Marketing your new service is an ongoing and vital concern when opening a day care. A well publicized Open Day is the secret, highly effective marketing event that anyone starting a day care can organize. I speak from personal experience having held just such an event when opening my day care and the business that resulted from that one day was phenomenal.
When you start a day care you should plan to hold this event just prior to, or shortly after opening. Showcasing your amazing day care service is the primary reason for holding an Open Day allowing potential customers to view your facility and ask questions. My big day was particularly fabulous and impressive (I’m very modest) so I figured what better way to give you some tips than to detail exactly what I did to create the perfect Start a Day Care Open Day.
- Prior to the event, I contacted my local radio station and arranged to run some advertising for a couple of weeks. I arranged to have the ads run during drive time when I knew my potential clients would be traveling to and from work. - As part of the deal the station provided their fleet of novelty cars to attend the event with staff on hand to give out freebie promotional materials. That really provided the X factor! - I had promotional flyers printed and paid a few kids to distribute them locally. An Open Day needs to be fun and family oriented thus encouraging people to attend so I arranged the following party like activities; - A bouncy castle. - A couple of drama students to be clowns. - Story telling. - A few art students to do face painting. - Snacks for everyone. - The official opening ceremony was performed by a local politician and the local rags followed him to take pictures and write a piece for free. I opened my day care for tours so people could see first hand what I had to offer; - The day care is on show so excellent presentation is vital. Every playroom was laid out to best showcase the space and equipment. - Staff were positioned in all the rooms ready to talk, answer questions and hand out business cards. -I personally floated around, greeted people and addressed queries. - We also arranged a raffle and asked people to provide their contact details (nice little database thank you) with the prize being a voucher for the day care. The results of that wonderful day are still felt today as many of my enquiries remembered attending the event or hearing about it. Word spread like wildfire as people who attended told friends and relatives. Take the time to fastidiously plan and organize a perfect open day and you will reap the rewards. Impressed people will return or will spread the word to those they know to be seeking childcare. Use this amazing marketing tool and have fun as you open a day care watching it fill up quickly with little kids.
In between minding her own child and running her daycare business Fiona Lohrenz manages to maintain her childcare website. She has also produced a ‘Start a Daycare Business’ DVD guide: How To Start A Daycare You can find her at her Day Care focused website.
- Fiona Lohrenz
Highlights 
August 15th, 2008 