Operating a child care business is a rewarding and challenging endeavor. Not only are you providing children with access to quality early education, but you must also maintain consistent marketing efforts to attract prospective families and hit your enrollment goals.
How do you effectively market a child care business? What marketing channels are good options for child care businesses? How often should you market your child care business, and how do you know your marketing efforts are working? In her book, The Basics of Growing a Child Care Business, Marnie Forestieri answers these questions and more. This article highlights her advice and provides actionable, easy-to-implement strategies to ensure your marketing efforts lead to long-term success.
What must you do before you start marketing your child care business?
To get the most out of your marketing efforts, you will need to define your target audience. Your target audience includes the children and families you wish to serve or those who would benefit most from enrolling in your facility. No matter how new or old your child care business is, defining your target audience is a step you cannot afford to skip, as this will dictate your success.
To narrow down your target audience, consider factors such as:
- Your location and community demographics
- Age of parents and families you wish to serve
- Developmental and academic needs of the children who enroll
- The needs of parents and families in your local community
Once you define your audience, it is time to consider your brand and the unique attributes that set your child care business apart from others. Professional logos and color schemes make fantastic marketing assets, but there is more to your brand than outward appearance. To become a first choice for families, take note of the many ways your child care business stands out, such as:
- The curriculum you implement
- The expertise and background of the teachers you hire
- Facility upgrades or renovations that improve the aesthetics of your indoor and outdoor environments
- Academic outcomes of children enrolled in your program
How do you market your child care business to increase enrollment?
Effectively marketing a childcare business is the best way to increase enrollment and stay top of mind for families searching for childcare. By leveraging digital platforms, community outreach, and word-of-mouth referrals, you can build trust with families and highlight the unique qualities of your program. Some of the different marketing options to consider as you grow your child care business include the following:
Digital Marketing
Today, families search for answers to their questions on computers, phones, tablets, and other devices. They use web searches and social media platforms to locate and thoroughly research child care solutions that fit their needs. Knowing this, you want to ensure your child care business is front and center in all digital spaces where families search.
To make a great first impression for families searching the web, focus on building a website. It does not need to be extravagant or over the top. In fact, a simple website that highlights what your program does, who it serves, the ages you enroll, testimonials, and contact information is a great place to start. As your program grows, consider additions to your website, such as classroom photos or virtual tours of your facility. These visual elements will give potential families a better indication of how your child care facility will support their child or children.
Another aspect of digital marketing you will want to focus on is your social media presence. You do not need to have a profile of your child care business on every social media platform, but you should focus on the platforms your target market uses. The more popular options today include Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. When sharing content on your social media accounts, focus on family testimonials, glimpses of classroom activities, and educational tips from your teachers and staff. Encourage families to reshare your social media content to broaden your reach.
Community Outreach
Community outreach is a powerful method for building trust and increasing child care enrollment. You can host open houses or family-friendly events at your child care center to allow prospective parents to experience your program firsthand, meet staff, and ask questions in a laid-back environment. You can also partner with local businesses, including pediatricians or dentists, to help establish your credibility and spread the word.
Word-of-Mouth Referrals
Word-of-mouth referrals are among the most effective ways to grow your child care business. When satisfied parents and family members share their positive experiences with others, it can generate an influx of prospects because personal recommendations often carry significant weight in child care decision-making. Creating a strong reputation through excellent customer service, maintaining open communication, and fostering positive relationships ensures families are eager to share their positive experiences with others.
To generate more word-of-mouth referrals, consider incentives such as discounts or free tuition days for those who leave a positive review of your childcare business.
How often should you market your child care business?
Consistent marketing is the key to building a child care business that will stand the test of time. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to marketing, there are different strategies you can implement throughout the year to maintain your visibility and enroll new families.
Daily or weekly, focus on building brand awareness by posting engaging social media content, networking in your community, sending email newsletters to currently enrolled families, and responding to facility tour inquiries. Each month, consider hosting an open house, community event, or family workshop to create opportunities for prospective families to experience your program and facility for themselves.
Ramp up your marketing efforts during seasonal enrollment periods such as late spring and summer, especially if your operational hours follow local school district timing or if you offer summer or after-school programs.
How do you know your marketing efforts are working?
As a child care business owner, you need to know that your marketing efforts are generating interest, that interested families are booking facility tours, and that those who tour are enrolling their children. The most obvious sign that your marketing efforts are working is an increase in facility tour inquiries and enrollments.
You can use Google Analytics and social media insights to track the performance of your digital marketing content and website traffic. Visitors browsing your website pages, filling out contact forms, and social media followers liking, commenting on, and sharing your content are all positive signs that your digital content resonates with your target market.
Tracking the performance of your referral partnerships and word-of-mouth referrals can be tricky, as it requires you to ask prospective families how they found out about your center and any factors that influenced their decision to enroll. If you notice certain marketing channels, such as social media or referral partnerships, drive more of your enrollment, consider investing more time and money in those areas to boost their performance.
Are you ready to grow your child care business?
Operating and growing a successful child care business requires strategic and consistent marketing. By leveraging digital platforms, community outreach, and word-of-mouth referrals, you can attract new families and increase your center's enrollment. However, effectively marketing your child care business can be challenging without the appropriate guidance. In The Basics of Growing a Child Care Business, Marnie Forestieri provides actionable insights, strategies, and exercises to help you successfully market your business and increase your child care program's enrollment. 
