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Ten Simple Ways To Actively Market Your Centre

It’s a myth that Marketing needs to be overly expensive or needs to take up a lot of time or resources in your business to achieve real measurable results and add to your bottom line.

Here are some simple marketing practices that are easy to implement, cost-effective and will generate a number of well qualified leads, leading to enrolments.

1. Find out who your customers are and what turns them on!
Many businesses think they know who their customers are and the reasons why they buy their product or services. More often than not, businesses don’t know the real reasons. Therefore don’t forget to ask your families or potential families:
• Why did they choose you over your competitors?
• What were/are they looking for in a childcare centre?
• How do they describe your Centre to friends and family?
• What services do they seek from a Centre?
It is important to go back from time to time and review why families are choosing your centre. Don’t take it for granted – use their feedback to develop your marketing strategies further.

2. Take a good, hard look at your communications and marketing material!
When was the last time you looked at the information you send to people to sell your centre? Maybe it’s time to take another look.
• Do the key sales messages reflect what your customers say when you ask them why they have used your services?
• Does your corporate image and identity reflect the essence of what your Centre is about?
• Do you have a short concise statement that accurately communicates to potential families what it is that you do?
• Are you providing the information they are seeking?

3. Befriend your local media!
• Find out who your local journalists are and make them your new best friend!
• Invite them to your special events such as Open Days, Grandparents Days etc.
• Send them press releases, photos and announcements on a regular basis.
• Offer to write a regular column for your local paper providing childcare tips on play techniques, developmental advice, nutritional information and craft suggestions.

4. Get out and network!
Strengthen your ties with the local community and build your centre’s profile.
• Participate in local street fairs, exhibit at shopping centres etc.
• Make sure your Centre information is at the local library, community centre, real estate agents, the local visitors centre and so on
• Establish contact with the marketing person at your local schools and tap into any marketing opportunities such as participating in open days.
• Tap into special interest groups such as women’s organisations, rotary clubs and business networks.

5. How good at networking are you?
Do you enjoy networking or would you rather avoid this growing marketing strategy of an ever-increasing competitive marketplace? It is an important element of your integrated marketing strategy so develop your skills and confidence so that you do enjoy networking. Networking now accounts for more that 87% of all business in the marketplace. Make it a business tool that works for you and delivers results for your Centre.

6. Have a 59 second statement
Make sure you have a fifty second statement or ‘elevator statement’ for your centre that explains what you do and the benefits to your families and staff in less than 60 seconds – that is a short, sharp summary. You should be able to explain succinctly what your Centre does within a short elevator ride with a potential family and make them want to hear more about your Centre.

7. Get on the web
The web is one of the most cost effective and targeted methods of acquiring new customer leads.
• Develop a website as a marketing tool with dynamic content that communicates your key messages and captures visitors’ details, so you can follow them up.
• Add value to your service by providing resources for parents on your site, upload photos (can be password protected) and notices of upcoming events etc.
• List your Centre on search engines and relevant directories.

8. Thinking of doing a letterbox drop?
Remember one of the most important qualifications for a successful direct mail or letterbox drop is the quality of your list or database. It is worth spending some time and money on finetuning the data and making sure the contacts are the right contacts with the correct details. Minimise the number of ‘throw outs’ and maximise the cut through of your message! This in turn will give you a higher return on investment.

9. Implement a referral program
People don’t know you want referrals until you tell them! Implement a referral program throughout your Centre. Current happy families are your biggest advocates for your Centre so utilise them. Launch a referral program and reward any referrer and referee who take part with a voucher from a local supplier or an extra service free of charge for a limited time (which provides them with an opportunity to test it) to reward both parties. The key to successful referral programs is to ensure both parties are acknowledged and rewarded.

10. Track and measure your marketing performance
Are you throwing your money away? Are you allocating your budget in the right areas? Are you tracking where all your leads come from and comparing that to your expenditure?
• A simple tick-sheet used by your Director asking, “How did you find out about our centre?” will suffice as a way to track your marketing spend.
• Then tailor your marketing campaigns to gain results and return on investment.