As 2022 draws to a close, our eyes are firmly set on childcare enrolments and occupancy for 2023.
In 2021, COVID-19 changed the way that many Families approached work and their childcare needs.
Working from home scenarios were commonplace and care requirements changed often.
However, with many Families now returning to office-bound work or embarking on a new path altogether, enrolment and occupancy opportunities are emerging.
Now is a great time to capitalise on these enrolment opportunities and boost your childcare occupancy for 2023.
Here our team look at 6 ways to drive enquiries to your childcare Centre and increase enrolments.
1. Get Social at your Childcare Centre
Tell your centre’s story, build a community, and spread the word.
Social media marketing allows you to showcase your childcare Centre to a larger target market and generate greater brand awareness whilst also boosting traffic to your website (and your search engine rating). It’s a largely free channel to proactively develop a loyal and engaged community which is essential for long-term success. Here are a few tips to get you started.
- Start by determining which social media channels are going to work best for your childcare Centre (for most childcare Providers, this would be Facebook and Instagram to start with) and create new accounts.
- Watch, listen and learn. Develop a social media plan and define exactly what you want to achieve.
- Identify your audience and follow your competitors’ audiences as well. Ask your Families to start following you and start to build your community.
- Start posting. Develop a monthly social media calendar that outlines what stories and other content you want to share throughout the month. Leverage your existing content and share what is going to be most valuable to your audience. Focus on quality not quantity, lean into video content and don’t forget to have fun during the creative process!
- Comment, share and like to continue to build your community. Stay active and engaged.
Managing social media channels, such as responding to comments, developing engaging content and all the assets that go with it (think posts, videos, reels, blogs…the list goes on), can be time-consuming. At Enrolment Hub, we have specialist Digital Childcare Marketers who can plan and implement your social media strategy, freeing you up to concentrate on your Centre, team and children.
2. Enter the world of digital childcare advertising
In this day and age, if you’re not using digital marketing channels, you run the risk of falling behind your competitors. Digital marketing allows you to target only the prospects that are most likely to be interested or enrol at your Centre – like Families with children aged 0-5 that live within 10km of your Centre. Nothing else offers the level of personalisation that digital data can provide or allows you to have such consistent contact with your prospective Families. It’s also more cost effective than traditional marketing, has greater reach capabilities, is easily measurable (so you can see quickly if what you’re doing is working or not) and allows you to outrank, or outbid your main competitors.
The more you embrace the possibilities of digital marketing, the more you’ll be able to realise your Centres enrolment growth potential.
The good news is that getting started with digital marketing can be relatively quick. These days, most online advertising platforms make it simple to sign up and create your first campaign (complete with data and analytics resources for ongoing management), however, to manage them properly takes time, constant effort, and breadth of knowledge. Our Marketing Team are happy to chat with you about how to set up your digital advertising for success.
Here are a few resources from Disruptive Advertising to help guide you:
- Paid Google Ads
- Beginners Guide to SEO
- Facebook and Instagram Advertising
- Social media marketing
- Content marketing
- Email marketing Guide
3. Refresh your childcare centre’s website
Put your best digital foot forward!
A professional and engaging website creates a great first impression and generates a halo of positivity around your Centre from a Families first point of contact. Here are a few tips to start to think about:
- Review your website and add a call to action on every page – whether that’s ‘Enrol now’ or ‘Book a Tour’ buttons, make sure you give Families a clear action to follow every step of the way.
- Refine your website copy and get to the point – be clear, concise and tell your story, being conscious to include appropriate keywords throughout to optimise your website for local searches. This will help you to rank higher in search engines like Google and grow your enrolment prospects.
- Make it easy for Families to navigate and most importantly contact you – simplify your contact form and make sure you receive and respond quickly (more on that below).
- Offer expertise on your website by creating a blog or curating a range of child development and parenting resources. This will also help with your SEO.
- A picture paints a thousand words – so make sure your website imagery is up to date and engaging. Get professional shots of your Centre facilities and rooms and include these throughout your website as this is what Families most want to see.
- In today’s digital era,97% of parents look online for their childcare needs, with over 55% of search coming from mobile devices, so it’s important that your website is mobile-friendly
Our Childcare Marketing Team have worked with many Providers to create engaging and attractive websites. Get in touch if you want us to help review and update your website.
4. Develop a nurture sequence
Having a clear and comprehensive post-enquiry nurture sequence, that includes both email and personal points of contact, is essential to turn your new enquiries into booked Centre tours with minimal effort. A nurture sequence determines not only the return on investment you receive from your marketing spend, but also the success of your enrolment opportunities and the brand experience your Families receive.
If managed correctly, targeted well, and packed with valuable and well-written content, a nurture sequence can hit the mark and develop a relationship with your new enquiries from their first point of contact, continuing to keep your Centre front of mind throughout their entire consideration process.
Here our team explain exactly how to set up your post enquiry process for success.
5. Create a Childcare Referral Program
Your current Families are your greatest asset when it comes to encouraging new Families to enquire or enrol at your Centre. Each Family has their own network of other Families with similar aged children that often reside within the radius of the Centre – your ideal target market.
Incentivise them to tap into their own community and create a Family Referral Program. In a nutshell, a referral program offers existing and enrolled Families a discount or benefit for referring new Families to the Centre.
Some things to consider when developing your referral program:
- What type of incentive will you offer – is it a fee credit, discount, cash or gift card, specific product such as a scooter or subscription? Find out what makes your Families tick to really make your referral program a success
- How will you let Families know – develop a comprehensive internal marketing plan to help get the word out. Think posters, flyers, emails, and messages via your Family app (if you use one)
- What is the reward tipping point? – Be clear with your T+C’s. Will Families receive the reward simply for a referral, or does that referred Family need to enrol for the incentive to kick in?
Here is a great resource to get you started.
6. Pull together an events calendar for 2023
The goal of any new enquiry should be to get the Family to visit the Centre – this is where the conversion is made. This usually occurs as part of a Centre tour – but who says this can’t also occur through Centre events? Getting Families to see, experience and feel a part of your Centre is where you will see the highest rate of enrolment conversion.
Whilst COVID may have put a halt to events over the last 18 months, it’s time to dust off your events hat and get back into the ring. Creating a calendar of engaging and topical events (think open days, workshops, speakers, kids activities, playgroups) not only provides value to your existing Families but also entices new Families within your local area to visit and be a part of the community you are creating.
Start small and look at developing a calendar of 1–2-hour workshops or speakers that align with your curriculum or offering. These sessions can occur in empty spaces during the week, or evenings. Put on a light refreshment and prepare your team to be engaging and welcoming to all your new Families and prospects.
Feeling stuck? Enrolment Hub can help
Our team are here to support you. We have worked with so many childcare Providers to kick start their marketing and advertising activities and continually optimise them for success.
Why not get in touch and see what we can create together.
