Some advice on marketing to mums please!

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Hello!

I'm a mum of two little girls (2 and 4) in West London. I've just set up my own business doing parties and organising kids events (stick to what you know I say!) and I am looking for some advice on how you consume media and where you find out about stuff in general!

I have to admit that other than reading The Week, the odd copy of Heat magazine(!) and maybe Angels & Urchins I don't really read much mum stuff (apart from when I'm on here having a general nose!)

Do you write a blog for your business? How do you find it works? Do you follow any blogs? How about twitter, do you use it for business purposes? Do people follow you? Do you use Facebook for business? Are there any websites you get event or "what's hot" info on when you've got your mum hat on?

Any advice would be sooooo brill, I feel so out of the loop on all this new-fangled technology stuff!

Thanks so much ,

Lulu x

As a parent I don't follow anything online regarding children's activities - if I were looking for a child's party or event organiser/entertainer I would use word of mouth, look at the local parenting mags, or do a general google search for whatever type of activity I was looking for. Following something on Twitter, or reading a blog (unless it was very funny or entertaining) wouldn't feature I'm afraid.

As someone in the children's entertainment business the majority of my business comes from word of mouth, or advertising in the children's mags. I do get a number of enquiries from web searches having listings on sites such as Freeindex, UK Party entertainers and Netmums. I have a website, but don't write a blog, or have Twitter, Facebook etc.

That's so helpful, ShellingPeas thanks! Just the kind of info I need .

It's so time consuming to write a blog, do twitter updates and keep a Facebook page running that I want to make sure it's worth it before I commit. It's reassuring to know that your business runs perfectly well without them too!

Thanks again, I really appreciate it,

Lulu x

When I arrange events / parties I always use the same company they are fantastic, I found them by searching for my local area a good few years ago now. I think with this business you need to concentrate on the local area as people will search close to home for kids parties and also ask other parents / word of mouth, after using these planners for the first time I can't count the ammount od DD's friends who all insisted they had a party from them too.

Get a good website, they are pretty cheap now and if you arn't to technical do what I did and get a website for dummies of vista print costs me about £4 a month, got 250 free business cards, they do leaflets / posters etc all matching so really cheap to brand your business when you are starting out.

Have a look at the competitions web sites, do you have a primary times magazine in your area, all the children around here get one at the end of every term free from school with adverts for days out, attractions, childcare party entertainers etc, might be worth seeing how much a box add might be, also posters put up in playgroups, church halls, party shops will put leaflets up or hand out for you, you could buy your bits and bobs from them.

The company I use is www.wildchilds.co.uk
they have a good website might be worth a shufty, also have you thought about advertising for events like weddings etc might be another angle to think about, children ofetn get a bit bored whilst the grown ups get merry.

THank you so much atworknotworking. That is fantastic advice - I'll get moving on it all! I've found it REALLY useful.

Very much appreciated,

Lulu x

Shellingpeas - could you expand upon "advertising in the children's mags".

What do you mean by children's mags... am I right to assume you don't me Thomas The Tank Engine magazine.

Are you talking more national publications like Junior, Right Start, Parenting or are you talking about local publications such as Families, RaringToGo, NCT newsletters.

my best feedback was from using primary times which is local to given areas. junior etc expensive and crap!

Sorry nannynick - only just come back to this thread.

By children's mags I mean the ones aimed at the local parents - here we have national franchises such as Family Grapevine and Raring2Go and also a far number of locally run independents. They target parents of babies and young children so specifically distribute in nurseries, pre-schools, primary schools and also in doctors surgeries, libraries and similar places. Some also have stands in supermarkets and shopping malls but I think the best results come from those who place directly into childcare facilities or schools.

NCT magazines can be useful if you have a very specific target group i.e. those with young babies. It can be useful, but has a limited distribution where I am (around 300 members) whereas the other magazines have print runs in the tens of thousands range.

I have found that it's best, if your business is pitched very locally, to avoid publications which cover too wide a geographical area - in my experience my ad in Primary Times was a waste of money as it covered a huge chunk of the South East. Better results were had from the smaller, locally focused publications.

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