Are you thinking about using t-shirts to get more exposure for your home daycare business?

Check-out this list of 10 easy peasy ways to help you get more mileage and the most bang for your buck from your investment:

1.) Change of clothes - Little Caleb got a yucky tummy? Don’t send him home in some old rag you found on the floor of the closet. Send him home with a keeper.

2.) Daily walks - Look well put together and professional when out on daily walks with the kiddos.

3.) Daily Uniform - Ya gotta get dressed right, so why not reach for a shirt that features YOUR business instead of someone else’s? Plus, you’ll never have to worry about what to wear.

4.) Field trips - Have the children wear them on field trips. Not only will they be visible to potential clients, but it’s also easier for you to keep tabs on them.

5.) Give-a-ways - Use them as nice little welcome aboard gifts for new clients at enrollment.

6.) On the go - Stand out from the crowd of mommy taxis when transporting your clan to and from school.

7.) PTA meetings - Some groups may give you the stiff arm when you ask about advertising, but who says you can’t wear your ad? (wink-wink)

8.) School functions - These are ideal opportunities to get your name in front of parents galore.

9.) Sports activities - Much like school functions, sports activities & events like little league, cheerleading, soccer, etc. are all great places to sport your t-shirt with pride.

10.) Volunteer work - Be sure to sport your shirt when doing volunteer work for local organizations or community groups, especially if you work with children.

Whether you get them online, use a local printer, or try your hand at making them yourself, promoting your home daycare business with t-shirts is an effortless way to increase visibility and build recognition.  

Visit http://www.FamilyDaycareMarketing.com for more articles, tips, and marketing resources for your Home Daycare Business.

This article is available for reprint with the author’s resource box intact and all links live and clickable. Copyright is reserved by author.

Recommended Resource:

Café Press - Easy peasy online t-shirt design.

Did you know that more than 60 percent of customers leave due to perceived indifference? They think you don’t care about them, and simply move on.

Add to that the fact that it cost more to acquire a new client than to keep an existing one, and it really helps to remind us just how important it is to take time to focus marketing efforts on existing clients.

Use these 6 simple tips to turn your existing clients into raving fans:  

1.) Continue to learn. Continue to build upon your knowledge and professional growth. The more you learn, the more your clients benefit. The more they benefit, the longer they’ll stay. Both you and your clients will benefit.

2.) Resolve problems and disputes quickly and with a positive attitude. Things go wrong, and mistakes happen, it‘s a part of doing business. It’s how you handle these situations that makes all the difference. Learn to value complaints and view them as opportunities to improve.

3.) Reward your clients. Don’t get nervous. This doesn’t have to be anything formal like an official Customer Rewards Program or anything, but do try to come up with some ideas that will make your clients feel special and appreciated.

4.) Say thank-you. Remind your clients that you are thankful for their business. A simple “Thanks for your continued business this week” can go a long way towards making your clients feel valued and appreciated.

5.) Send a card. How awesome would it be to get something in the mail other than a bill? Waaah… I’m jealous already! Express your thanks and appreciation for their continued business. Easy-peasy, send a card.

6.) Set the tone with a smile. “A smile is really a simple thing – an expression of welcome, there is no cost involved.” ~John R. Hendrie. This may sound like a no-brainer, but sadly, it’s a commonly overlooked courtesy in this day and age.

At the end of the day, it really doesn’t take a whole lot to remind clients how much you value and appreciate their continued business. It’s the small things that will make a big difference.

And the best part? A satisfied clients is more likely to become a long-term client, and a long-term client is more likely to become a resource for referrals.  

Bonus!

Visit http://www.FamilyDaycareMarketing.com for more articles, tips, and marketing resources for your Home Daycare Business.

This article is available for reprint with the author’s resource box intact and all links live and clickable. Copyright is reserved by author.

Recommended Resource:

Acres Of Diamonds by Russell H. Conwell

The whole purpose of marketing your home daycare business is to increase public awareness and in turn increase your profits, right? Bottom line, no secret there.

What better way to enhance your visibility and stand out from the crowd than with the use of a yard sign?

Not only is it a one time cost that continues to work as a silent member of your personal sales force long after your initial investment, but it’s also tax deductible as an “advertising expense” (Discuss with your CPA).

Woo-hoo, a win, win!

But before you invest a single red cent towards a yard sign for your home daycare business, be sure to get familiar with local laws to determine if there are any ordinances restricting business signs in residential areas.

Many towns have specific regulations about the size, placement, and content of signs, and some may flat out prohibit them altogether.

If the zoning laws in your area prevent you from placing a sign in your yard, you can try applying for a variance to the existing codes or try an alternative location such as a large window or garage door.

If all else fails, invest in a car sign and be very strategic about how you park your vehicle. lol

Regardless of where you locate your yard sign, it’s just as important to consider its appearance. It doesn’t matter if you buy your daycare sign online, locally, or make it yourself, just make sure it looks professional (no sharpies).

Your home daycare yard sign should…

Creating and distributing flyers is an easy and inexpensive way to advertise your in-home daycare business and build enrollment.

Keep these 10 tips in mind while planning the launch of your next flyer campaign:

1.) Benefits - Use bullet points to highlight key benefits of your program. Don’t just rundown the usual laundry list of “We offer meals, a warm & loving environment, etc“. So do most providers. What makes your program different? Gluten free menu options, 24 hour care, foreign language? Once you find IT, lead with it.

2.) Call-to-Action - Tell your prospects exactly what you want them to do once they’ve read your flyer? Call, visit website, email? Use Deadlines & limits to encourage prompt responses. You want them to act NOW, not later.

3.) Color Options - You want your flyers to get attention. Studies show that colored paper tends to out perform standard white paper, so why not use that to your advantage & go for something that’s bright, fun, & cheerful?

4.) Distribution - Distribute in “targeted areas” where parents with young children will see them such as: Toys-R-Us, Baby Depot, Chuck-E-Cheeses, Elementary Schools, Libraries, etc. Look out for minivans and vehicles with car seats. If you’re distributing door-to-door, target homes with toys & play equipment in the yard.

5.) Headline - Instead of just using your business name, try something different like a client testimonial or asking your prospect a question to capture their attention.

6.) Referrals - Encourage referrals by asking that those “not currently in need of child care services, please pass along to someone who is.”

7.) Safety First - Do Not list your street address, try something like… serving “your city” and surrounding areas.

8.) Stash Some Extras - Keep a stash of extra flyers in your vehicle (seat pocket, trunk, or under seat) along with a box of thumb tacks or push pins and tape. I find that those cute little plastic accordion folders works well for this task.

9.) Testimonials - Adding a testimonial to your flyer can be very effective and go a long way towards building credibility. You can also use them as headlines for your flyers.

10.) Town Ordinances - Get familiar with local laws before distributing your flyers. Check to make sure there are no city ordinances against posting flyers in certain areas, passing them out on the street, or door-to-door. Also get permission before distributing in parking lots.

Whether you decide to design and print a small batch right from your home computer or simply print one and make additional copies at your local office supply or copy spot, flyers are a simple and easy way to create visibility for your in-home daycare business.

Visit http://www.FamilyDaycareMarketing.com for more articles, tips, and marketing resources for your Home Daycare Business.

This article is available for reprint with the author’s resource box intact and all links live and clickable. Copyright is reserved by author.

Hurray!… You’ve finally created a website for your home daycare business!

Ok, now what? How do you go about advertising your new website without breaking the piggy bank wide open? It’s not at all hard to do if you know where to start.

Listed below are 8 free ways to begin driving traffic to your cozy little home on the web:

1.) Classified Ads - Free Online Classified Ads are not just for used cars and yard sales, they also offer an easy no-cost solution for promoting your home daycare business online.

2.) Daycare Directory Submission - This is another free and easy way to get qualified traffic to visit your website. When you think about it, who would be more qualified than a prospect that’s willing to search through an online daycare directory? Make sure that you‘re there to be found!

3.) Email Signature File - Creating a signature in your email program is a simple and easy way to promote your website. Remember, emails get forwarded all the time, so take advantage of this free exposure. Take your email program for a spin to see what it can do.

4.) Forum Signature File - Much like an email siggy, most forums allow you to add a signature line to your profile that will be added to the bottom of each of your posts. Utilize this feature to include a link to your website. The key here is to never blatantly advertise, but let your signature do the work for you.

5.) Press Releases - Send a press release to your local newspaper announcing the launch of your new website. This is an excellent way to gain publicity and exposure for your home daycare business and stand out in your community giving you a distinct advantage over your competition.

6.) Search Engines - Be sure to submit your website to all the major search engines. They are still one of the most effective ways to bring targeted traffic to your website. This process can be a little slow in the beginning, but don’t get discouraged. The end results will be well worth the wait.

7.) Social Networking Sites - Think Facebook, MySpace, and the many other social networking sites out there are for the teen scene only? Au contraire, mon amie! Think again. If you’re a member, be sure to link back to your website.

8.) Voice Mail - Most of us have answering machines or voice mail services nowadays. What better way to put your marketing on auto pilot than to direct prospects to your website to learn more about your program while you’re juggling morning snacks between twin 9 month olds, 4 toddlers, & Fido.

Bonus Tip:

Invest in you own domain name. Not only does it make you look more like the professional that YOU know you are, but it’s also easier to verbalize, print, and remember for both you and your prospects. It’s a win-win.

Visit http://www.FamilyDaycareMarketing.com for more articles, tips, and marketing resources for your Home Daycare Business.

This article is available for reprint with the author’s resource box intact and all links live and clickable. Copyright is reserved by author.

In Part 1 of this article we covered 5 ways to help you minimize your efforts while increasing responses when using free online classified ads to promote your home daycare business.

Lets now take a look at Success Tips 6-10:

Success Tip #6

PLEASE DO NOT USE ALL CAPS IN THE BODY OF YOUR AD. NOT ONLY WILL YOUR AD BE HARD TO READ, BUT YOU DON’T WANT YOUR PROSPECTS TO THINK THAT YOU ARE SCREAMING AT THEM!

 Success Tip #7

Sign-up for a separate e-mail account. Why should you bother? There are software programs out there that are created for the sole purpose of “harvesting” email addresses and spamming them into an oblivion. I know, rich isn‘t it? Save yourself the headache. Don’t use your main email account.

Success Tip #8

Place your ads consistently. Finding success with a one shot ad is not the norm. The same holds true even when placing ads off-line. The more exposure that your ad gets, the greater the chance it has to find success. Like with many things, consistency is the key here.

Success Tip #9

Be strategic about planning your ad campaign. Don’t just limit yourself to placing ads only when you have to fill an occasional spot here and there. Be strategic about it. Remember other occasions such as…

So you’re thinking about using free online classified ads to promote your home daycare business, huh?

Listed below you’ll find 10 Success Tips that will help you to use this marketing strategy to its maximum potential:

Success Tip #1

Create a compelling headline. Your headline is the most important part of your ad. Its job is to capture the attention of your prospect and provide a compelling reason for them to read further. Otherwise, your prospect will simply scan right past your ad & move on to the next one.

Success Tip #2

Keep the body of your ad short and sweet. Don’t try to squeeze every detail about your program into the body of your ad. The goal of your ad is to generate inquiries. You’re not selling your program (yet). You’re selling prospects on the action of replying to your ad. Think of it as an invitation. Follow the K.I.S.S. rule here: “Keep It Simple Sweetie”.

Success Tip #3

Create an urgent Call-To-Action. End your body copy by telling your prospect exactly how to respond to your ad: Call, email, visit us online, etc. Use deadlines or limits to encourage prompt responses. If prospects feel they need to act fast, they will. If they feel they can sit around and think about it, they will. lol

Success Tip #4

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Help your ad stand out by using images whenever possible. An image of your business card, banner, playroom or outdoor area are good candidates. Make sure that your images fit within acceptable size limits. Otherwise, they may not be displayed.

Success Tip #5

Use a text file to keep your ads organized and ready to go. Whenever you need to fill a couple of spots for Summer Camp, an odd part-time opening, or announce your next Open House, posting your ad will be a breeze. You simply copy and paste your information into the form boxes and Voila!, you’re done.

Be sure to check out Part 2 of this article where we’ll cover Success Tips 6-10.

Visit http://www.FamilyDaycareMarketing.com for more articles, tips, and marketing resources for your Home Daycare Business.

This article is available for reprint with the author’s resource box intact and all links live and clickable. Copyright is reserved by author.

In Part 1 of this article we covered 10 simple ways to help you get your business cards out of the box and into the hands of your prospects via…

1.) Baby Changing Stations, 2.) Book Donations, 3.) Bookmarks, 4.) Bulletin Boards, 5.) Classified Ads, 6.) Diaper Bags, 7.) Goldfish Bowls, 8.) Greeting Cards, 9.) Halloween Packs, & 10.) Local Businesses.

Now, let’s take a quick look at tips 11-17:

11.) Quick Notes - If you’re ever in a pinch, you can always use the back of your business card to jot down your cell phone number, email address, a quick note, or any other info someone request of you. Sure beats a napkin, eh?

12.) Realtors - Ask your local realtors if they would be willing to place your business cards inside the packets that they pass out to new families moving into the community.

13.) Referrals - Your business card becomes a valuable referral tool when in the hands of family, friends, and clients… (Your own little mini sales army).

14.) School Office - Take some time to drop off a couple of your business cards at the front office of your local elementary schools. You can also inquire about running a “biz card size” ad in the school newsletter.

15.) Tipping - Whenever you dine out, be sure to leave your business card behind along with your tip.

16.) Trade - Exchange a few cards with someone who also targets parents of young children. We all have a friend or a friend of a friend that’s a direct seller of child friendly products or services.

17.) Welcome Wagon - Ask your local Welcome Wagon to include your business cards in the welcome packets that they provide to new families moving into your community.

So there you have it, 17 simple uses for your business cards.

Remember, there’s no point in having business cards without some sort of plan to put them into action.

Visit http://www.FamilyDaycareMarketing.com for more articles, tips, and marketing resources for your Family Daycare.

This article is available for reprint with the author’s resource box intact and all links live and clickable. Copyright is reserved by author.

Did you know that business cards are the most popular marketing tool of choice among home daycare providers, yet the average provider has more than half of her business cards still sitting in the box?

Yikes!

So what’s a girl to do with all those extra business cards just sitting around gathering dust?

Get them into circulation!

1.) Baby Changing Stations - You know the kind in public restrooms. I know, I know… it’s not that glamorous, but a lead is a lead, right? Lol

2.) Book Donations - Affix to the inside of any books that you plan to donate to doctor‘s office‘s, pediatricians, libraries, etc.  

3.) Bookmarks - Before returning library books, be sure to place a business card inside. Two hot spots are the table of contents or index section.

4.) Bulletin Boards - These are great places to put your business cards to work for you. Check out your local community centers, grocery stores, libraries, places of worship, schools, etc.

5.) Classified Ads - Did you know that your business card can double as an ad? Many publications both on-line and off-line offer “business card size” classified ads. Submission requirements vary, so do your homework.

6.) Diaper Bags - On your next trip to Target or Wal-Mart, drop a card into a few of the diaper bags on display. It’s likely the new mommy may be in need of your services and give you a call.

7.) Goldfish Bowls - You know the bowls at sandwich type shops offering a free lunch if your card is chosen? Never pass one without dropping your card in. Who knows, you may just get a free lunch and a new client.

8.) Greeting Cards - Has a new family moved into your neighborhood? Why not drop a “Welcome to the neighborhood” greeting card in the mail to let them know about your services.

9.) Halloween Packets - Get yourself a box of snack size Ziploc baggies (the perfect size for this project) and create little goodie packets by adding one of your business cards and a few sweet treats. Voila! You’re in business.

10.) Local Businesses - Ask local business owners if you can leave a small stack near the register. You never know who’s in the market for child care services or may know someone else who is.

In Part 2 of this article, I‘ll cover 7 additional ways to put this tiny little workhorse into client attraction mode for your home daycare business.

Visit http://www.FamilyDaycareMarketing.com for more articles, tips, and marketing resources for your Family Daycare.

This article is available for reprint with the author’s resource box intact and all links live and clickable. Copyright is reserved by author.

P.S. You can request Free! Business Cards here.

Well spring has finally sprung, & I don’t know about you, but fall & winter have given my little cottage a fine beating. Things around here are looking a little… well, dingy.

That’s certainly no way to go about marketing a business, especially a home daycare business. So before I schedule any interviews, I’ve gotta whip this place back into shape pronto!

Did you know that within a few seconds of a potential client driving up to your home, they have already formed an opinion of your home daycare business, good or bad?

Does “Gone In 60 Seconds” ring a bell? That Nick Cage is so dreamy in a goofy boy next door sort of way… but, I digress. lol  

No matter how awesome your daycare space is “inside”, your prospects may have already decided to move on simply based on their first impression of the “outside”.

Bummer, huh?

So how do we get the “outside” of your home daycare business to reflect the quality of care going on “inside”?

Besides the obvious tasks of mowing the lawn & trimming the hedges, here are 10 super simple ways to add a little curb appeal to your humble abode:

1.) Flowerbeds & Shrubs - Boy, what a difference a couple of bags of mulch can make.

2.) Got Spiders? - Yes, spiders do serve their purpose, but it’s time to say goodbye to Charlottes Web.

3.) House Numbers - Are they in good condition or should they be repaired, repainted, or replaced?

4.) Litter & Debris - Make sure that your yard, driveway, walkway, etc. are free of all litter, debris, & pesky leaves.

5.) Mailbox - Has your mailbox seen better days? This is another good candidate for a thorough scrubbing, repair job, or replacement.

6.) Mold & Mildew - Whether you go with a store bought product or a homemade solution, be sure to try it out on a test area to avoid any major “whoopsies“.

7.) Repairs - Address any flaking or chipped paint, loose screens, shutters, gutters, handrails, steps, etc.

8.) Stow The Stuff - Stow away unnecessary garden goodies & equipment, unsightly garbage cans, lawn furniture or any random item that doesn‘t live in your front yard.

9.) Welcome Aboard - Add a homey touch to your entry way with a fresh new welcome mat.

10.) Yard Sign - Wash, repair, or replace your yard sign if necessary. Go a step further by adding some potted plants or flower box at the base to make it smile.

If you want to take this whole idea of creating curb appeal to the next level, stop by your local library to see what they have available on the topics of creating curb appeal, landscaping, home staging and such. (be sure to post some flyers while you’re there).Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m super excited about the idea of giving my home and business a little Spring Time pick me up.What have you got planned?

Visit http://www.FamilyDaycareMarketing.com for more articles, tips, and marketing resources for your Family Daycare.

This article is available for reprint with the author’s resource box intact and all links live and clickable. Copyright is reserved by author.

P.S. Here are couple of resources you may find handy.

Free Printable Curb Appeal Check-List - This is a PDF document.

Curb Appeal Tips - 197 Ways to improve the curb appeal of any home.

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