Marketing your daycare will attract more families and fill your classrooms. Yet too many center owners and directors ignore this critical part of running an early childhood education program!
Ensuring a steady stream of enrolled children is a key factor that contributes to the overall success of a center. But the 2024 Child Care Management Software Industry Trends Report from Procare Solutions found that 47% centers are struggling with enrollment, up from 36% the year before.
Additionally, 33% of centers say they are under capacity, which is down from the previous year:
Let’s take a look at four tried-and-tested tips to help you boost enrollment and grow your daycare business!
1. Harness the Power of Word of Mouth
Word of mouth remains one of the most powerful marketing tools in the daycare industry. When parents are happy with the care their children receive, they naturally share their positive experiences with other parents.
So encourage referrals! Offer incentives for current families who refer new clients. This could be a discount on tuition or a special gift.
Organize family-friendly events and invite current families to bring friends. This can increase your visibility within the community.
And word of mouth is bigger than just talking. Highlight positive feedback from parents on your website and social media channels!
2. Stay Active on Social Media
Having a strong social media presence is crucial. Parents spend a lot of time online and your daycare needs to be visible where they are.
Your social media presence can boost your credibility, help prospective new families find you and help current customers refer you to their friends and family.
Here’s how to do it effectively:
- Post Frequently: Share updates, photos, and videos of daily activities, special events and educational content. The more active your profiles, the more engaged your audience will be.
- Use Hashtags: Use relevant hashtags to reach a broader audience. For example: #DaycareLife, #EarlyEducation and #ChildCare are good ones to expand your reach.
- Engage with Followers: Respond to comments and messages promptly. Engaging with your audience builds trust and shows that you care.
3. Offer Promotions to New Families
Attracting new families can be challenging, but offering promotions can give them the extra nudge they need to choose your daycare.
Provide a discount for the first month or waive the registration fee for new enrollments.
Is a family hesitant about enrolling? Offer a free trial week to allow parents to experience your daycare firsthand without any commitment.
And create limited-time offers that create a sense of urgency and encourage parents to enroll quickly.
4. Solicit and Showcase Online Reviews
According to a recent survey, 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Online reviews are a significant factor in a parent’s decision-making process. Encourage your current families to leave reviews and make it easy for potential families to find them.
Send out a gentle reminder via email or during pickup times that asks parents to leave a review on websites such as Google, Yelp and Facebook.
Once you get those favorable reviews, use them in as many places as you can! Feature glowing testimonials prominently on your website and on social media. Authentic reviews build credibility and trust.
Address both positive and negative reviews professionally. Showing that you value feedback and are willing to improve can enhance your reputation.
Suite of Marketing Tools is Available to Procare Users with IntelliKid Systems Integration
An integration between Procare Solutions, a leader in child care management software for more than 30 years, and IntelliKid Systems, a leading provider of child care enrollment and marketing software, offers a suite of marketing tools to connect time-strapped early childhood education centers with families searching for high-quality child care.
Procare Solutions’ customers now have the option to integrate with IntelliKid Systems to do the following:
- Collect and organize more inquiries and schedule more tours with IntelliKid Systems’ embeddable landing pages so information doesn’t get lost or forgotten
- Sync family data between IntelliKid Systems and Procare, eliminating time-consuming data entry
- Integrate with Facebook Messenger
- Capture and record phone calls without any additional hardware or change in provider
- Automate ongoing, personalized communications tailored to each stage of a family’s engagement with the child care center
- Schedule on-site or virtual tours, family orientations and open houses and sync seamlessly with both center and parent calendars
- Track ROI from advertising efforts from inquiry all the way to registration and beyond
Interested in learning more about how Procare can help you grow enrollment at your center? Request a demo today!
