Digital Marketing in Early Childhood

Marketing an early learning and childcare centre is a foreign concept for many owners and directors. But as more brand-new centres arise in the surrounding neighbourhoods and competition thickens, what can you do? If you are running a high-quality centre, but your enquiries are low, your tours are sporadic, and the new competitor’s car park is starting to look fuller at drop-off and pick-up times, it’s time to do something about it!

This is where marketing comes in. However, you may stare in bewilderment into the marketing world and not know where to start, let alone understand how it works. Some of the questions that run through people’s minds are: Does radio still work? Should we advertise in the newspaper? Those big billboards at $1000 per week must surely work? How about a flyer drop? And what about all those digital channels and social media like email, Facebook, Instagram, SEO, Google Maps, Video ads, Google My Business, websites, landing pages, Google Display, and so on? It can sound overwhelming but let me unravel this ball of mystical marketing and set a course towards those longlost enquiries, tours, and enrolments.

With the help of the internet and our friends at Google and Meta (Facebook and Instagram), you can now get your service in front of all those mums and dads looking for a centre right now or in the future. Is that all it takes, I hear you ask? Yes and no. First, let’s look at why a childcare centre is a little different when it comes to marketing. What’s the difference between childcare marketing and other industries?

Standard marketing tactics work well when you are dealing with products like the latest shoes, kitchen gadgets, or a 2-for-1 special on muesli bars at Woolies. But in the childcare and education space, we are dealing with people’s most prized possessions - their children! The approach must be different. When people put their trust in your educators to care for and educate their children, a 2-for-1 promotion or a cheap and nasty offer will not cut it, and may also not be allowed under the changes to inducements for early childhood and care providers coming in from 1 January 2023. We are talking about building trust and reputation. And that is what creates your unique brand. Branding takes longer to develop, but it also lasts longer. There is no silver bullet with successful branding, but consistency is key. Your marketing is part of your branding.

Google Ads is still the number 1 place to start in marketing

Consumer behaviour has changed drastically these days, and this includes young parents. The internet and technology have influenced how we make choices and find information. Parents and carers nowadays search for information about the services available or interesting to them online. This means childcare owners and directors must meet their potential clients online and often begin building that trusting relationship in the digital realm. Digital marketing is the new way forward when it comes to promoting your childcare centre. Other sources are still useful at times, but nothing is as cost-effective as the digital marketing space these days.

The number one place to start is with Google Search adsthis is still number one as a marketing starting place. Right now, prospective families may be typing search terms like ‘childcare near me, kindergarten, early learning centre’ into their google search, and, for a small fee, your centre can be what those families will see first. Google has a cost-free support service to set up your first ad, and often you will receive a discount, too. Ads need to be kept up-to-date, and Google will recommend changes and updates you can make to improve your ad performance.

This is the beginning of your marketing journey. Here’s a short list of other marketing tools in order of importance:

1. Website – your website needs to be putting your best foot forward. Make sure it’s up to date and showcases how wonderful and unique your centre is.

2. Facebook & Instagram – Set up paid-per-click ads on both platforms.

3. Google Display – Set up paid-per-click ads. These ads show up when people browse various websites or play their favourite games on their smartphones.

4. Your Facebook or Instagram page – Regularly post organic content on your pages.

5. Google My Business Listing - Keep this updated. This is free, and you will be surprised how many enquiries you will get through this channel.

6. Local community Facebook groups – Join the local groups in your service’s area and keep an eye out for people looking for childcare.

You can do plenty more, but these suggestions will get you started. Just implement one at a time and build on it. If you are short of time or this still sounds daunting, get professional help to manage marketing for you. The above steps will get you started and improve your marketing results, but a professional should be able to get you more enquiries in a shorter time. There is a cost involved, but measured against each new enrolment, it outweighs the price. Just make sure that your digital marketers understand the intricacies of the early learning sector and can show a successful track record in this field. As mentioned before, early years education is about (little) people, not products, and your marketing needs to reflect that.

Andrew Riley

Andrew is the founder and director of Childcare Marketing by Wave Digital - a boutique digital marketing company that only works in the childcare space.