Not sure where to start? These 5 essential concepts will help you revamp your marketing strategy and increase signups from the ground up.
#1. Know your audience
Before diving into your shiny new marketing process, you need to know who you’re talking to, where they are, and how to connect with them.
And with over a million millennials becoming mothers each year, it’s no secret that they’re rewriting the rules of 21st century parenting and marketing.
Here’s what millennial parents are prioritizing today:
- They seek parenting support through technology: From online parenting forums to social media groups, millennial parents are very tech-savvy when it comes to connecting with their peers. In fact, a whopping 73% communicate with each other more digitally than in real life.
- They expect businesses to be online: 97% of consumers use the Internet to find local businesses, including educational facilities. In other words, your website is the first stop for most parents.
- Concerned about safety: In the midst of a pandemic, it’s no surprise to learn that parents are concerned about the health and safety of their children in child care. Using technology to reassure them is a great way to connect on their level.
- They’re a conscious generation: From the clothes they wear to their childcare choices, millennials are a value-driven group. According to the Deloitte Millennial Survey 2020, nearly 75% said the pandemic made them even more self-aware. Consider these needs in your strata major and the numbers are sure to follow.
- The bottom line: With this tech-savvy group of parents in your hands, your online presence is more important than ever.
#2. Use technology to make your marketing more transparent
In an uncertain world, parents are looking for childcare that goes above and beyond – waiting for them to come to you is not the way to go.
Instead, take a proactive approach and show parents what you value and why they should trust you with their children.
From paid ads to personalized webinars, there are a million and one ways to reach tech-savvy parents. Here are some ideas:
- Virtual School Guide: Welcome new parents to your remote school with a virtual open house. Pre-record short videos to show how your classrooms work, live stream a building tour, or even sit down on a virtual coffee date via group video chat to get to know parents even better.
- FAQ Webinars: Make a list of the most frequently asked questions from parents, then schedule a live webinar to answer them in detail. Parents can even join the conversation while you’re talking, making it feel like a face-to-face conference.
- Social Media Ads: Now that you know exactly who you’re talking to, you can use this information to filter your social media ads by age and location to ensure the right people are seeing your brand.
- The bottom line: Use virtual and digital tools to mimic in-person marketing points and tell potential new parents all about your childcare brand.
#3. Follow the unique values of your nursery school
There’s no doubt that millennial parents are all about conscious living, and that’s exactly what they expect from childcare providers.
How value-based marketing works. Let’s have a look at this example
“Our first center had a capacity of 100 children and we had 54 children on the first day. It just took. Our values have been so well received in the community,” says XYZ.
Value-based marketing continues to deliver massive growth—and it’s all built around a community-inspired mission of equality.
“When we started this initiative, there was a lot of racial, Professional and social unrest going on in our community,” explains XYZ, “ We decided that we wanted to have a business that met two main requirements. One of the requirements is that there will be no bureaucracy. It was supposed to be a happy environment. And secondly, we wanted it to be welcoming to everyone. Our concept was: everyone is welcome under the rainbow.
XYZ primary motivations served as the foundation of their company values – and they continue to use their unique concept to attract parents today..
Key Takeaways: Create a strong marketing strategy focused on the things you and your community value most. These are the things that will set your center apart.
#4. Streamline your center’s marketing communications
For many early education professionals, trying to keep parents informed during the global health pandemic has revealed some glaring gaps in their marketing systems.
Picking the right message and then deciding whether to send the message via email, text, messaging app, etc. can be a full-time job in itself.
But the truth is, you only need these two tools for great preschool marketing:
- All-in-One Marketing Platform: There are tons of marketing tools for sharing beautiful brand communication, but the trick is to choose one that can do it all. Personalization is the name of the game, so choose a smart marketing system like Mailchimp or Marketing360 that lets you create branded communications to wow the new parents.
- Childcare Management System: A great childcare management tool will enhance communication between parents and teachers with built-in messaging, easy access to billing information and real-time overview of daily activities. The right platform integrates with your CRM and other systems of record to ensure every email, text and message is relevant and tailored.
Key takeaways: Choose all-in-one tools to streamline your communications and reduce cumbersome administration.
#5. Use your team’s marketing ideas
After such a rich year, most people are done with change. But as an ECE leader, it’s your job to prepare your teams for the right kind of change—one that builds resilience and boosts employee morale when they need it most.
And when it comes to a marketing overhaul, it means everyone will be on the same page from day one.
Here’s how to do it:
- Prepare your teams for change: Let your teams know what changes are coming by outlining exactly what to expect through effective and easy-to-understand communication. This is also a great time to encourage them to like, follow and share any new social media channels you’re adding to the marketing mix.
- Ask teachers for insights and feedback: Teachers are on the front lines and know your families better than anyone else. Get them on board your market revamp from day one by asking them for parent insights or general feedback. They may have that perfect new idea you never would have thought of yourself.
- Put employee wellbeing at the heart of your marketing decisions: Your teams have been through a lot, so expecting them to do extra work probably won’t go down too well. Make sure your new marketing strategy works for employees and not against them.
- Use tech to share your marketing news: As with your external communications, a streamlined platform is the best way to make sure all your employees get exactly the same info at exactly the same time.
Key takeaway: Help your teams get a hold on new changes by involving them in the process from day one.
