advertising your childminding services

[megandsoph]

hi all,

I've decided to help my childminder out a bit it's her first time in her career of twenty year that she is in need of advertising as there appears to be a drought of parents needing her services for next year. I have said I will help her out as she has been a life line to me over the past years so the question is really where are the best places to advertise your services?
do you know if the local sure starts will help?

TIA
clare
x

I became registered at the end of May and now have up to 5 kids some days - all from my own advertising. I personally have found the enquiries from the CIS a bit slow but that may just be my area? Anyway, I advertised on all free online sites, with Yell.com, thompson, google etc etc. However, I have been told by my parents that's it's my website that attracted them. I have a list somewhere of every online place I have advertised - will try and dig it out tomorrow (exhausted tonight). I also advertise at local Asda, post offices, village notice boards, toddler groups etc.

HTH

I have had a lot of initial enquiries through my own website too and it is also worthwhile getting an ad in your local NCT magazine. I have just done this although it hasn't been published yet, and was surprised by the affordability of it. There have been lots of other worthwhile advertising ideas posted on here before if you look through the archives.

Good point goosey about the NCT magazine. There's also families magazine too.

thanks so much both of you

that would be fantastic if you could helly and big congrats on your sucess THATS FAB

clare
x

I advertised in NCT magazine and didn't get any replies, I got my mindees through contacts - just make sure that everybody and anybody knows that she is a minder, try getting business cards printed and give these to everybody who'll take them. hth

No probs Clare, will try tomorrow when my brain is back in gear (5 kids yesterday followed by neice & nephew staying the night - them and ds staying on floor in lounge with me on sofa so no sleep and back to minding today and clearing all the mess!! [emoticon with dark eyes with HUGE bags]

Good point about business cards too - I made loads of these and bought a cheap holder from ebay and arranged for them to be on a merchandise table at a local music and dance group. I'm going to do more and ask if post offices and newsagents will allow them to be on display at the counter. I've also handed out to friends, contacts etc!

Good luck and chase me if I forget that list!!!

You can get business cards printed at www.vistaprint.com for about £2.50 + p&p, so at that price you can afford to give them out to everyone and put them up everywhere. I am also a member our town's childminding group and we have a website which we try to get advertised in the local paper by doing lots of events with our mindees as a group and get them to come along to take photos so we get publicity for free and of course we make sure our website address is given.
I have got most of my enquiries by having a poster in my front window, but I do live on a fairly busy road.

Hi again

Feel much better today and also ALL 4 mindees are off next week so I get a break and still get paid I am SOOO lucky that all 3 families chose the same week to be off! I'm going to work really hard on advertising next week!

Anyway, blabla and all that. You wanted some links! Here are some online places....

www.britinfo.net
www.yell.com
www.118118.com
www.childalert.co.uk
www.practicalparent.org.uk
www.familiesonline.co.uk
www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.com
www.mumsnet.com

The rest were local sites for my area. You can also pay google a small fee to be on their search engine but if you put an ad on mumsnet and the like, you should appear on the google search anyway!

HTH

couple more mentioned on 'stressed with filling spaces' thread.

HTH