As a Children’s Lighthouse franchise owner, it won’t take long for you to realize just how important marketing your school is to its development and growth. In fact, it might be the single most important driver of success, so it’s essential that you prioritize your marketing plans and refine them as needed. Fortunately, you can count on plenty of help from our expert in-house marketing team, who will work every day on your behalf to make sure your business is in front of its best customers.
With that said, who are those best customers? Why, parents, of course! They’re the ones who you’ll want to reach in meaningful and consistent ways to introduce them to your early learning center and all it has to offer. Marketing to parents isn’t anything particularly complicated, but our experience has taught us that some methods work better than others. Below are a few ways you can effectively do so.
Open Houses
There is perhaps no better way to introduce parents and their children to your Children’s Lighthouse childcare center than by holding an open house. Not only are they an effective means of showcasing your school, but they also encourage a sense of community and camaraderie while providing you with valuable feedback. You’ll want to hold open houses on a regular basis, perhaps once or twice a season, making sure to do so during convenient times. You’ll also want to give your youngest guests — the kids — plenty of opportunities for supervised play while you and their parents get to know each other and discuss needs and goals.
Sponsorships
Community involvement is key to your success as a Children’s Lighthouse franchise owner, and sponsorships of local food drives, pageants, art walks, pee wee teams, and more are great ways to get the word out about your school while at the same time making meaningful contributions to your city or town. Sponsoring an event or a team confirms your commitment to your community and positions you as a leader in it — all good ways to reinforce the value of your early learning center to parents and their children.
Marketing Through Social Media
The power of social media is indisputable, and moms, in particular, favor it as a means of educating themselves. For example, mothers use Facebook a lot to not only stay connected but also to inform purchasing decisions. According to a recent survey, 58% of mothers said Facebook is the platform they turn to first for product recommendations.
So, what does that mean to you and your Children’s Lighthouse franchise? It means you should use and monitor social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as a way of marketing your childcare center, making sure to interact with those sites in a timely fashion to address any comments, questions, or concerns that may arise. Social media accounts are typically free and easy to set up and can be used to immediately share news about your school with thousands of potential clients. If you don’t have the time to set up and monitor your social media, consider hiring someone who can. It will be money well spent!
There are lots of easy and effective ways to market your Children’s Lighthouse school. To find out more about how our schools reach parents, get in touch today!
