Marketing Your Minnesota Daycare: Proven Tactics to Boost Childcare Enrollment
Owning and running a successful daycare in Minnesota requires more than just providing great childcare. You also need a strong and effective daycare marketing strategy to attract new families. With increasing competition among Minnesota daycare providers, it's essential to invest in the right tactics to stand out and be noticed in your community.
This article will walk you through proven childcare marketing ideas and channels, including local SEO for daycares, social media ads for daycare owners, direct mailers, and more to help grow your enrollment and build a thriving daycare business.
1. SEO for Daycare Providers
Why SEO Matters for Childcare Marketing
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most cost-effective ways to get consistent, long-term visibility for your daycare. By optimizing your website and content for search engines, parents searching for Minnesota daycare providers will find your business before your competitors.
Boosting SEO with Daycare Detector
A powerful tool for daycare SEO and online visibility is Daycare Detector, which helps daycare providers enhance their SEO presence. By listing your daycare on our platform, you have a great chance to:
- Increase your daycare’s online visibility in search engines and google maps
- Improve your credibility with parent reviews and ratings
- Gain a high-authority backlink that helps boost your Google rankings
Many parents trust Daycare Detector when researching local childcare options, making it an excellent way to build trust and increase enrollments being part of our app and also local search engine results.
2. Local SEO for Daycares: How to Dominate Local Searches
So what exactly is Local SEO? It’s a process that allows your daycare to appear in Google’s local search results and map pack when parents look for child care nearby. Here’s a few tips on how to improve your local SEO for your daycare center:
- Claim & optimize your google business profile
- Encourage parent reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook
- Use local keywords and search phrases in website content and blogs
- List your daycare in local directories and keep citations up to date
Daycare Detector: A Local SEO Boost for Providers
Many parents begin their daycare search online and on our Daycare Detector website, and it helps you optimize for local search. A listing on our platform helps make sure your daycare is easily found by Minnesota parents, giving you an advantage in search rankings.
3. Paid Advertising for Daycares
Does PPC Work for Daycare Marketing?
Yes! Google PPC (Pay-Per-Click) ads and Bing PPC campaigns allow you to instantly appear at the top of search results when parents look for childcare providers. Unlike SEO, which takes time, PPC delivers immediate results.
Best PPC Strategies for Daycares
Target High-Intent Keywords & Search Phrases
Use Location Targeting To Optimize Your Spend
Run A/B Tests To Test Different Copy, Photos, and Links
Use Keyword Planner to estimate and forecast budget needs
Social Media vs. PPC Ads: Which is Better?
Both social media ads and PPC ads play an essential role in daycare digital marketing:
Ad Type | Best For | Examples |
Google & Bing PPC Ads | Parents actively searching for daycare | “Best daycare in Minnesota” |
Facebook & Instagram Ads | Targeting parents based on location and interests | “Looking for trusted childcare? Enroll today!” |
TikTok Ads | Brand awareness and engagement | Videos showcasing daycare Activities |
Daycare Detector: Local PPC Campaigns That Work
Getting in front of parents sometimes takes a paid effort. Daycare Detector can work with you and our partner WebVolta to create compelling and high-converting PPC ads that drive parents to your listings and/or daycare website. We can handle ad creation, management, and optimization of your advertising campaigns so you can stay focused on your facility and child care duties!
4. Social Media Marketing for Daycares
Facebook & Instagram Ads for Daycare Owners
Parents frequently use social media to research daycare options. Running social media ads for daycare owners like you on Facebook & Instagram allows you to target local parents based on:
- Their location and activity on the platforms
- Interests (parenting, early childhood education, in home daycares, etc.)
- Their age, gender, and general user patterns
Organic Marketing Through Facebook Groups
In addition to running ads, daycare owners can organically market their services by becoming active members of Facebook and other platform parenting groups!
How to Use Facebook Groups for Daycare Marketing:
- Join Local Parenting & Childcare Groups
- Engage Genuinely & Contribute To Discussions
- Post About Your Daycare (When Allowed) - Check the rules first!
- Use Targeted Facebook Ads to Target Group Members And Families
Pro Tip:
Daycare Detector helps Minnesota daycare providers get noticed by parents searching online—listing your daycare here adds credibility when engaging in Facebook groups when additional research is desired by parents. It helps to “warm your audience” and reputation!
Daycare Detector: Social Media Expertise
Getting started is only one part of the daycare marketing equation. We know how and where to target parents and others looking for (or interested in) childcare across platforms like Facebook and Instagram, and can help you craft ads and messaging that resonates with the type of clients you want to join your daycare center. Let us know if you have any questions or contact us to discuss some options.
5. Email Marketing for Daycares
We all get emails. MANY emails. But email marketing is still a powerful and cost-effective way to stay in touch with interested parents and convert leads into enrollments.
Email Strategies for Daycare Providers
1) Follow Up with Interested Parents
Send a personal email to any parent who inquires about your daycare.You can also use your existing email list to create better relationships and potential “upsells” to clients that already trust you.
2) Send Monthly Updates
Keep your current parents engaged with newsletters about upcoming events, policy changes, and special offers. Show your personality, skills, and personal touch regularly!
3) Promote Limited-Time Enrollment Discounts
If you have openings, email your list with exclusive promotions. You would be surprised how many referrals you can gain to new parents from your existing client base.
4) Automate Responses
Use a system like Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or HubSpot to send automatic replies to inquiries and help control the flow and time it takes for you to maintain your email marketing.
General Guidelines for Effective Daycare Email Marketing
- Keep emails short and engaging (parents are busy, and so are you).
- Use updated and current images of yourself, staff, and facility (it ties the email to real life).
- Include a clear call to action (i.e., “Schedule a Tour Today”).
- Personalize emails whenever possible (“Hi [Parent's Name]”).
Pro Tip: Add a link to your Daycare Detector profile in every email—parents trust third-party platforms and love additional ways to research your daycare business.
Daycare Detector: Email Marketing for Daycares
Email marketing is still a valuable tool to be put in front of your best referral sources: current families that trust you and your services. We can help you build an email marketing program that not only touches base with your list of contacts, but also generates referrals from those same parents that are already speaking highly of you to their friends and coworkers.
6. Direct Mail Marketing for Daycares
While digital marketing is critical, direct mailers are still highly effective for childcare marketing. Postcards and brochures help introduce your daycare to local families who may not be actively searching online, particularly for older parents and grandparents that may be trying to help find the best providers.
How to Use Direct Mailers for Daycare Marketing
1) Target Local Families
Work with a direct mail provider to send postcards to homes with children under 5 (one example)
2) Include a Special Offer
Discounts for first-month tuition can encourage sign-ups, as well as packages for returning families
3) Use High-Quality Photos
Showcase your daycare’s facilities and staff in imagery. A picture can be worth a thousand words!
4) Add a Scannable QR Code
Parents can scan it to visit your website or book a tour, and are now easier than ever to use.
Best Times to Send Direct Mailers
- Spring (when families need to plan for summer daycare).
- Late Summer (before the school year starts and daycare is in high demand).
- End of the Year (when parents consider new childcare options for January and agreements reset).
Daycare Detector: Direct Mailers That Convert
Not entirely sure where to get started with direct mailers? We have good news! We can design, mail, and manage direct mailer campaigns for you with low effort and low overhead. We partner with organizations that have years of experience sending, tracking, and optimizing direct mailers to showcase your local presence to parents in your community.
Final Thoughts: How Daycare Detector Helps You Enroll More Families
A strong daycare marketing strategy includes many of the things we have already discussed, as well as traditional real world marketing programs:
- Optimizing your website for SEO and Local SEO (long-term and ongoing)
- Running Google PPC and other social media ads to help drive people to your business
- Using email and direct mail marketing when you can to bring more attention to you
- Networking at local events and trade shows is still great to put a “face to the name”
- Free listing on Daycare Detector for maximum exposure in as many places as possible
