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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Marketing Ideas Wanted
CityGarden 03:43 PM 01-15-2018
This first year I wanted to take things slow and not have full capacity but now that I am almost a year in I want to really grow my enrollment and then work toward building a wait list.

Any suggestions of ways and places to market?

So far I have gotten two clients from listing on Facebook BST groups, one client from Care.com and one client from a referral of a current family, I am not sure how my last one found me.

I have a solid website that I am really happy with but no Facebook page (as all of my clients do not want their children posted online which makes it difficult to keep an active FB page).

Marketing so far has been the area I feel the least comfortable with.

One item I can do is figure out how to get more traffic to my website (open to suggestions on this) but what other ways can I market my program so people know to even visit my website?

Thanks in advance.
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Mike 04:28 PM 01-15-2018
I'm not a Facebook fan either, but a couple weeks ago I decided to make a page for my woodworking, because a person with another store in the mall said to. I made it and she "liked" it and now 2 weeks later, I have several likes and followers, and have already had 3 contacts because of Facebook. I don't care for it, and in my opinion, it shouldn't be a serious business thing and definitely not mandatory, but we have to go with the times.

For your website, if someone searches for daycare yourcity will they find it in the listings? I went to check the one from last year, but you must have changed it.
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CityGarden 09:39 PM 01-15-2018
Originally Posted by Mike:
I'm not a Facebook fan either, but a couple weeks ago I decided to make a page for my woodworking, because a person with another store in the mall said to. I made it and she "liked" it and now 2 weeks later, I have several likes and followers, and have already had 3 contacts because of Facebook. I don't care for it, and in my opinion, it shouldn't be a serious business thing and definitely not mandatory, but we have to go with the times.
I use FB but do not have a dedicated page because only one out of five parents signed the waiver. I list post of BST groups on there and mommy groups on there which has secured two clients. I am also considering doing some FB ADs but am not sure they are worth the expense.

Originally Posted by Mike:
For your website, if someone searches for daycare yourcity will they find it in the listings? I went to check the one from last year, but you must have changed it.
Actually I just tried this and no they do not find me.... that way. They used to with the old name but I needed to change the name for a couple reasons so created a new site not attached to the old one. I did feel I got more traffic to my old site but am not sure what I did differently. I feel hidden - what do I need to do differently?
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Mike 06:03 AM 01-16-2018
Originally Posted by CityGarden:
I use FB but do not have a dedicated page because only one out of five parents signed the waiver. I list post of BST groups on there and mommy groups on there which has secured two clients. I am also considering doing some FB ADs but am not sure they are worth the expense.
I would say do the dedicated page, but don't put pictures of the kids. Pictures help, but you just have to not include kids in them. Problem is where people go to find a business. Remember the days when a successful business HAD to be listed in the yellow pages? Practically nobody uses them now. Instead, you had to have a website that people could find. That's still true now, but Facebook is becoming the most common place people go to when looking.

Originally Posted by CityGarden:
Actually I just tried this and no they do not find me.... that way. They used to with the old name but I needed to change the name for a couple reasons so created a new site not attached to the old one. I did feel I got more traffic to my old site but am not sure what I did differently. I feel hidden - what do I need to do differently?
Does your current site have the main words people will search for in the content? In the title and meta tags? Do your pages have keyword tags? Those things don't make a huge difference, and not right away, but they are the easiest things to make a difference. Also age and links. How long was the old site active, were there other sites that had links to it, and did it have links to other relevant but non-competing websites?
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Mike 06:07 AM 01-16-2018
If you do make a facebook page, find local ones that potential clients would be going to and make useful posts on them. Like any pages that may have any interest in yours and as they like you back, their friends will be able to see yours.
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Homebody 02:20 PM 01-16-2018
Try Daycare Bear. Its free. I just set up a listing this weekend and had my first response after only two days.
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Snowmom 10:34 AM 01-17-2018
Join Nextdoor.

County Associations: are there any in your area or state that maintain a database of providers? That's one of the first sources parents use.

Parent Aware. I actually hate that I'm saying this because I absolutely despise the organization. But, parents use it.

Local Facebook groups. I know you mentioned you belong to a few. Join more. I belong to 5 different "Mom's groups" in my area. I get the majority of my interviews from them.
I also belong to 4 different Facebook daycare search groups.
Along those lines: also join local fb elementary school groups. You can network that way and possibly get younger siblings of elementary age kids.

Offer incentives for current families to bring in new families.
Whether it's dinner/drinks on me, free childcare, a gift card, whatever. Something that will get them working for you.

Coffee shops. Our Dunn Bros has a post it board with business fliers. I have gotten an interview out of it before.
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Unregistered 07:24 PM 01-28-2018
You will be ranked higher on Google's spider search if you have a website that is updated frequently (once a month), if new content is posted, if you have a Blog that you can have a dedicated page of your business featuring blog articles that you write on topics regarding daycare and children Etc, and if you build an email list using something like MailChimp or similar. On my website I have a contact form where I get information about parents like their name email phone number mailing address if they want to give it out to where I can send them postcards emails to my MailChimp account and then I create emails that I send out to my prospective clients list. I have things like a newsletter that I send out monthly with pictures and updates of what we've been working on with the kids I'm only been learning and eating, new skills that have been developed, a milestones, I mention any openings I have a link to my Facebook page I have another type of newsletter where I feature blog articles that I have written and I have three or four of them per newsletter per month. Also using MailChimp you can schedule emails so I have an automation set up to where someone is added to my list they instantly get an email sent to them and then three or four days later the next email will be sent to them Authority pre-written and done and so on and so forth and so I can keep in contact with them over the coming weeks and months
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ColorfulSunburst 05:03 AM 01-30-2018
Originally Posted by Mike:
...but don't put pictures of the kids. Pictures help, but you just have to not include kids in them.
what is a reason for this recommendation?
If parents give a permission to use kids picture so why not?
90% of my parents give the permission.My Facebook page and website have a ton of kids photos&videos. On the most of them the kids are busy and don't look at my camera.
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Blackcat31 05:54 AM 01-30-2018
Originally Posted by ColorfulSunburst:
what is a reason for this recommendation?
If parents give a permission to use kids picture so why not?
90% of my parents give the permission.My Facebook page and website have a ton of kids photos&videos. On the most of them the kids are busy and don't look at my camera.
I have this guideline as well. Not within my licensing rules but just personally.

I don't feel comfortable posting anyone's child's photo on the internet. Secure or not. Written permission or not.

Doesn't matter to me as I feel it's kind of a violation of the child's right to privacy. I think that if parents can't sign away their child's rights, they certainly can't provide permission for their image to be posted online anywhere either.

I don't know....it just doesn't sit right with me.
I DO have photos of kids on my website but they aren't kids I know and are just images taken from free sites.

I know you mentioned the kids not looking at the camera but it's still just really not something I feel okay with. But that might just be me.

If your state allows it and you have the parent's permission, then it's all good.
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storybookending 07:50 AM 01-30-2018
I think Mike made that recommendation because the OP he was referring to saidbonly one parent signed the photo waiver.

I personally do not have a website. I have not had the need as I have been able to fill spaces via word of mouth. I do technically have a space open now that I COULD be advertising for but dead of winter isn’t exactly the time I want to be taking on a new child.

I don’t post pictures of the children on my personal Facebook or any of the local “provider” related groups I am in. I take pictures of my dcks constantly and occasionally send them to parents. I have plans to make them memory books as they start to age out. They get a group picture to take home every December otherwise I don’t print pictures.

I have a mom on Snapchat and I took a video of her son stacking blocks and sent it to her. Snapchat videos disappear after you close out of them and are gone forever for those of you that are not aware. She said next time to add it to my story (entire friends list can see, stays up for 24 hours) so she can show her husband/mom as well. I would never think about putting someone else’s kid in my story. I think I will stick to sending videos through text so that she can do what she wants with them.

The center I worked at had the photo release policy written into a paragraph authorizing all sorts of things and is not an option to not sign. I am shocked they still have this policy honestly. A few christmases ago they held a drop in program and had a Santa come and visit. We had a group of 4 siblings in foster care attend and my boss uploaded a picture of the youngest two sitting on Santa’s lap. The picture was up for almost an hour when she went to take a picture of one of the older girls and she said they could NOT have their pictures posted because their mom who had her custody revoked would come and find them. Thankfully my boss got it down in time and I don’t think anything ever came of it but they still take and post pictures of children not just in their licensed programs with the release but their dropbin programs as well.
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CityGarden 09:43 AM 01-30-2018
Originally Posted by Homebody:
Try Daycare Bear. Its free. I just set up a listing this weekend and had my first response after only two days.
Thanks for the lead, I added my listing on there.

It does not have many providers listed in my radius so I am not sure if it has caught on with parents in my area yet.... still when it does catch on I will be listed.
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CityGarden 10:05 AM 01-30-2018
Originally Posted by Snowmom:
Join Nextdoor.
I was on Nextdoor personally but just added my business. Thanks.

County Associations: are there any in your area or state that maintain a database of providers? That's one of the first sources parents use. I will have to research this.

Parent Aware. I actually hate that I'm saying this because I absolutely despise the organization. But, parents use it.
Parent Aware looks equivalent to the local Resource & Referral Agency here and I actually had my listing pulled from their site because I was getting calls asking if I would accept child care subsidy or people would tour and then request I accept the subsidy which I will not. It just felt like I was wasting my time with their inquiries.

Local Facebook groups. I know you mentioned you belong to a few. Join more. I belong to 5 different "Mom's groups" in my area. I get the majority of my interviews from them.
I also belong to 4 different Facebook daycare search groups.
Along those lines: also join local fb elementary school groups. You can network that way and possibly get younger siblings of elementary age kids.
I joined a few more FB groups so hopefully I can continue to get the word out. Honestly they all have so many different rules on when you are allowed to post --- I need to organize all their rules so I don't miss the days marketing is allowed. I had never thought about FB Daycare Search Groups ---- I did a quick search and don't see any for my area but I might create one!!! Great idea.

Offer incentives for current families to bring in new families.
Whether it's dinner/drinks on me, free childcare, a gift card, whatever. Something that will get them working for you.
A local provider is closing I offered her $$$ if one of her current clients enroll but she told me most of them still seeking care are infants and my program is not set up for children that young. I need to think about an incentive that will be compelling enough to get my current little group of parents to market for me. I am also going to have some postcards or flyers made and just set them by the sign up sheet so parents can easily take them and pass them on to friends.
Coffee shops. Our Dunn Bros has a post it board with business fliers. I have gotten an interview out of it before.
Thanks so much for your ideas. You certainly gave me some action items to start moving on.
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