Are you looking for innovative ways to reach potential preschool, play cafes, childcare, enrichment programs, and other Early Childhood business potential families and improve the visibility of your EC business? If so, then listen on!

We have all heard it… the only way to grow your enrollment or book more parties is through marketing. Like marketing is some sort of magic bullet that instantly adds zeros to your bank account numbers. I found when I stopped focusing on marketing and put my focus on relationship building, that’s when those zeros started adding up!

Relationship building as your marketing strategy consists of 4 creative ways to connect with prospects, increase visibility and lose the marketing guilt.

Know Your Story and Share It Often to Build Relationships
Engage with Your Local Community
Word-of-Mouth Communication
Leverage Digital Marketing

By the end of this episode, you will have all the knowledge necessary to create a strategic relationship-building plan that works for your Early Childhood business. Let's dive in and unlock the potential of your EC business!

Parents are looking for a place for their family to be a part of, they are looking for something special to be a part of their lives. A partner to help them along their parenting journey.

Marketing in general is not a bad thing. In fact, it can be instrumental in the growth of a business. However, when you care for other people’s most prized possessions in life, that exchange of your services/products for money is one of the most personal and unique for the person/parent you are exchanging your services with.

Today’s parents are engaging more and asking questions about early education because they have easier access to you, your competition, and what a quality experience should look like all at their fingertips. They are far more informed about the different experiences and choices available to their unique family situation. Quality service is more in demand.

So, how do you attract these families? Loose the marketing and start relationship-building!

Know Your Story and Share It Often to Build Relationships

You are an expert in the early childhood experience, so share the pillars of your program and/or the services you provide.

First things first. It’s time to share your story. This is where it all begins. Take a moment to pivot your mindset from “marketing” to “sharing your story to build a relationship.” When you keep it simple. Focus on who you are and how what you do can help others, you become more at ease, and more comfortable in sharing what sets you apart from the rest.

More and more parents really do connect more with you when they know why you are passionate about your business, and understand more about what you have to offer and why that is special. It’s not easy for parents to choose when it comes to wanting the best for their child. And so as the value of early childhood experiences becomes more and more understood, parents are becoming increasingly open to learning your story and building a relationship with you as they look for their parenting partner.

Tell your story, what makes you different? Start out by thinking about how you can communicate your value. Show your process. Getting on anyone’s radar in this cluttered, high-volume information world is no small undertaking. Spend a little time thinking about which aspect of your EC business creates successful early childhood experiences. How can you tailor some of these in your discussions with potential families to meet their specific needs?

When parents feel connected to your story and you weave that into how your EC business can best meet the needs of their unique family, you will be adding those zeros all year long to your bank account!

Engage with Your Local Community

Engage with your local community and get that good old-fashioned word-of-mouth communication flowing! Getting involved in your local community is a great way to increase visibility and build relationships with potential families.

One of the easiest and least expensive ways to do this is to host an event. If you are a new Early Childhood business in the area, you will want to try an event that is open to the public, with no RSVP required. The goal here is to let families see your school, play cafe, or enrichment program, meet you and your team and most importantly, just know you are there.

Event ideas might include an open house, a play date, a crafting hour, or any sample of your services. The idea is a low-pressure way for families to see your business while spending quality time with their families.

If your EC business has been around for a while, you may want to focus on events that build your credentials in the early childhood education and experiences arena. That might be a workshop on some aspect of parenting or a guest speaker on some aspect of early education that appeals to parents — dealing with tantrums, ideas to improve eating habits, etc.

Word-of-Mouth Communication

Word of mouth is a powerful communication and relationship-building tool for any business. The best way to take full advantage of this strategy is to encourage referrals internally, as well as to, connect externally with existing and potential families.

There are two important things to consider when you are working on your word-of-mouth communication strategy,

Are families accurately communicating your value?
Are families motivated to mention you?

The tried-and-true method of word-of-mouth communication will help you establish trust in the marketplace, build brand loyalty among your existing families, and create an effective relationship-building strategy for your Early Childhood business.

Leverage Digital Marketing

There is far more involved here than we have time for today. But it is important to highlight some of the different digital marketing techniques that can be used to promote your Early Childhood business, such as email campaigns, your website, and social media resources.

It can be overwhelming, and it certainly isn’t getting any easier, but social media is a powerful example. It really is an absolute must-have for any business today. Two specifically for early childhood businesses are a Facebook page and/or an Instagram account. At a minimum, use them to keep your community informed on your key dates and events. It is also an easy way to be found, should one of your families recommend you — if they have “liked” your page or account, they can simply share them with others.

Creating a quality website is essential for any business, as it allows you to provide information about your services and products in an organized way. Additionally, creating a blog for your website can be helpful for driving traffic to your website and providing potential families with valuable content.

If you have a curriculum, a unique process, or follow a philosophy you are proud of, share it. For example, educate your community on why play-based learning is so powerful, why you write learning stories, or how you invest in your team.

You could do this through a blog, or writing short articles on these things. Or you do it simply by sharing articles written by others that you endorse or adding a line or two connecting your school to that article. Over time, original content has value. It builds credibility and it helps you educate your community in your own words. It builds and strengthens your relationships with potential families. Not to mention it positions you as an expert in your field.

Share anything you do write on social media — if families share it, your reach expands dramatically. And if you have an email newsletter mailing list, let them know about your blog posts every now and again.

With the right relationship-building strategy in place, you can increase visibility, establish trust with potential families, and build brand loyalty amongst existing clients.

We discuss this in detail so listen in to learn more!

Resources

To help you brainstorm your very own New Team Member Onboarding Plan we have created a resource to help you. It is page 1 of your New Team Member Onboarding Guide. Use this page 1 to get started and continue creating the rest of your guide.

4 Creative Ways to Connect with Potential Families, Increase Visibility and Lose the Marketing Guilt