Advertising Question....
 

So I have a spot I am trying to fill and having issues with advertising for it. I do not want to post on FaceBook as there is far to much drama in our area. If you post an opening, other providers piggy back on it with their openings, offer to charge less etc. The newspaper wants $30 for 6 runnings at 20 words. My name alone has 6 words in it and they charge .25 cents per word per day for over 20 words. Not sure in this day and age if newspaper is worth it. My current families know mainly families with older children or babies.
So anyone have any advertising ideas or opinion on newspaper ads? I appreciate any insights!

Originally Posted by AnythingsPossible:
So I have a spot I am trying to fill and having issues with advertising for it. I do not want to post on FaceBook as there is far to much drama in our area. If you post an opening, other providers piggy back on it with their openings, offer to charge less etc. The newspaper wants $30 for 6 runnings at 20 words. My name alone has 6 words in it and they charge .25 cents per word per day for over 20 words. Not sure in this day and age if newspaper is worth it. My current families know mainly families with older children or babies.
So anyone have any advertising ideas or opinion on newspaper ads? I appreciate any insights!

Vista Print mailing services will target families in your area with a nice advertising flyer....

Also maybe print up some brocures/flyers and distribute them to area grocery store, clinics, museum and store bulletin boards.

I would also ask parents if they'd hang one in their work place break room. Maybe give a finders-bonus if you get a family from it.

I don't know...that's all I got right now. :)

My 2 main ways to advertise are kijiji (I get 95% of my clients this way) and facebook (through my own daycare page). I post my ad on kijiji and then provide links to my fb page where I post pics of activities, etc. We have a few fb groups to advertise on and, yes, a lot of drama, and I only post when I am desperate. :ouch:

Newspapers are nowhere near as popular as they once were. Do you have any small, local, weekly papers or bulletins that have free advertising? What about bulletin boards like at grocery stores or laundromats?

Originally Posted by Mike:
Newspapers are nowhere near as popular as they once were. Do you have any small, local, weekly papers or bulletins that have free advertising? What about bulletin boards like at grocery stores or laundromats?

Most newspapers have free online posting available in the trading post link here. You might try that....most people get their news online. :)

My best advertising is my website, current clients, and our local child care resource and referral.

I've had luck through Nextdoor.com and Care.com--you can place a Nextdoor classified ad and make it available to people in your surrounding neighborhoods. Your small town may not have an active population on the website, though.

There's a lot of junk that comes through Care.com, but it's not as bad as Craigslist. I've only had two people on Care.com contact me back, but one of them is supposedly signing the contract on Monday. :D

I've had lots of people reach out in response to Craigslist ads, but only four who went as far as to actually talk to me on the phone, and only two of them bothered to show up for their scheduled interview; then they both ghosted. :dislike:

I've posted about 20 ads around town, at children's consignment and toys stores, coffee shops, laundromats, etc., and have received exactly 0 responses.