If I ever open my nursery - how will I advertise it??Any clever MN ideas?

[Katymac]

Do I do 10% of your first months bill?

Or big noticeboards on the main roads?

Or leaflets?

Or what??

Yeah, with newspaper/magazine advertisements you might as well take a pile of £20 notes and burn them. Same with advertising for staff as well, in my experience.

With me the 10% discount for teacher's children paid off hugely. I only ever got one teacher's child but the school sent me loads and loads of kids - siblings of their older pupils (by referring my nursery to their parents, of course).

Local NCT - ask if they have a newsletter and advertise in that - as well as goody bags as NuseryJo said

A poster in all the local church halls etc , where no doubt parents go for other classes eg Tumble Tots or music classes

get a banner across a railway bridge
advertise in local hospitals/GPs surgeries/libraries
Get links to and from other websites which you may have things in common with
get a celeb to open the nursery - this will generate publicity - even the local mayor/MP will generate publicity
if you do get the business angel to help you will get the dual publicity aspect too as they will promote their involvement too

Like the railway arch idea - I will be in touch with the council

There aren't any local businesses - I am between 2 towns so will get passing traffic

Hmmm need to find a celeb

Have deals with childminding & other small local stuff

Liking these ideas - any more

the railway banner is how i found one of the nurseries i ended up looking at
The local cafes always have loads of leaflets and newsagents windows
there is a list of celebs' agents and i wish i could remember the name of it - if i do i will post back ...
I would call your local papers and see if they do any features on local businesses - one week care homes, the next restaurants etc ... if you advertise in an issue dedicated to childcare it is better than just putting a regular advert in

Target the places where your customer base is to be found.

I would go more for workplaces than church halls as the percentage of sahms at toddler groups/tumble tots is higher than those who work.

Are there any large call centre type places or larger local employers who employ a lot of women (not being sexist but it is more often the mum who organises these things)

It doesn;t matter that the businesses are not local it is where people live that is important, not where they work target workplaces within a 10 mile radius.

Buy some vouchers (say 50 quid each) for independant local kids clothing/shoe shops etc and ask them if they'll put a leaflet advertising your nursery in the bag every time they make a sale. Offer to put their leaflets at yur nursery too. On your leaflet you put that there will be a prize draw for the vouchers and all you have to do to enter is come by the nursery and pick up a leafelt about it (the nursery).

will you be near a school - handy for the little sisters & brothers.

advert in paper, docs waiting room if poss, local supermarket, postoffice.

local businesses

Labor & Delivery?

These are great

Any more??

Katymac, slight hijack, sorry, did you see the article in Practical Pre-school this month about green nurseries? You have probably thought of it all but I thought it made interesting reading.( I have overlooked the fact that they put the article in their PROFFESIONAL' section!!!

Ooh

I'll have a look

I guess I'll have to order it

Is the magazine any good - should I get a yrs worth or just try to get that issue (june is it?)

Never mind Labour & Delivery, you can advertise in ante-natal clinics when you get really popular!

How do you get into online directories for childcare? It's not as exciting as banners and whatnot, but we found DD's nursery by searching for all the local nurseries, mapping out the locations, prioritising on location, visiting them ... boring, but we wouldn't even have been aware of half of them if we'd not done this.

Yes June issue. I get mine paid for by work, it's ok, though has a lot of pullout posters and activity ideas whilst I'd prefer more articles. If you think you can get it from anywhere, do, but if not I'll send you the article if you CAT me.

Haven't read thread so apologies if repeating anything:

-have an Open Day/Fun Day at the weekend. Include art activities, bouncy castle, face painting, BarBQ etc. Have representatives from other organisations eg. the nursery DS goes to uses only organic fruit and veg so they had a rep. from the local suppliers giving out info and free samples and real nappy people. Stalls for charity fundraising, raffles, Hook the Duck etc. Gives potential customers the chance to wander round, see facilities,meet staff and so on.

-Advertise the fact thay the first x number of children to sign up get reduced rates for 1 year/ 2years whatever

-advertise in magazines/staff intranet for organisations like local county and town councils, any big companies near you

Thanks Happystory - I have Cat'ed you

I must subscribe to a nursery magazine - I just don't know which one (any suggestions?)

Still recording and thinking about all these ideas

Thanks everyone - I do appreciate what a wondeful resource MN is

They've revamped EYE (early years educator) and I find that quite intelligently written and useful

How about contacting some local companies and arranging a preferential rate with some of them.

Happystory

Thanks - I got the article

Interesting read