Whether your after school program is brand new or well established, it is very likely that many parents don’t know what your specific program has to offer, or perhaps are unaware of its existence. This is where advertising comes in to play. Advertising your after school program is crucial if you want to boost enrollment.
Determine Your Goal
When starting an after school program, it’s important that you establish a unified, decisive goal. What is the primary objective for your program? What community are you targeting? What do you want your students to gain from their experiences and time with you? These questions will help you develop an appropriate advertising campaign specific to your center’s program.
Build an Advertising Plan
Developing an advertising plan for your after school care program that accomplishes your center’s goals will help you build a reputation, and furthermore, increase enrollment. Your plan must reflect the goals of your unique program. Determine what qualities your program exhibits that will attract parents, and focus on them in your campaign. Accentuate what you want your potential customers to know.
Additionally, it is vital that you form a campaign that is relevant to your audience. Find out where they are looking for information, how they receive news and what technology they are using. From there, you can determine which platforms will be useful for advertising your after school program.
Where Do I Start?
If you are just opening an after school care program, getting involved in your local community is the best place to start. Attend community events, speak and engage with parents, and get involved in your neighborhood. Perhaps attending a parent-teacher organization meeting would be beneficial to you.
Secondly, get the word out through the media, both print and digital. Find out what school districts are using to relay information to parents. If it’s a monthly newsletter, email or call the newsletter contact to see if an ad for your after school program could be included. If the school district updates their website with news, find out how they can promote your after school program. In addition to school media teams, local news outlets and radio stations are a great source for broadcasting your after school program, especially if you are announcing a grand opening!
Lastly, we can’t stress enough the importance of social media marketing. Why is social media necessary for your business? Simply put, it’s FREE, and it’s a great way to communicate with a large audience in a timely manner. If anything, just making a page for your after school program will make it searchable for those looking for fast facts. Social media will also allow you to engage with current customers and potential customers, share promotional posts that include visuals, and post status updates. Essentially, you are developing a relationship with your current and future customers to promote your after school program in its best light.
