We’ve all had to learn new ways of doing things because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the last thing you need on your plate is to learn how to do yet another new thing – digital marketing.
As a centre owner or educator, you’ve probably already got your hands full and have no time to figure out the new-fangled world of online engagements.
If that’s the case, this article will help you switch from more traditional advertising methods to digital tools that you need to start marketing your centre online. Simply put, an online presence will make it easier for families to find your centre and see what services you offer.
Step 1: Create a website with clear call-to-action (CTA) buttons
The first, and most important step, is to set up a website for your service. It serves as a place to interact with families and share information via other channels. You can use it as a place to display your facilities, share what services you offer, and answer enquiries.
You have various options to choose from for hosting and design. But any well-established website service will have easy-to-use templates you can use to showcase your centre. Use your page to highlight unique features and benefits that set your centre apart.
Regardless of what information you include on your website, don’t forget this critical feature. Each page must have a CTA button that families can click on to engage with your service. CTAs can be things like “Book a Tour,” “Enrol Your Child,” or simply “Contact Us.” The easier it is for families to contact you, the better the chances they’ll reach out.
Step 2: Set up social media accounts for your centre
Social media accounts increase the chance of families discovering your service. You can use these social media channels to direct families to your website, where most of the service information is stored.
Facebook is the most popular social platform and allows for Facebook ad campaigns. You can use other social media platforms, but remember—always engage with your followers regularly to maintain an active social media presence.
Step 3: Learn how to be seen more often with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
SEO is all about getting your website to appear higher in Google search results. If a family Googles “childcare near me” and your website appears on page 9, you’re not going to get many enquiries.
Thorough SEO requires extensive knowledge and can be daunting. But simply being aware of SEO and following basic best practices can make a difference. The common thread in all SEO strategies is quality content. Unique, well-written content in the form of blogs or articles can go a long way to improving your site’s SEO ranking.
Step 4: You can also advertise with targeted Google Ad Campaigns
Like you can run ad campaigns with Facebook, you can do the same with Google. Google ad campaigns help with SEO by putting your listing at the top of Google search results.
Have you ever searched for something on Google and seen “Ad” or “Sponsored” included in the top results? Then you’ve seen a Google ad campaign in action. You can target specific audiences with your ads. For example, you can focus on families looking for childcare in your area.
Step 5: Use a low-cost but effective strategy — email marketing
Remember the CTAs we told you to create on your site back in Step 1? You can use a CTA to collect email addresses that you can use for email marketing. You can send a weekly or monthly newsletter to current and prospective families.
You can also include CTAs in your emails in various ways. You can share special offers, link to enrolment forms or post vacancies. Email marketing is cheap—it only costs you time and effort. You’ll also be contacting people who’ve previously expressed interest in your centre. After all, it’s likely they joined your mailing list while checking out your site.
Step 6: List your centre on an online marketplace to increase exposure
Online marketplaces expose your centre to the right people at the right time. More and more, families are turning to online marketplaces for their childcare needs.
They can view and compare all the options available to them in one convenient place. If you aren’t listed on a marketplace, you risk missing out on exposure to families actively looking for childcare options.
Parents like online marketplaces because they can easily compare the different services in their area. Marketplaces give you the chance to highlight your centre’s unique features and services. A listing that differentiates you from your competition can help drive enquiries and enrolments.
Different marketplaces offer different features. A good marketplace offers a dedicated listing page, enquiry lead management, and embedded enquiry forms. It may even provide tour bookings and CSS platform compatibility. Some of them, like Space, also offer automated digital marketing services. This will help you implement several items in this list, like social media pages and email marketing. The team at Space will help integrate the Space software into your existing website or help you create one.
About Space
Space is a childcare listing platform and parent enquiry service built to assist Australian families searching for care. It is integrated with Xplor’s enterprise software suite and is designed to deliver a positive parent experience from enquiry to enrolment. Space offers digital marketing tools to services looking to promote their services and streamlines parent-provider communication to help boost occupancy.
A more detailed explanation of the steps outlined in this post, please check out our Childcare Digital Marketing Guide: qikkids.com.au
