How to create a successful daycare advertisement online

Many daycare providers are turning to the Internet as they are looking to fill their daycare openings. Internet advertising is less expensive compared to traditional print advertising, and it offers many advantages including the ability to modify an ad quickly and easily, and virtually unlimited ad space for promoting daycare openings, creating location maps, and listing daycare features. However, many ads that circulate on the Internet are written quickly and poorly simply because they are so easy to make, and more often than not, they are free. It is essential, however, to remember that you will achieve different level of success based on the quality of the ad you create. If you don’t create an ad that will appeal to parents, you will not achieve success with your advertising campaign. Here are a few pointers to help you create a winning online daycare ad.

Create your daycare’s description

Unless it has brand recognition in your city, most parents have never heard of your daycare. It is for that reason that it is essential to create a proper description of your daycare. A lot of ads seen on the Internet concentrate on the provider and his / her credentials. Very few, however concentrate on the client. Parents want to know what it is that makes your daycare a better choice than the daycare around the block for their children.

Always proof read your daycare ad for spelling and grammar because your ad is the first contact between potential clients and you. If your ad is not written professionally, chances are, you will not get many inquiries from your ad.

Use lower-case letters in your daycare’s description

Some childcare providers believe that when they write their ads in upper case letters (ALL CAPS), they will attract more attention to their ads. DON’T SHOUT! Text written in capital letters is difficult to read and is very irritating. Considering that reading off a computer monitor is harder then reading print, many users choose to avoid reading ads written in all caps altogether.

Do not use abbreviations in your ad

When creating an ad, always remember that your potential clients are not in the same industry and don’t always understand childcare-related jargon. Furthermore, using abbreviations or incomplete sentences makes your overall daycare ad less professional. There are no limitations as to how many words you can put into your daycare description, so take your time and tell your story! Another point is worth mentioning here – don’t exaggerate things because you want parents to call. It is very counterproductive for both parties. When parents visit your daycare for a tour and don’t see the things you had mentioned in your description, majority will leave never to come back again.

Maintain your daycare’s openings information

When parents look for daycare, it is important that they find what openings your daycare currently has and in what age group. It takes a lot of time and is very frustrating for parents to call daycare providers simply to find that there are no openings. In general, an ad that lists daycare spots will generate a lot more interest from parents than a generic ad.

Add photos to your daycare ad

Photos are a great way for you to showcase your daycare. Pictures will make your ad stand out and look more professional and attractive to the prospective clients. Upload photos of inside and outside play area, quality toys, or other features of your daycare that are unique or attractive to parents.

Maintain correct contact information

Make sure your phone number and email address are correct. Without that information parents will be unable to reach you. It is amazing to see how many providers don’t follow this essential step and provide a fictitious email address. A lot of parents will email first for more information. When they don’t get a reply, parents will go some place else. It is important to note, however, that you should not provide your email address as part of your daycare’s description. When you do so, you are giving your email address away to spammers who will harvest and sell your email address. When you are creating your account with us, you are provided a specific field to enter your email address.

Provide your daycare’s location information

A small number of childcare providers choose to not list their daycare’s address as part of adding their daycare. We understand that providers, especially nannies and occasional sitters, choose to not provide the address as the measure of safety and security. However, note that our daycare search engine uses your address when parents are looking for daycares in their area. Without that information it is virtually impossible to find daycares close to the parents’ home or work. Some parents also choose to drive by, or walk by the centre before setting up appointments for a tour. When you choose anonymity, you will decrease your chances to be found in our listings, and to be called by parents.