How Does Daycare Get Clients? (Marketing Checklist Included)

You may be looking into getting new clients to pick up your business, but how can you easily find clients? There are so many different things to consider when owning a business, and if this is your first time running and managing a daycare, you may be feeling a little lost. There are some easy steps you can take when attracting new clients to your business. 

To attract new clients, use the internet to your advantage, ensure each customer wants to talk about you, host open houses, post your business on community and school boards. This is the recipe that will ensure marketing success. 

If you are concerned about fighting new clients, don’t worry, it’s normal. As long as you take proactive steps, you will be able to find new clients. Owning a business is hard work, and drawing attention to yourself may be uncomfortable. Still, it is necessary if you want to make a profit and run a successful daycare. You are marketing for yourself, and you represent your company every day, even when you’re off the clock. 

5 Ways To Attract Clients

Marketing doesn’t have to cost a fortune, but you need to know where you should focus. You will often have to find your clients or leave something that represents your name that will draw the client’s attention. Here are five things you should pay attention to. 

Internet Advertising

Right now, everything is online. If you have yet to make a website or start paying people to advertise your business, you are already behind the competition. Parents worldwide start looking for daycares in their area by using a search engine. Paid ads will pop up first and then many blogs underneath it. 

How Does Daycare Get Clients? (Marketing Checklist Included)

You can ask bloggers to shout out your business and write about you, or you can pay someone to get you on the ads that pop up first. This is one of the best ways to draw in potential clients and showcase your business. 

Word Of Mouth

One of the best ways to gain the attention of new clients is the old fashion way. Ensure the clients you have now talk about the services you provide. If you focus on delivering outstanding service, your clients will notice them and talk about all of the things you provide. You will attract their friends who have kids, and the community will get wind of your business. This may not seem like the best marketing strategy, but it works. When people hear the friends they trust rant and rave about a company, they are more likely to trust the review. 

Hosting An Open House

If you have a special location that is wonderful, you should host an open house. This means that parents who are not yet your clients can come to view where you take care of the kids. You can offer fun activities for the kids while showing the parents around and explaining your daycare and what it offers. This is one of the best ways to entice people to choose your business. 

You can offer free food, drinks and let other parents chat together. You can connect with the parents on a deeper level, and it can help them feel open and trusting in you and the environment. You can show off. 

Community Boards

If your town has a town square, this can be one of the best places to advertise. You can post flyers on the local bulletin board or even ask local coffee shops to hang up your posters. This can be a great way to get to know your community and put up ads for your business. Another amazing idea is going to local toy stores and asking them to hand out your business cards. 

School Boards

If you live in a university town, this can be another great place to market your business. You can target university students with kids and offer special rates. This will attract potential clients, but it also may help you attract potential employees for the future. The more places your company name is seen, the more potential clients you can have in the future. 

Daycare Marketing Materials

There are some things you will need to keep in mind when you start marketing. Here is a checklist of things you need to do or steps you need to take. The more places someone can reach you about your business, the better it will be for you. 

Create A Story

Every parent likes background information. On your website or when you talk to parents, you need to catch their attention, but how? You can create a narrative for your business. Tell them why you chose to start this business, tell them how you cater to each kid’s needs, and tell them what makes you a unique choice compared to competitors. You can post this on your website or tell it to future clients. Whatever you decide, make sure it is authentic, and you can stick with it forever. 

Create A Website

This can be one of the best ways to show off your story and a good way for people to virtually tour your daycare center. You can post stories, photos, and more through this space. It is important to have something where people can view you and contact you for information. You can explain the enrollment process, prices, and everything that makes you unique. 

Create A Google Business Profile

This can be crucial on your marketing checklist! You do not want to miss this step. It can make or break a business before it even starts. This allows you to pop up on the local searches and allows customers to review and rate your business. Make this listing detailed, with photos, details, and ensure that you take the time to reply to every review. 

Facebook Page

Many people are on Facebook nowadays. As a business owner, you need to go where your clients are. Creating a Facebook page allows you to have something searchable through multiple places. It can act as a business blog that makes your business more approachable and relatable. You can even tag parents in their kids’ photos. On top of that, you can run promotions to draw potential clients’ attention. 

Business Cards Or Flyers

No matter what business you are in as an owner, you need to carry business cards. You can hand these out to people and direct them to your website. You can list your business name, your name, and how to contact you. People need something to remember you by, which is one of the best ways to do it. If you choose to do flyers, you can also add dates of special events like when you do open houses or any other activities that make your business stand out.

How To Market Your Daycare With No Money

The best way to market your business is not by spending a bunch of money. The best thing you can do is be yourself and talk about your company to anyone and everyone. Practice your pitch and sell it. Every person you speak to is a potential customer or will drive people in your direction. 

Be approachable. Ask for referrals or ask people to bring you up with their friends. You can collaborate with blogs, reach out to influencers, and more. These are all good steps in marketing yourself for free. You don’t need to be a millionaire to gain new clients. 

Marketing Checklist

Follow this checklist when it’s time to market your daycare business and get more clients.

Internet Advertising

    • Advertise on local classifieds websites. 
    • Show your daycare rates on your website. 
    • Open a Facebook business account and advertise your grand opening and other public relations events. 
    • Ask family, friends, and other small businesses that support your daycare to share pertinent social media posts that will build traffic to your daycare center. 

Word of Mouth

    • Talk to people who have children while you are out grocery shopping or doing other errands.
    • Have business cards and/or flyers on hand for parents that express an interest in your daycare services. 
    • Have a referral program at your daycare. If parents refer more parents to your daycare, they can get some tuition off their next bill. 
    • Ask parents to post their reviews of your daycare on your Google profile to help with your referral program and overall enrollment rates. 

Check out more marketing tips and tricks HERE.

Host an Open House

    • It’s best to do a few open houses before your grand opening day to increase enrollment. 
    • At the open house, have the following available:
      • Snacks and refreshments for parents and children visiting. 
      • Coloring or book activities for the kids to do as parents are briefed about the daycare.
      • Have the children spend time in their anticipated classroom for about 15-30 minutes to see how a regular day at daycare will go.

Post on Community Boards

    • With business owners’ permission, post flyers at:
      • Coffee shops.
      • Toy stores. 
      • Women’s clothing stores. 
      • Mall bulletin boards. 
      • Library community boards.

Post on School Boards

    • Post a flyer at local schools in the district. Children attending school may have younger siblings that need daycare services. 
    • Post flyers at local colleges and universities. College students may need childcare, especially if they attend college full-time. 

Final Thoughts

Owning a daycare is hard work, and it is not always easy. You will have to put in long hours if you are working by yourself, and you will have to learn to be your biggest advocate. If you follow the steps and go through the checklist of what you need, you will soon find many potential clients. The most important thing is to never give up. Talk to as many people as you can without being pushy. You can ask your clients to talk to their friends and spread the word about your business. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

How much can you make owning a daycare?

Depending on what city the daycare is located in and how many children are attending will affect the overall profit made with owning a daycare. The average daycare brings in annual revenue of  $37,000. This is not always the case. 

Is it essential for a daycare to have a branded image?

A branded image is when a customer views your business differently and impacts their decisions on how they feel about your company. For many daycares, it can be essential to focus on a brand image that attracts parents. This is a crucial step in running a successful daycare. 

Is owning a daycare worth it?

If you love kids and want to focus on giving back to the community, this can be a very successful career. Every hour and all the money you put into this business can be worth it if this is truly what you want in life. There are many benefits to owning a daycare.

How Does Daycare Get Clients? (Marketing Checklist Included)

Please note: This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult a legal expert to address your specific needs.

To learn more on how to start your own daycare checkout my startup course and documents here.