Millennials are parents – in fact, they make up roughly 90% of the childbearing population right now. If you aren’t creating a marketing strategy to draw millennial parents to your child care business, you are missing out on a big piece of the pie.
Here’s what you need to know to get them in the door:
Millennial parents research their buying decisions online
When millennials make a purchase, it’s usually after a lot of internet browsing and research. They want to weigh their options, compare prices, check out reviews and make an informed buying decision they can feel good about.
If your center doesn’t have a website where they can find everything they want to know, chances are they will move on to another program that has a better online presence. They want to see rates, class size, curriculum and more before even touring a facility – and they will tour plenty before choosing a child care center.
Millennial parents communicate electronically
This generation of parents rarely is seen without a smartphone in hand and they are almost never talking on it. Millennials are typically a tech-savvy bunch, born and raised with high-speed digital technology available 24/7, and they have an unwavering devotion to electronic media.
Text messaging, push notifications and social media are the way to go if you want to communicate with this parent demographic. Find a mobile app designed specifically for teachers and administrators to communicate with parents – preferably one that integrates with your child care management software – and make sure prospective parents know they will stay connected if they choose you over your competition.
Millennial parents are incredibly competitive
The millennial generation is the most educated group in American history and, similar to the baby boomers, one of the largest. Their “nothing-less-than-the-best” attitude means they hold businesses to the absolute highest standards of service, ensuring they get maximum value for their dollars.
Millennial parents want to be certain their children will get all the attention they deserve and then some, and they will have high expectations when it comes to kindergarten readiness. This means your preschool curriculum needs to be aggressive in laying the groundwork for early literacy, because this group requires their children to be a step ahead of the rest.
To attract this demographic, they will need to see more than just coloring, homework and a few enrichment activities.
Transparency is very important to millennial parents
They want to know everything, all the time. It doesn’t matter if a millennial is at work – they are great multi-taskers.
They will be checking for push notifications and social media postings all day long. They want to know exactly what their little ones did throughout the day in real time.
If you don’t offer ways for millennial parents to stay connected, you won’t earn their business – plain and simple.
Marketing to millennials will require your child care business to become a bit more cutting edge than the good old days when functional issues like convenience and safety were key. By understanding how they shop for things like child care and incorporating that into your marketing strategy, you’ll be able to reach this group – and reach maximum enrollment.
Procare Solutions can help your center stand apart from the crowd for millennial parents with apps that keep them connected to their children’s activities through the day, to offering check-ins, check-outs and payment options that can be completed with their smartphone. Request a free demo today!
