Child care marketing
Choosing the right child care center is never an impulsive decision. It
is just too scary to place a child into the hands of an unknown entity.
Instead, parents will carefully research their options and will make the
decision when they are ready and not necessarily when your center is
running a big marketing campaign. As a result, your child care center
needs to have an active and continuous preschool marketing plan in place
to see the most growth.
Child care marketing Reputation The reputation of your child care center may be one of its most valuable assets and truly does require concentrated advertising effort to help maintain and spread. This includes marketing effort at retaining the current client base through activities that keep them happy and informed. However, you need to be aware that more is required, because not every new parent comes through word of mouth. Cautious Parents Parents tend to be extremely cautious when it comes to choosing the right child care center. They want a center that they can trust and that they know is reliable and respected within the community. A carefully crafted preschool marketing program can help relieve these fears by establishing your preschool as experts on children and it can emphasize your history and standings within the community. On-going Marketing Parents make the decision to place a child in a childcare center when they are ready to do so and not when your center is running a marketing campaign. However, on-going advertising can help capture the parents' attention at the right moment; it is a matter of opportunity at the right time. On-going marketing can also create a brand image which can lead a parent to feel familiar with your center. Perceived Value Your child care center must also put considerable effort into marketing perceived value. Parents are not necessarily looking for the cheapest preschool; instead, they want quality. Your childcare center must find ways to market your uniqueness, convenience, reliability, and other factors that concern parents. Simply put - parents want quality child care and will not settle for an inferior preschool in order to save a few dollars. Competition Because parents are so cautious, they will likely spend time researching all of the child care centers in your area. A savvy preschool marketing plan must include taking the time to know what the competition is offering so they can counter. It is not so much the offer will tempt the parents to enroll their child, but that the parents will consider any offers that are out there when they are ready to place their child in a program. In order to see enrollment increase, your child care center must put a lot of effort into advertising. You must maintain a positive reputation, overcome parental concerns, enhance the perceived value and be keenly aware of the competition. In addition, your center must engage in on-going marketing so that your name is always the first to spring to mind when a parent is searching for a preschool. Child care marketing |