For small businesses, including child care centers, budgets are often stretched thin covering staff salaries, safety equipment and healthy foods. Little room is left for big advertising campaigns. While some aspects of digital marketing do require an investment, there are plenty of effective ways to advertise your daycare for free, both on- and offline.
Build Awesome Social Media Profiles
Creating and maintaining your social media profiles takes nothing but time. Take advantage of Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and other social media to spread the word about your center. While you’re filling out your social profiles, check out websites like Yelp and Yellow Pages to make sure your contact information is correct.
If you’re not sure where to begin when creating a Facebook page or other social media profile, use these steps to get started.
Share Your Expertise with Your Community
You are a child care expert; your experience makes you a resource for parents and other early childhood educators. Share your knowledge (and make a name for your daycare) through guest blog posts, LinkedIn articles and local speaking engagements.
Let Your Website Do the Heavy Lifting
Your investment in a beautiful website can help you take advantage of free advertising opportunities for your child care center. Point potential customers to your website using social media, your email signature and a monthly newsletter. Then, let the user flow you created within your website bring in leads.
Provide Referral Incentives to Your Customers
Let your current families do your advertising for you. Create a program that offers your daycare customers savings when they refer a new family to your center. While this method does mean you won’t collect the referrer’s full tuition for a short period of time, you’ll have new income from the referee’s tuition to help offset this loss.
Create Partnerships with Local Organizations
Reach out to organizations within your community to explore partnerships that could be mutually beneficial. Doctors’ offices, summer camps, schools, libraries and other small businesses could all make great partners.
Add Your Child Care Center to Industry Directories
Websites like Care.com offer lists of child care providers to parents looking for daycare. Make sure you’re included in these free directories and that your contact information is up-to-date so interested families can easily get a hold of you.
Publish Press Releases
If your center recently did something newsworthy, make sure local news outlets know about it! Send out press releases about your state-of-the-art renovations, community service project or innovative partnership with a nearby nursing home. If journalists in your community think your press release is interesting, they’ll cover it.
Don’t Forget About Networking
In-person interactions are an incredibly effective way to advertise your child care business for free. Always offer your business card to new acquaintances. Follow up with people who were interested in learning more about your daycare.
