way to start connecting with parents and raising awareness about your program. You can offer games and activities for the kids and light refreshments for parents – and make sure to have some enrollment forms ready!
Plan a Fundraiser
Organizing a fundraiser is a great way to generate publicity and engagement around your child care program. You could host an event at your child care business with exciting games and prizes, or ask parents to help sell a product and donate the profits back to your center. Maybe you’ll use the funds to buy new toys for your center, or to support the early education of underprivileged kids in another country.
Target Local Families with Direct Mail
Direct mail is a surefire way to get in touch with families in your area that may need your child care services. Create a flyer or an invitation letter, make a few hundred copies, and start mailing them to residential and business addresses within a five-minute walking distance of your center. Include your phone number so recipients can call you with any questions and to set up a tour.
Distribute Flyers in Your Community
What’s better than direct mail? Delivering the flyers yourself! Grab a stack of flyers advertising your child care business and some comfy shoes, pick a street near your business and get moving! You’ll save money on postage and you may find opportunities to talk directly to parents about your program and the services you provide.
Connect with Local Parent Groups
Check with your community center and look on social media websites like Facebook to discover local parent groups in your area. These groups share tips and advice on parenting, including where to find the best child care. You can share tips and advice, and make new friends, while you look for opportunities to offer child care services to group members in need.
Create Business Cards
Business cards are a powerful marketing tool for your child care program. Keeping a few business cards with you makes it easy to share your business details and contact information with anyone you meet who might be interested in your services.
Mention Your Child Care Business Everywhere
Another easy way to drum up business is to simply talk about your child care business everywhere you go – the convenience store, the grocery store, the laundromat, the gas station, the gym – everywhere! When you meet someone who seems interested, offer your business card or invite them in for a tour.
Build Your Social Media Presence
Americans spend hours every day browsing social media, and that includes the parents in your community who may need your child care services. Creating and maintaining social profiles on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn can help increase the visibility of your business online and attract new customers.
Build a Website & Try Digital Advertising
A website is like a digital storefront that makes it possible to market your business online. Today’s simple website design tools make it easy for anyone with basic computer skills to create a website in just a few hours with no complex coding. Once your website is up and running, you can try digital advertising on Google or Facebook to push traffic to your website and generate inquiries from parents.
Market New Services
Did you ever think to increase your revenue by marketing new services to your existing customers? One idea we love is hosting a “movie night” at your center. Parents pay a few extra dollars for three to four hours of extended care on a Friday evening. You show an age-appropriate movie that’s fun for the kids, and parents can enjoy some alone time or a date night at the end of the week – everybody wins!
Partner with Digital Influencers
Influencer marketing is a popular new way to market any type of business online. The idea is simple: find an online blogger or Instagram personality who focuses on parenting/child care and has an audience in your community, then pay them to advertise your business using their most popular digital channels.
Manage Your Enrollment Pipeline with a CRM
Child care business owners who are serious about marketing use a customer relationship management (CRM) tool to manage the enrollment pipeline. CRM helps you keep track of parents whoare interested in your center, and you’ll also be able to automate follow-up messages by email or text message. As a result, you’ll turn more of your best child care leads into paying customers.
Create Branded Promotional Merchandise
Promotional merch is a fun way to support your child care marketing and generate more revenue. A printing company can help you design customized shirts, sweaters, mugs, stationery and more – all featuring your business name, colors and logo. You can wear branded gear at your center, sell it to your customers or give it away to help increase awareness of your brand in the community.
Advertise on Your Car
Do you own a car? Perfect. Do you use that car to transport kids for your child care business? Even better.
A simple bumper sticker (or a full vehicle wrap if you’re feeling bold) turns your vehicle into a moving advertisement for your child care business. You’ll spread the news about your child care business everywhere you go without saying a word.
Use Social Proof and Testimonials
The best way to convince newcomers about the quality of your center is to provide social proof – case studies, testimonials and success stories from your existing customers. Ask your happiest customers to write 50-100 words about why they love your business, then share those stories through your marketing channels to convince potential customers that your program is the best option for their child.
Offer Free Workshops or Talks in Your Community
Marketing isn’t just about asking for business, it’s also about providing value and using that to build connections. If you’re passionate about child care, a great way to provide value is to host free workshops or talks for parents in your community. You can share information about a child care topic you’re passionate about, or invite other experts to share their own viewpoints and experiences.
Host an Open House Event or Community Play Day
An open house event is a great way to attract new visitors to your center and show them what makes your program special. Plan activities and refreshments, ask your customers to bring their friends and family members, and create a welcoming space where kids can have fun while parents network and relax.
Network with Real Estate Agents in Your Area
Real estate agents interact directly with families who are moving into your neighborhood, and who may soon be searching for child care services. They can recommend your child care program directly to their clients, making it more likely that they’ll visit your center first and enroll their child.
Join a Local Business Networking Group
Does your city or town have a local business networking group, a business development organization or a chamber of commerce? These organizations often have regular meetings where you can introduce yourself and explain more about your business and the services you provide. You can get customers directly by networking with local business leaders, or ask them to refer anyone they know who needs child care services.
Make a Promotional Video
If you own a smartphone, you’ve got everything you need to shoot a fun promotional video about your child care center. Have everyone sign a media release form and showcase your kids and staff learning and playing together. You can post your video on your website and on social profiles to advertise the amazing care you provide.
Build Your Reputation with Online Reviews
Parents who are interested in your child care business will almost certainly search for online reviews before scheduling a tour. Listing your child care center on Google My Business and asking your happiest customers to write an honest review helps create a strong first impression when potential customers discover your business online.
Thanks for checking out our tips for marketing child care services and increasing revenue at your center!
Child Care Marketing is Easy with Procare Solutions
Procare provides trustworthy, modern and easy-to-use software that helps you successfully market your child care business. Our CRM tool gives you the ability to manage your enrollment pipeline, communicate with leads via email or SMS text message, and digitize the child care enrollment process.
Procare’s online registration software includes simple solutions for child care billing, capacity management/waitlisting and a customizable registration form so you can collect the information you need to comply with state recordkeeping requirements.
Our years of experience and expert community give us the wisdom to know what your child care center needs to succeed, and with live support available on demand, we’re here to support you every step of the way.
Ready to get started?
