Is putting adverts up in shops a waste of time?

[LoveMyGirls]

Have you had any responses?

I have never put an ad in a shop (not very helpful am I ? ), but as I live on a fairly busy main road (and opposite a nursery) I have put up a large poster in my window when I have had a vacany and managed to get 3 of my mindees that way.

Hiya mate, I've had enquiries through shop adverts! I did one poster in Asda when first started, resulted in 3 new mindees. This was 2 brothers (one full time and one school run/hols) and their friend (school run/hols) - was VERY worth it. Other local shop ones didn't pan out as I couldn't do those days but the main thing was, I DID get enquiries.

Obviously word of mouth etc. is better but it's worth advertising imo Good luck, I know you're having a tough time

Yes, I have had an enquiry through putting a poster in a newsagents window. Hopefully will be starting in June. Also recently had an enquiry through yell.com

How did you register with yell.com?

Go to www.yell.com, on the left there is a section about advertising - click on 'Advertise with Yell'. I've had several enquiries via this.

Asda won'e let me advertise put i have got posters up on each side of my car and left a business card in their baby changing room. I've also asked my bank (its in their interest ) and wilkinsons to put my posters up in their staff rooms which they kindly did, i went into the job centre and was told a big fat no

I feel like such a failure I want to make this work I need to make this work.

Adverts up in shops round here cost £1 a week!!!!!! so its working out more money than i'm gonna be earning if I don't egt new clients soon.

Had a few enquiries from shop windows and from posters I have put on tree's outside school, but I have got most of my clients through a poster at my doctors surgery. Did little bits at bottom with my number and name so they could rip it off without the 'no pen' issue being a problem. Actually have to replace it now as noticed last week when I went that all rip off bits have gone.

Am finally doing well enough that I quit my crappy weekend job three weeks ago, and I thought it would never happen so there is hope for us all.

Good luck

I have advertised in my local shop and didnt get any. I advertised for about 6 weeks.

Not a childminder, but I found DS and DD's childminders because of an advert they put in our village shop.

i put advert in local pre-school and got 2 mindees this way
put ads in newsagents and post office got nothing
put ad in local paper £40 for a week got nothing
must just depend on were you live
asda wont let me advertise
mothercare wont let me advertise
morrisons wont eirther
most of my mindees now come from word of mouth

I got my first mindee from an ad in a shop and she got me my next one. Most calls I get are from CIS parents.

lovemygirls it does take a while unless you join up with other childminders in your area in a network(they seem to pass work between them).
Also try emergency childcare.co.uk someone might be in a fix and might be so impressed by you that they stay with you.(you need to be a NCMA childminder though).
Goodluck
And enjoy getting paid to play i do!

I'm not a childminder - but there's one on our road who advertises in her car (rear window) when she has a vacancy..I rang her because of it (although she didn't have the right vacancy for me).

only thing that worrys me about adverts in the car is when its parked outside your house
there are wierd people in the world

Thanks

kidsrus - I'm doing both of those idea's i'm not sure if i'm in with the "in crowd" of cm's but i got to a few groups a week which are only for childminders and none of us are getting any calls right now.