by admin | Apr 1, 2021 | Blog, Uncategorized
When you set up your childcare business, you did it because you have a gift. A gift for inspiring and shaping young minds! But that doesn’t mean you’re a natural marketeer or business whiz, and that’s ok! When I first started as a childcare business owner, I didn’t know about any of this stuff and promoting my business was hard. But it doesn’t have to be hard for you! Apps are where it’s at.
Now there are so many amazing applications you can use to promote your business, and you guessed it – improve your systems!
Here are just a few of my favourite apps for your childcare business…
Get creative with Canva
Canva is a free online designing tool where you can make just about anything look professional without even having to download any fancy software. Need to create an invite to an event at your business, a flyer to advertise, or a picture to share on social media? You can do it all!
You can even upgrade for extra pictures or designs, but there’s so much choice already you probably won’t have to! And there’s a handy smart phone version too for those on-the-go posts!
Be the face of your business on Facebook
Facebook is an amazing way of building a community for your business. You can create private groups for parents to share photos and for you and your team to share photos with them! You can create a business page where people can write you glowing reviews, and you can join mom’s groups to say hi and let them know what services you offer.
I’d recommend creating a profile or page that you use specifically for your business – so you can keep it really professional! Read more about how you can use social media for marketing here.
Spread the joy on Instagram
Instagram is a great way of networking with other childcare business owners, making friends, spreading your personal journey, and sharing some joy! A lot of your potential customers will be on there, hanging out, so I highly recommend getting involved in this app!
Choose pictures of you, your space, quotes you love, advice you have for others, and the people who make your business tick. If you’re going to share pictures of your mini clients, make sure you have permission from their mom’s and dad’s and only show their backs, let’s keep their little faces off the ‘gram!
Share all the good stuff with ContentCal!
Why make your life harder? You’re a small business owner who is growing and scaling their business. To make life easier, schedule your content in advance with tools like ContentCal. It’s such a great idea to use scheduling apps for your childcare business.
ContentCal means you can plan out your whole week’s content with your gorgeous designs from Canva! Share on your social media accounts without having to post live. As time goes on, you’ll see when people really love to see your content and can start sharing at those times.
Get it all together on Kartra
Kartra is a one-stop-shop for so so much. Websites, emails, agency management, helpdesks, calendars, payment processes – you can do it all in one place! There are loads of different styles of memberships so you can adapt what you pay based on what you need. Just up what you pay when your business grows.
I do all the things on there that I need to grow my business and it makes it easy just having one thing to do it all! Rather than opening 72 million tabs to get some marketing done! If you want to give it a try, I have a link especially for you right here.
Stay in touch on Slack
I couldn’t get through a post without reiterating how systems = success! I use Slack to keep in regular contact with my team. You can create channels for each project, maybe it’s a new opening or a great Christmas event you have planned. All the relevant team members can be in the channel and get updated whenever messages are sent.
You can set up meetings, share files, and most importantly keep in touch and stay connected with the people who make your business tick!
Make your life easier, today! Try these apps for your childcare business!
Using apps and tools has helped me revolutionize my business and seen my business grow. Have you tried other apps for your childcare business? Are there any tools you’re using that I haven’t covered? Then why not join my Facebook Group to pick up the conversation – let’s learn together! In the Childcare Ninja Facebook group, we’re always sharing ideas and learning from each other- creating our childcare empires!
There’s no need to go it alone on your childcare business journey when there is a huge community just waiting to support you and lift your business to new heights
– see you at the top!
We’re an army of childcare professionals who are sharing ninja-sharp skills to transform our businesses into childcare empires! This is Childcare Ownership all Grownup! Interested in becoming more involved in the community and to grow your business? Join us for more tips on how to make your childcare business the success it deserves to be! Or if you prefer Instagram, we share ideas and tips there too!
by admin | Dec 3, 2020 | Blog, Uncategorized
As Childcare Business owners we need to create all kinds of documents for the everyday running of our daycares. That might be important registration forms, rotas, meal planners, or simply printables for the kids. But wouldn’t it be great to know how to uplevel your childcare business documents right now?
Now, y’all know I’m not the most tech savvy Childcare Business owner in the universe, but there’s one particular tool that I use that has helped me raise my game!
In this blog I’m going to share with you how I’ve revolutionized and completely simplified my document creating process. Only read on if you’re ready to simplify your life!
What are you talking about, Nyckie?
Okay, okay. So I probably ought to tell you what the tool is! It’s Canva! It’s is an amazing tool. And this week I wanted to talk about how this brilliant tool can help you in your business.
It’s not usually what I do in these blogs but when I was chatting to some other Childcare Ninjas last month, it was clear that not everyone knows about it. I guess most of the time we’re too busy to explore the range of amazing resources right at our fingertips. It’s made a huge impact on my childcare business and I want to help you do the same. And it’s so powerful knowing about the different tech tools that can level up your business in so many exciting ways.
(And, just so we’re clear – this isn’t an #ad and there’s no affiliate links! I just LOVE this tool so much and needed to make sure y’all know about it!!)
Simple way to uplevel childcare business documents
When someone first told me about Canva a couple of years ago, I was like, “no way! I’m not a designer! I won’t be able to do this!” And I still can’t believe that I’ve been using it to create all sorts of things for my businesses since. Me?! It still makes me laugh!
What I love about Canva is that it’s a tool that is so simple to use. It’s been created by designers but is super simple to use. Which makes it ideal for those non-designers like me and you! So it’s perfect if you don’t consider yourself tech savvy or creative this Canva is definitely the design tool for you!
It’s intuitive and laid out in a way that makes sense. (Unlike so many other tool I’ve tried – I’m looking at you, Photoshop!)
Save time while leveling up!
When you’re caught up in the daily stress of running a childcare business, who’s got time to be searching for tools?! Well, that’s why I thought I’d tell you about Canva. Here are just a few of the ways it can save you time!
You can create a “Brand Kit” with all your colors and fonts, so you don’t have to search for the exact match each time. You can save your logo in there and drop it onto all the things you design. (They’ve also got amazing advice on how to do your own branding.)
Once you’ve created something, you can duplicate it with one click and adapt your creation to the next thing. No more cutting and pasting into boring PDFs or Word documents.
There’s tonnes and tonnes of templates ready for you to use and alter. Want a schedule of activities for your families? You got it! Need a new brochure for marketing? Here ya go. Not sure what to share on your social media? Get inspiration here. And that’s before we even get to the documents we need to use on a daily basis for running our businesses: invoices, ID cards, sign off sheets, checklists…you name it!
We haven’t got time to waste on creating things from scratch every time! Honestly, it’s a total game changer! Go on, give it a try.
Tech doesn’t have to be pricey
Back when I first set up my Childcare Business, it was impossible to get good design without spending hours learning to use a complicated (and clunky!) tool that cost a fortune, before caving in out of frustration and trying to find a vaguely affordable graphic designer.
Well it’s all changed now! We’ve been blessed with this fantastic tool and we should all be making the most of it! Canva has an extensive FREE package so you can get started without spending a penny. And the paid version doesn’t cost anywhere near as much as you might think. By using a tool like this you can uplevel childcare business documents simply and quickly.
For less than your weekly take-out coffee, you can have gorgeous designs for your business! So it’s great for new businesses who’ve got a tight budget. Have a look here for other ways to save money when you start your childcare business.
Get creative
Honestly, the world is your oyster when it comes to designing stuff! It’s a tool we use in both my Childcare Business and with Childcare Ninjas. You can use it to create all sorts like your documents, forms, printables, kids activities and reward certificates, through to your marketing materials. I’m not kidding when I say this is the best way to uplevel childcare business documents. I am so grateful to have this tool!
You can actually have bucket-loads of fun getting creative and designing everything for your Childcare Business. There’s gifs and stickers, meme makers and video templates too, so you can think outside the box and really make your business stand out! And there’s templates for personal things too – Christmas cards, planners, invitations and even T-shirts! All. The. Things!
I hope you’ve found this blog super helpful. If you have, share it with a friend!
Also, if you liked this, I wonder whether you’ve found the Childcare Ninja Facebook group yet? We’re an army of childcare professionals who are sharing ninja-sharp skills to transform our businesses into childcare empires! This is Childcare Ownership all Grownup! Interested in becoming a part of the community? Join us for more tips on how to make your childcare business the success it deserves to be! And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
by admin | Nov 12, 2020 | Blog, Uncategorized
It’s Marketing Week here at Childcare Ninjas HQ and in my community we’re sharing our ideas and experience. As such, I wanted to take this time to encourage you to make your childcare business marketing more simple. In this blog post, I’m going to reveal some steps you can take that will reduce the stress that marketing often brings! I want to help you in making marketing easy!
I’ve heard new childcare business owners talking about how they complicated their marketing is. So I want to tell you it doesn’t have to be! Read on to find out how…
1. Keep your marketing simple
As childcare business owners, it’s very tempting to try to be in all the places, all the time. But I need you to hear me on this one: you cannot be everywhere AND do a good job at marketing. Not without spending a fortune and hiring someone (which you can eventually, just maybe not right now?).
Spreading yourself too thin is a common mistake that new childcare bosses make, and I want you to know that actually it’s much more effective to focus your energy and time on one or two platforms, rather than trying to juggle four or five of them! If you know that your families hang out on Facebook, then that is where you should be targeting. Whereas if you’ve got a younger client base, perhaps TikTok is where you could focus your energies.
And it’s not just about social media, printing posters and putting them up in local facilities can get you lots of leads too. Read this blog to give you more ideas. But, try to keep it simple: Don’t try to be everywhere! Do a couple of things really well!!
2. Budget for your marketing
This one is a bit of a no brainer, but if you’re new to childcare ownership is can also feel totally alien. When it comes to marketing, you need to figure out a budget that works for you and your business. It’s vital that you know your budget and can find ways to market your business in a cost effective manner.
After you’ve paid your staff, yourself, and all the bills for your business, what have you got left in your budget? Think about what can you specifically allocate to marketing and still allow a buffer for emergencies. When you’ve worked out your monthly budget, you can work out how you’re going to spend it. Will you be putting money into publishing a local magazine advertisement, paying for social media ads or going old school?
It’s also key that you can look at something you’ve marketed and work out what the return on investment (ROI) was. For example, if you put $50 into some 500 flyers for the local area, how many new clients got in touch – 5? That’s $10 per lead. How can you improve that?
3. Plan your marketing
Putting a plan in place means that any marketing you do will be more likely to have an impact. It will give you a clear map of how you want to market your childcare business and also act as a compass for the purpose and direction of your marketing. Without a plan, you’re just shouting ineffectively into the wind and it’s a waste of your time and energy!
So make a plan. What are you marketing? To whom? Why? Where will you market it? How? When? Don’t be afraid to break it down into bitesize chunks so it feels more manageable. You got this, Ninja!
4. Schedule and implement your plan
Once you’ve laid out your plans, you’re going to have to block out the time you need to take action. Set yourself some deadlines, and start to put together a timeline. Where are you going to start? What is your sales funnel leading them towards?
If you can automate and schedule your marketing content, I’d highly recommend doing so! Since I began using systems and scheduling software for my marketing, I’ve managed to claw back some precious time and can focus on the things I love doing – which is supporting childcare business owners to become ninjas in what they do! Oh and of course, being a childcare boss myself and looking out for my team and the families we serve.
So I encourage you to get focused on what you need to do and when and make it as easy as possible by scheduling! And now get implementing! Go, Ninja, go!
When you follow these 4 simple steps, you’re going to start seeing your hard work pay off!
What gives you a headache when it comes to marketing? Have you tried breaking it down into baby steps? I hope this blog has helped you realize marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. I’d love to help you get clearer on this. Leave a comment or head to the Childcare Ninja Facebook group to discuss how to make marketing your childcare business as simple as pie. Join us for more tips on how to make your childcare business the success it deserves to be!
While you’re here, are you in the Childcare Ninja membership yet? We’re an army of childcare professionals who are sharing ninja-sharp skills to transform our businesses into childcare empires! This is Childcare Ownership all Grownup! It’s full of exclusive resources and support to help you grow your Childcare Business.
by admin | Sep 17, 2020 | Blog
Marketing your childcare business in this day and age is pretty overwhelming. If you’re new to all this, where do you even start? There’s so many places to be interacting…should you be on all of the platforms? Just digital or print too? And who are you talking to? You’d better make sure you’re marketing to moms!
I’ve been in this arena for a long time, and marketing has changed dramatically since I first started out. It was mostly word of mouth and flyers through doors to spread the word. But now you’ve got other ways to reach the moms and dads you want to work with.
So how do you figure out what to do with your marketing?
Here’s some of my top tips for nailing your marketing strategy when it comes to getting your childcare business seen and heard.
Client Perspective – marketing to moms
As childcare business owners we tend to lead from the front all the time…but on this occasion I want you to take a step back. There’s an important reason for doing this, because – believe it or not – you don’t always know the answers. We so often assume we’re doing a good job and are too busy to do things another way, or can’t see that there’s need for another perspective.
So take a step back from being the leader and take off your Childcare Ninja hat. Put on a parent one instead. Try and see the world through their eyes and at their angles. Doing this will make your offerings more relevant and give you an opportunity to visualize things differently.
Freshen up
Now you’re wearing their hat, I want you to imagine you’re looking for a daycare center for your child. Head to your website with these fresh new eyes. Without berating yourself, look at your childcare business site and consider if it’s what you’d be looking for if you needed somewhere to send your babies right now? Would you buy from you?
It’s time to get real. Be honest with yourself. Is it good enough? Does it need an update? Is it all linked up to your social media channels? Could you be adding content to help your marketing? Blogs are an easy, engaging and fun way to do this.
Have you listed all the features that they might want to know about? Do you explain how you’re different from other childcare providers in your area? What are the benefits of booking into your childcare provision – how will they feel? Focus on the freedom that knowing their kids are safe gives them. Reassure them!
Where do your moms hang out?
Now you’ve freshened up your website, it’s time to think about where your moms hang out. Depending on where you are in the world, or the demographics of your area, it might be different for you to where mine meet up online! Social media is so huge now! Some moms are all over Facebook and Twitter, others are dancing all over TikTok and networking on Instagram. And there’ll even be some on LinkedIn.
Look at who your moms follow and share content by online. You can piggy back off this by creating similar – but childcare related – content. Read the ads and blogs they’re seeing on the daily, and build your marketing around similar topics that your moms will find engaging.
Also take time to view what activities they do with their kids. Where are they frequently visiting? Do they mix up their day trips or are they creatures of habit? List potential future collaborations or places you could advertise while you’re doing this research.
Being useful in your marketing to moms
When it comes to marketing to your audience it’s not just about selling. Much of what you’re sharing online ought to be useful. Factor this into your content planning. If, for example, you’re in an area where the schools are currently closed due to lock down, why not share some play ideas or some free printables to keep small people busy and entertained. Parents will remember how helpful you were when they were stressed out!
Again, this is about switching hats. What would you have found useful as a mom now? Some recipe ideas? Top ten educational movies? 5 best books for toddlers? Some freebie word searches or puzzles? These things will get shared among your online community, wherever they hang out! Create a buzz around your brand by supporting potential future clients now.
Non-mom Childcare Business Owners
I haven’t forgotten you, you awesome bunch of humans! If you’re struggling to take your biz hat off and put on a mom one, make the most of any mom friends you’ve got. They might not be able to join you at happy hour any more, or pull all night dance sessions like they used to, but they sure as heck know where moms hang out online for advice, a moan, and to have virtual fun!
So ask ’em! They’ll be super happy you asked them for ideas and will hold a plethora of information, so don’t be afraid of tapping into their knowledge! Marketing to moms is pretty key to your business, so find out how to captivate them!
Wanna know more about marketing?
If you’d like to learn more about marketing and how to grow your childcare business, I’ve got a coaching program that is perfect for you! We’re diving into all elements of getting the word out about your business, including how to market effectively. “The Simple Childcare Ownership Program“ starts in October.
It’s a 10 week program that offers you so much! Join like-minded women in a private, exclusive community where you can share experiences and support each other to grow. In creating this especially for you, we’ve taken great care to ensure that the program is content-centered, offers you results-driven experiences that will inspire and motivate you to challenge yourself and grow into who you were born to be! Find out more here.
If you’d like to see more like this and chat with other childcare business owners, I wonder whether you’d like to head over here: Childcare Ninja Facebook group! Join us for more tips on how to make your childcare business the success it deserves to be!
While you’re here, are you in the Childcare Ninja membership yet? We’re an army of childcare professionals who are sharing ninja-sharp skills to transform our businesses into childcare empires! This is Childcare Ownership all Grownup! It’s full of exclusive resources and support to help you grow your Childcare Business.
by admin | Jul 10, 2020 | Blog, Uncategorized
We all know marketing is absolutely key to building our businesses, but it can be overwhelming knowing how much there is to do. So the key to getting on top of the challenge is automation. I’m a huge fan of systems and putting things in place to make my everyday life a little easier, and one of the ways I’ve succeeded in this is in my marketing. This blog is going to show you how to automate your marketing.
Since I made the leap and started planning ahead, using my precious time more wisely and prioritizing getting my childcare out there, I have made huge shifts in my business and in my life. I’m able to give more to my Childcare Ninjas and to the other things that make me feel good, because I don’t have to spend hours each day on marketing and getting my childcare businesses visible!
What will you do with all the extra time?
Want to know how to get there? Here’s the 3 simple steps I took to automating my marketing.
1. Choose which platform you’ll be focusing on
Marketing online has never been easier, but there’s also never been so much choice. So, where to begin?
I’d recommend picking one platform and getting super comfortable with it. Think about your parents and the people you want to attract. Take a moment to visualize your ideal client. Where do they hang out online? Twitter? Facebook? Instagram? TikTok?
For example, if that’s Facebook, get a handle on how marketing will look for your childcare business on there. Look at what your peers are doing globally, and how they’re reaching their target market. Do they have groups as well as pages? Do they post in local “sales” groups? What sort of content do they share? I’ve written more on Facebook ninja marketing techniques here to help you out!
Perhaps your families are Gen X, urban and cool? If so they’re potentially going to be on TikTok. With over a billion users, many childcare business owners are getting in on this game. It’s a really creative platform that can get you seen by scores of people and really create a buzz around your biz. If you’re not yet familiar, it’s essentially incredibly short videos that entertain, inspire or demonstrate something. Find out more here.
Indeed, if you’re a visual person, and know that you’ve got millennial (and older) parents, Instagram is brilliant for building your brand and marketing. Using hashtags and content that will draw in your ideal client, you can develop a following and hone in on what they want and need. You can create a beautiful brand image, and a “link in bio” funnel that’ll have people emailing you about walk arounds in no time!
It’s all about finding the right platform for you and your business, but one that will get you seen by the right people! Do a quick survey of your current families and their use of social media. Once you’ve figured that out, you can really focus and get cracking on Step 2!
2. Get scheduling software
This is a game changer. If you can find a scheduling app that posts for you, so you’re not spending hours each day logging into apps and posting your childcare business content you’re going to be able to breathe easy!
There are a few you can try out for free, and there are some that you pay for. It all depends on what you want it to do and how quick you are to learn new tools. They’re all designed to help you! Here are a few I know have helped other Childcare Ninjas: Later, Hootsuite, Buffer, SproutSocial, SocialOomph… but I encourage you to explore and find the one that works for you.
2 a. So why is scheduling helpful?
Well, by planning ahead you can curate your content better and also maintain consistency across your brand. It means you can post the type of content necessary to reach your goals and grow your business. A social media management tool (or scheduling software) will allow you to schedule social media posts ahead of time. This will make it much easier to visualize and scheduling posts beats having to post everything manually – for sure!
Getting organized and using social management software will help you manage multiple social profiles all in one place. You’ll be able to schedule posts in advance, run contests, track analytics across platforms, and the list goes on! These tools really are game changers for your marketing!
3. Batching your content
After you’ve picked out the automated scheduling system you’re going to use, it’s time to block out time for creating content. When you’re batching your posts for the month all at once, it’s much easier to get into a flow, but also to see what your feed is going to look like to your clients. It’s very easy to lose that bigger picture when you’re having to post two or three times a day manually. Trust me!
However, when you’re running a childcare business, we can barely keep track of who’s working which shifts and when, what the meal plans are and whether the cleaning products are all in stock…so why not take time out each month to plan out your marketing. Think about how often you want to post on your chosen platform, and then plan out how many posts you’ll need and what they’ll look like. Will you be sharing tips, ideas for play, places you love to visit, easy recipes?
Once your plan is formulated, get onto Canva (unless you’re a graphic designer or a Photoshop whizz!) and start batching your content. If you haven’t already, I’d recommend setting up a “Brand Kit” on there, so your colours and fonts are uniform and are automatically in the drop downs! Easy peasy! Once you’ve made a couple of designs – use templates! – you can hit “Make a copy” and just redesign that post for the next piece. That way you’ll stay on brand and maybe create a pattern on your insta grid, or just excellent brand recognition.
Spend one day a month batching content for your scheduled social media marketing and I guarantee you’ll be grateful! No more hustling all day every day!
Just a simple, planned out strategy, executed with the finesse of a Childcare Ninja! Yesssssssssss!!
I hope you’ve found this blog useful!
Leave a comment and let me know if you have any other tips for other childcare businesses when it comes to automating your marketing! I’m always interested to see how y’all are doing things!
As you’re here, I wondered whether you’ve found the Childcare Ninja Facebook group yet? We are an army of childcare professionals who are sharing ninja-sharp skills to transform our businesses into childcare empires! This is Childcare Ownership all Grownup! Interested in becoming a part of the community? Join us for more tips on how to make your childcare business the success it deserves to be! And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
