3 Reasons Why Child Care Providers Should Use Social Media Marketing
You made a good point that social media would be an easy way for communication. I think instant messaging would…
In our last blog post, we covered the basics of social media marketing, which typically involves creating (or sharing) content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks. To put it shortly, it’s word-of-mouth in the digital age. In this post, I’ll share 3 reasons why you should use social media marketing for your child care and preschool program.
The benefits of social media are countless: it’s a great platform to reach your target market and deliver your message, it can foster brand awareness, improve customer service, and help with community building. Social media can also build links towards your website which will help your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts (more on SEO in a later post, but in short, SEO helps your website appear on top in Google search results.)
These benefits apply to every business, which is why everyone should be using these new marketing strategies. However, here are 3 reasons why social media marketing can be particularly effective for child care providers:
1. Your Customers (Moms!) Are The Top Social Media Users
This is the most important point, so I’ll start with it… just in case your children wake up from their nap, at least you’ll have read the key element of this post! According to a recent study, mothers with children under 5 are the most active users of social media [i]. That’s right, your target audience is using social media. A lot. So you should spend time connecting with them there. These mothers are twice as likely to comment on social media sites as the rest of the population, according to the study. This is great news: when you create and/or share content that moms find useful, they will share it with their friends and help you spread the word about your child care program or preschool.
2. Social Media Marketing is Perfect for Local Businesses
Social media marketing is perfect for businesses targeting moms and also for businesses that are local. Since for 99.9% of parents location is one of the key elements in choosing child care, you fall in that category. The reason why social media is great for local businesses is because geographic features such as Facebook geo-tagging or location-based tweets on Twitter make it easy for people in your area to find your profile. Likewise, you can very easily focus your efforts (and marketing dollars!) on people who live near your child care center. We’ll discuss this in greater detail in our next post which will focus solely on Facebook.
3. Communication Tool for Parents
For your child care center or family child care program, social media can also be a great communication tool with parents.It’s very easy to post updates throughout the day on Facebook and Twitter to let parents know what their children are doing. Please note that Facebook should not be your primary communication tool with parents. One-on-one daily conversations offer the individual attention required to develop a relationship with each family, and help each child grow and learn. You can also share lesson plans, meal schedules, and photos. It is important to note, however, that if you use social media sites as a communication tool with parents, privacy is key. For instance, you need to get permission from parents to post photos of children online. You may also want to consider having a public Facebook page for marketing to prospective parents and use private groups to communicate with currently enrolled families.
As you can see, social media marketing can present a wonderful opportunity for child care providers. The fact that you’re a local business and that moms with children under 5 are the top social media users is great news for you! However, it also means that if you’re not using social media marketing, you’re missing out on a large group of prospective parents.
What are your thoughts? What’s the main reason(s) you are using (or not using) social media marketing for your child care program?
What is CareLuLu?
CareLuLu helps child care providers and preschools fill their openings while helping parents find the perfect early learning environment for their children. Founded by parents with experience in marketing & technology, CareLuLu is an interactive platform that makes it easy for both parents and child care providers to find each other. Click here to list your child care program for free and get enrollments!