The key to building a successful, family-centric brand on your daycare’s social media accounts is user engagement. It’s important that parents see your center’s accounts as platforms where they can get involved in a positive and encouraging community. Here are some helpful tips for making your daycare center’s social media accounts engaging and relevant to parents:
Use Captivating Images
Our human brains are wired to be attracted to visual content over text. In fact, content that includes visuals receives 94% more total views. The same goes for social media.
You are more likely to effectively connect with a parent when you include an image or visual component in your post. Your childcare center may want to post pictures of your facility, children participating in an activity, or a fun graphic to make your posts more interesting. If you share a link on Facebook or Twitter, make sure that a featured image pops up to grab your viewer’s attention!
Respond to Comments and Messages
Social media allows parents to interact with your center. It’s important that you set aside a few minutes a day to answer their questions and respond to their comments and feedback. Not only will it help your daycare improve and grow, but it also shows parents that you care about what they have to say.
Invite Influencers and Groups
Don’t use social media solely to promote your center, but also as a community where parents can share ideas and engage with your brand. Find out who your local family-centered influencers and groups are, and invite them to follow and interact with your center’s page. You could even invite them to contribute to your blog to share with other parents on social media.
Start a Q and A Session
Asking a question is a great way to engage parents in their child’s care and get feedback and suggestions from them. You may also use this tool to give parents the opportunity to ask for advice on a specific issue or to spark conversation among parents.
Share other People’s Content
Sharing other people’s content not only fills gaps in your content calendar, but also provides your daycare with free, useful content that you can share with parents. Ultimately, your center’s Facebook or Twitter page becomes a relevant source of information for families to turn to.
Use Relevant Hashtags
Adding hashtags to your posts makes them accessible to a wider audience of parents. Hashtags categorize your posts and allow a funneled group of people searching for that particular topic to find your post. Find out what hashtags are trending in the daycare world and among young families that could be beneficial to you. You can even create a hashtag campaign specific to your daycare, such as a photo challenge to get your families involved.
Polls and Surveys
Sharing a poll or survey is a great way to get a conversation started among parents who use your center, as well as outside parents. Polls and surveys are also a great way to get quick feedback and second opinions for your daycare center.
Post Frequently
Finding an appropriate posting frequency is key for your daycare’s social media. In order to make sure you are staying in parents’ feeds, it’s necessary that you post often enough to remain relevant and keep families engaged. However, you don’t want to post too much that you become an annoyance. Once you find the perfect balance for your daycare, you’ll want to develop a regular posting schedule.
Share Relevant & Trendy Content
It’s important that you know your audience and their interests. Make sure that the content you are posting appeals to millennial parents with young children. Find out what moms and dads are looking at and what current news is trending so you can relate and engage with them on a more personal level.
Show Personality
Social media is a space where you can really begin to develop a brand for your daycare center. Your social accounts should represent your center’s style and culture. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your posts or show a little humor – parents want to see that! Most importantly, stay authentic and transparent.
