Business Marketing Strategies For Home Day Care Providers
Being a home day care provider is no small task since it requires not only managing a business but also looking after small children which need personal attention. Hopefully, inordinate amounts of marketing or advertising won't be necessary as your reputation and quality of service will leave many customers signing up and bringing their children to your business. In an ideal scenario, satisfied customers and free word-of-mouth advertising will provide ample prospective clients allowing limited business resources to be used for other opportunities.
The personal nature and responsibility required of home day care providers means it is important to build a network of clients and other similar businesses. Reputation is everything and referrals are common so there may be times where you are booked you may be sending a customer to a competitor. Day care providers are different than more traditional businesses because competitors aren't a negative but an integral part of a childcare network. Helping each other out will be an important aspect of not only long-term success but also short-term advertising strategies.
More than any other type of business, traditional marketing materials are an important part of getting the word out about your day care business. Creating professional business cards is the single most important marketing tool a day care provider can use because it's compact, easy for parents to carry and reference and to able the left at multiple locations. Proper use of business cards will mean handing them to everyone and anyone. Existing customers should be encouraged to take additional business cards to provide to other parents should the situation call for it. They should also be left at locations likely to benefit from the use of a home day care provider. Churches, colleges, libraries and any other venue where parents with children are likely to congregate are prime locations.
Flyers and brochures are also an key marketing tool because they are inexpensive and effectively provide more information than a business card. Business cards may look strange in an elementary school front office but a stack of flyers or a flyer posted to a bulletin board is an everyday occurrence. You may also be able to negotiate a business relationship with area realtors to place your flyers at their offices. Parents moving into an area are often in need of day care services and if they see your flyer when talking to a realtor it may solve two problems at once.
Between a reliable network of day care providers and satisfied customers, traditional marketing materials like business cards and flyers should cover most of your marketing needs. If you're still experiencing a lack of clients you can implement other one off business marketing strategies to increase your customer base. Offer promotions for new customers like paying a month in advance and getting three days free. Place an ad in the local newspaper or other community publication to reach a different target market or increase your business's exposure. And if you have the advertising budget, try running a radio spot or sponsoring an event. Keep in mind, the last form of advertising is more appropriate for day care providers operating out of an established facility and not a personal residence.
Business marketing and advertising strategies for home day care providers primarily focus on tried-and-true methods of spreading the word and increasing community awareness. Online marketing campaigns are less relevant because you're businesses reach is unlikely to extend past your immediate geographic area. This allows you to save costs and focus on providing top-notch childcare service which by and large should lead to satisfied customers sending you client referrals. Being creative doesn't hurt when marketing a business but for home day care providers it's better to focus on traditional marketing strategies.
