Marketing 101 - Marketing your Daycare Services

Marketing a daycare business need not be an expensive exercise, if managed effectively. Your marketing budget can be as expensive or as cheap as you wish for it to be. That said, sometimes it does pay to invest a little more in marketing to ensure greater returns. Remember not to fall into the trap of being “penny wise pound foolish”. Here are a number of suggestions to help you market your daycare centre:

1. Marketing collaterals / Direct mailers
Direct mailers are very important marketing tools. They need not be flashy. A simple flyer telling your audience about your centre and what you offer is good enough.

Distribute them wherever possible; put them at community clubs, cafés and restaurants and/or hire temporary help to distribute them at train stations, bus stations, basically any high traffic area in and around your neighborhood.

And if budget permits, a brochure will be a nice addition, especially when someone requests for more details about your centre. However, if you are a new start up and a little low on funds, a flyer will do just fine.

2. Business cards
Carry your business cards wherever you go and give them out.

3. Advertisements and listings
Ensure that you are listed in all the relevant directories such as the yellow pages, community guides, daycare magazines for parents, daycare directories, etc. If budget permits, you should also consider taking up advertisements in those guides and directories as well as your local newspapers.

4. Banners
Nothing attracts more attention than a banner. Print a bright and colorful banner and hang it at the entrance of your daycare centre. It’ll guarantee to attract the attention of passer-bys. Don’t try to recreate your entire brochure or flyer onto the banner. Keep it simple and short. Include basic information such as your logo/name of your centre, your contact number and website, if any. Ensure that the text is legible from a distance.

6. Website
Pick up a new skill. Learn to create your own website. A simple, professionally designed website with some pictures of your centre will do just fine. And don’t forget a map.

7. Car decals and bumper stickers
If budget permits, print car decals and bumper stickers to give to family, friends and customers. It’s free publicity on the move.

8. Posters
Print posters and display them wherever possible. Pin them up on notice boards at shopping malls, eating places or the supermarket. Pass them to your customers, families and friends and have them put it up in their offices.

9. Open houses
Nothing beats a preview of an experience. When a company wants you to sign up for their pricey conference, they will usually conduct an event preview to let you have an insight into what you will be experiencing if you sign up. In the same token, open houses are an excellent marketing tool, allowing parents a hands-on experience at your centre.

There is no need to execute all the above suggestion at one go. Pace them out throughout the year. It’ll be a lot easier on your budget.

Happy marketing!