New parents have always turned to others for advice, whether it be their own parents, close friends, or parents of their children’s friends. In the past, this interaction might have taken place in person or over the phone.
Today’s generation of parents is almost 2 times more likely to use the internet for parenting advice than talk to a relative or friend, according to a Crowdtap survey of Millennial parents. Almost half of all Millennial moms (and 37% of Millennial dads) use social media once a day for parenting purposes. All but 8% of Millennial moms use social media for parenting purposes at least a few times a month.
Barkley reports that “71% of Millennial moms and dads rank parenting websites, online forums, parenting blogs and social networks among their top parental influences.”
What do these statistics mean for your child care center? To reach new parents and drive enrollments, you need to meet parents where they are already spending time looking for parenting information: the internet.
Parents are seeking advice from social media, parenting forums, mommy blogs and industry experts. There are plenty of ways to put your center in one (or all) of these locations.
Share Your Knowledge
Millennial parents are spending time online looking for advice. Offer answers to their questions through your social media accounts, your own blog, guest blog posts and local parenting forums.
Make sure you’re creating resources on topics that parents are interested in learning about. Write in-depth answers to questions you hear regularly from parents at your center. Offer a unique point of view on topics that are often searched on Google.
Use Digital Advertising
Target parents with ads on the platforms they’re already using. Local blogs and parenting websites are great places for display advertising and influencer marketing. Social media offers precise targeting based on demographics and behavior. You can also target Millennial parents with ads on search engine results pages.
