Are you struggling to develop a messaging strategy (for your marketing efforts) that resonates with your preschool parent audience? If so, then you're not alone. Many preschool businesses struggle with this same issue.

Preschool teachers working on their marketing and messaging strategy to help better connect with parents. — Remember: it is important to have a clear and concise marketing message for your early childhood business. Without it, your target audience will be confused about all the important stuff: Who you are, what you stand for, and what services you offer.

People will only buy from you if you solve a problem they have. Your customers must clearly understand how your service makes their life better if you want them to enroll.

The average person encounters more than five thousand commercial messages each day. It’s getting harder and harder to get people’s attention. Our brains have to sort through so much information that it can get overwhelming.

And that is a problem.

If your messaging is confusing, you blend in with the noise, and you are ignored. What you need to cut through the noise is clarity.

My Kindercare days were instrumental in strengthening my business skills. But it has been my 18 years of owning my own early childhood businesses that I mastered the importance of understanding the parents' journey as the key to clarifying my marketing message.

When I first started, I felt so confident. I had spent 10 years helping thousands of early childhood businesses be successful I could easily do the same for 1. But I quickly realized that without a Marketing Dept, an HR Dept, a Finance Dept., etc. I was doing everything on my own and it quickly became extremely overwhelming. Even with all of my knowledge and experience, I could not control the chaos and I had clutter over clarity.

As you all know, the day-to-day life in an Early Childhood business is never smooth. No two days are ever alike. And it is a miracle if one thing on that day's to-do list gets done!!

I knew I had to simplify and replace the clutter with clarity.

The Four Phases in the Parent’s Journey (You’re Going To Encounter)

When it came to marketing I began to notice that all parents had the same basic journey. And once I focused my marketing messaging on the different phases of the parent's journey, I was able to simplify my efforts and saw more success.

I found that there are 4 phases in the Parent’s Journey when they are looking at their options.

Awareness
Consideration
Decision
Happiness

I began to change up my marketing based on these 4 phases and created the Parent Journey Sales Process.

A little more detail about each of the phases in the Parent Journey Sales Process.

1. Awareness

The Awareness Phase is the first step in the Parent’s Journey. This is where initial research and general education are gathered to help inform the parents of their options and guide them on what to consider.

Typically, this might be a pregnant mother who is researching the options between possibly staying at home, taking their child to preschool, or hiring a nanny. As an Early Childhood business, it is important to establish an early connection and relationship with the parents as an informational resource that is there simply to help them with common questions that will help them determine what’s right for them.

2. Consideration

Once the parents have made the decision that they are interested in enrolling their child in preschool or booking a birthday party, this is when the Consideration Phase begins. This would typically involve a parent now considering what are the important elements they want for their child from a preschool or party.

Key criteria might be topics such as location(s), activities, curriculum, hours of operation, price, etc. Your Early Childhood business should continue to help educate and guide the parents without “selling” them directly. This can be accomplished by enabling your website to provide relevant content and advice.

3. Decision

The Decision Phase begins once the parents have finalized the elements that are important to them. This is where most Early Childhood marketing efforts focus their attention and do not see as much enrollment success. But if you have been successful with helping and educating the parent through the Awareness and Consideration Phases, they will be 75% more likely to consider your Early Childhood business because of the brand loyalty that you’ve created.

In this stage, you can position yourself as the best option by finding your hidden assets or unique value proposition (UVP). Helping the parent understand why they should consider your Early Childhood business now that they are “sales-ready.”

4. Happiness

Now that the parents are your customers, your job doesn’t end. Keeping your families happy and loyal to your business is a key objective for retention. This is known as the Happiness Phase, where your brand is recognized by your customers through various marketing techniques to help keep them happy, engaged, and satisfied with their decision.

Loyal customers are 10 times more likely to refer your Early Childhood business than those who aren’t continuously engaged with your brand. This stage is often neglected and it’s a key opportunity for continuing to grow your business through referrals and a stronger retention rate.

Once I took a little time to understand my potential families, their needs, and where they were on their Parent Journey, I was able to simplify my marketing efforts, achieve more engagement, and see bigger enrollment numbers.

*The success of your early childhood education business marketing efforts hinges on having a clear messaging strategy. We know it could get overwhelming at times, so here's some help figuring it out.*

Making Sure Your Marketing Message (for your Preschool Business) is Crystal Clear

Now it is time to use the Parent Journey Sales Process to help you create and clarify your marketing message. Some key points to consider when clarifying your marketing message for your preschool business include:

Understanding your target audience and what is the Parent Journey Sales Process.

I just explained the key elements of the Parent Journey Sales Process. It's important to understand your target audience and what the Parent Journey Sales Process is because it will tell you what potential parents are looking for so you can develop an effective marketing message.

By understanding who your target audience is and what phase of the Parent Journey they are in, you can better tailor your message to resonate with them. Keep in mind that different audiences will have different needs and wants, so it's important to segment your audience and craft a unique message for each group or phase.

For example, if you are targeting working parents, your message should focus on the benefits of your preschool program in terms of convenience and flexibility. On the other hand, if you are targeting stay-at-home parents, your message should focus on the benefits of your preschool program in terms of its educational value.

Planning and structuring your marketing message for maximum clarity and impact.

This is the second key factor in clarifying your marketing message.

Before you begin crafting your marketing message, it's important to take some time to plan and structure it for maximum clarity and impact. Begin by brainstorming the key points that you want to include in your message.

Then, create an outline of your message so that you can structure it in a way that is clear and easy to understand.

Finally, revise and edit your message until it is perfect.

By taking the time to plan and structure your marketing message, you can ensure that it is clear and effective.

Delivering your message in a way that is easily understood.

This is the third key factor in clarifying your marketing message.

In addition to keeping your message focused, you also need to make sure that it is delivered in a way that is easily understood. This means using language that is simple and easy to understand. Avoid using jargon or technical terms that your audience may not be familiar with. Instead, use language that is clear and concise.

This is where your One-Liner we talked about in the Parent Attraction System comes in. With a clear and memorable one-liner, people will quickly understand what you do and realize why they need your services.

A One-Liner is a single statement you can use to help people realize why they need to engage in your services. It is the most effective way to answer the question, “What do you do?”

The question you need to answer is, “Is my one-liner clear and compelling?” Here’s why that question is important. When you make people curious with your one-liner, you begin building a relationship with them that can eventually lead to enrollment. A clear one-liner is one of the most important tools you can use to build a relationship with a parent. It is a key piece in the Parent Attraction System.

Here are the questions the one-liner must answer:

What’s the main pain point you solve for your customers?
What product or service do you offer that resolves that problem?
What positive result will your customers experience if they buy your product or service?

The one-liner formula has three parts:

The problem
The solution
The result

Part one of the one-liner is the problem your customer is facing. When you start with the problem, you demand people’s attention.

Part two of the one-liner is the solution you offer to your customer’s problem. In other words, your services. By stating your services right after mentioning the problem, you are associating what you offer as a direct resolution to their pain.

Part three of the one-liner is the result. This part shows the result your customer will experience if they do business with you.

You can use this formula over and over again to talk about what you do. Keep it short, clear, and easy to remember. It’s important to remember that the goal of the one-liner is to get people curious. It is not designed to answer all the questions about what you do.

With a clear and memorable one-liner, people will quickly understand what you do and realize why they need your services. Everyone will begin to associate your brand with the problem you solve and word of mouth will spread.

We have created a great, free resource, the One-Liner Formula to help you craft your own One-Liner with ease. Go to kelleypeake.com and you will find it where you find information about this podcast episode.

Keep your message focused and on point.

It is important to keep your message focused and on point. This means that you should avoid trying to cram too much information into your marketing message. Instead, focus on one key benefit or selling point and make sure that your message is clear and concise. By keeping your message focused, you will be able to better capture the attention of your target audience and ensure that they remember your message.

This is where your website plays a key role in your marketing strategy. You need a clear website that will grow your business.

Part two of your Parent Attraction System is your website. If a customer visits your website, they are likely curious about your brand and want to know more. The problem is, that most websites are confusing, and, rather than inviting customers into deeper relationships, they shove customers away.

A great website can make you thousands of dollars and grow your enrollment. The problem is too many Early Childhood businesses get their website wrong and they don’t know why. With an effective website, you’ll invite your customers into a deeper relationship with your brand and they’ll be more likely to buy from you.

We go into far more detail about all that is entailed in a great Early Childhood website in our new course Preschool Business Blueprint and our Shine Membership coming soon. Be sure to go to our website to get on the waiting list for when these are available.

A Final Word on Developing a Messaging Strategy (for Your Preschool Business)

When you build your Parent Attraction System based on the foundation of the Parent Journey Sales Process, you can develop a clear and concise marketing message for your Early Childhood business that resonates with your target audience.

So take the time to understand your audience, focus your message, and deliver it in a way that is easily understood.

Your Early Childhood business will be all the better for it.

[Image: How to Develop a Messaging Strategy that Resonates with Your Preschool Parent Audience]

Need some more help in putting together your early childhood business marketing strategy?

We have created the Early Childhood CEO Business Vision Planner that will guide you through developing your overall brand strategy and other fundamental decisions you need to make in order to plan and structure your marketing strategy for maximum clarity and impact.

Also, we talked in the last podcast episode (“Achieving Success in Preschool Marketing: How to Create a Compelling Marketing Strategy that Engages Customers and Boosts Enrollment”) about how to organize and prioritize your marketing collateral needs and by prioritizing which marketing is getting created first, you can start seeing an impact on your sales faster.

How to Develop a Messaging Strategy that Resonates with Your Preschool Parent Audience