Do you run a daycare center and want to promote it? If YES, here is a sample daycare business marketing plan template, tips and ideas to attract clients.
Okay, so we have considered all the requirements for starting a daycare center. We also took it further by providing an in-depth sample daycare business plan template. In this article, we will be analyzing and drafting a sample daycare marketing plan template backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for daycare centers. So put on your marketing hat and let’s proceed.
A Sample Daycare Marketing Plan Template
Our Present Situation
Tiny Thoughts® is a foremost day care center in Ohio, America. It has the best of aims to prepare its pupils to come out tops in all they do- given that they would be the leaders of tomorrow. We propose to achieve this and more by merging an all exclusive curriculum custom-made explicitly for children.
Our daycare business is yet to commence. This is because we have slated our opening day to be in the first week of the month of January 2016.
In the meantime, a whole lot has fallen in place for us; from the structure and location which we intend to start out from, to all the fittings and furniture that would be needed. We have also taken time to interview all the employees that would be needed to run a successful daycare business.
We have strictly adhered to our business model- this is so that we do not miss a thing out. We believe that with all these in place, by the time we do start operation, we know that we will be able to get good returns on our investment. Furthermore, the axis of Texas town where we plan to locate our daycare business isn’t saturated with day care businesses; as a result, we are glad there might be little or no competition to face there.
Our Services
At Tiny Thoughts®, we are first all about making the day care center a very conducive one. We are aware of the fact that some parents might hold back when it comes to the type of vicinity their kids will be put in; which is why we have taken time to research and learn the various ways to build a world class establishment. This we have done in the state of Ohio. Our services include the following;
- Taking care of the infants, toddlers and preschoolers
- Cleaning the infants and toddlers up whilst they are dirty
- Have all kids well fed when hungry
- Keep them active with some extracurricular activities
Our Mission and Vision Statement
- Our vision is to build a most standard day care business, where parents can unreservedly leave their kids in our hands, and be totally satisfied in the long run.
- To establish an international standard day care center where kids can be groomed and prepared to be leaders of tomorrow.
Our Marketing Goals
We are of the opinion that guardians would be very pleased and at home to let their wards be in or day care, only if we are able to convince them that our day care have got all the facility and best hands that their wards require. It is for this reason that we carry out rigorous marketing activities that would get people endeared to want to have their wards come to our daycare center.
We have strategically drawn up a marketing plan. And our top marketing goals include the following:
- To have a minimum of 300 babies in our day care within the first 6 months.
- To have over 700 babies within the first 12 months of operations.
- To consciously increase our clientele base by 50% in the next 5 years and then 25% annually.
- To increase all milestones achieved by 50% in the next 5 years and then 25% annually.
- To make it a point of duty to generate a minimum revenue of 600,000 US dollars within the first 12 months of operations
We aim to attain the following from our marketing efforts:
- We aim to achieve a sustainable growth at the rate of 25% annual sales growth
- Make sure that all kids that passes through our day care center has the best of foundations laid in wait for the next educational hurdle.
- We intend to attract parents/ guardians from every industry that exists in Texas. Some of the industries include; the banking sector, entertainment industry, amongst many others. With respect to this, we would make sure we are all out to target those with kiddies.
- It is not enough to only attract these clients; we will do all that is within our best to retain them. We will realize this by doing the unimaginable to our clients, so that they would be left with no other choice than to refer and recommend clients to us.
Our Marketing Budget
We, just like great and prosperous brands in the united states of America and in the world, will put aside a good amount of money to promote our marketing plans. We know that this is a very vital feat, as such, we plan to have about 40,000 US Dollars between our first years of operations and subsequently we intend to dedicate between 10 – 20 percent of our annual revenue to marketing of our day care business.
MARKET ANALYSIS
- Industry Overview
Day care business is one of the easy businesses that just about anyone who has a flare for kids could readily start. There is no doubt that as the zeal to make more money heightens with parents, then the need for newer and more seasoned day care centers to arise becomes highly important. That is why investors are beginning to leverage on the high demand for day care services, to establish even better ones.
Interesting Statistics About the Daycare Industry
Over the years, child care has gained more significance in the United States like never before. The global financial crisis that hit the world in the late 2,000s, has caused child care services less affordable for the common families in the United States.
Parents have had to have a rethink as it concerns their jobs, because of the high costs of child care per month. It is therefore a fact that child care costs for an infant in a day care center amounts to about 20 percent of the average income of parents in places like Oregon. Furthermore, parents are faced with great financial tussles as a result of this.
Our Target Market
Our target market as clearly defined in our business plan cuts across every industry and of course individuals and corporate organizations. We are going to concentrate mainly on folks who have got kids that need to be in daycare centers.
Here is a list of our target market; the people and organizations which our business is designed for:
- Parents in Banks and Financial Institutions in Texas
- Government organizations and parastatals in Texas
- Households within Texas
- Offices and places of business in Texas in general
- Celebrities and stars in Texas
- Upwardly mobile folks
- Busy celebrities
SWOT Analysis
Our purpose of starting a daycare center is to compete favorably with other schools, and surpass them. We have also decided to have a test run on the business for a period of 5 years. This is to know how we are able to fare during this time, as well as to determine if we are to devote more resources, additional money, for the expansion of the business.
We shall start with just one center for now and then see how we are able to succeed despite the myriad of competition. In arriving at all these, we deemed it fit to employ the services of an expert who has helped us with conducting a SWOT analysis.
It was expedient that we did this, so as to ensure that we have what it takes to run a day care school and perhaps even build more branches. Here is a summary of the result from the SWOT Analysis that was conducted on behalf of Tiny Thoughts;
- Strength:
Our area of strength to a very large extent lies in the fact that the owner of our day center is well versed in child psychology. This is really a positive one for us, because we believe that we shall be able to really handle the kids that are put in our care, unlike some folks who have no background knowledge in education and psychology.
- Weakness:
The perceived weakness for our business could be that we are starting out as newbies and it really isn’t easy to convince people to come and enroll their kids at the day care. This is why we have got to really work hard at our advertising strategies, as well as solidify how to seal deal with our potential clients.
- Opportunities:
The fact that we intend to lower the fees involved in enrolling a kid at our daycare, seems to be one of the ways at which we will attract all and sundry. We are certain without a doubt that with the quality of our employees and services, we shall attract clients that would be highly satisfied with us.
- Threat:
Some of the threat our business may likely faced with might be a scenario where a kid has an illness and yet comes to the center. There may be likelihood that such an epidemic might spread to other kids. As such; this might not be nice because that might make some guardians want to withdraw their kids to a safer place.
Competitive Advantage
Going by the state where we have chosen to start from, we found that there are no day care centers in the vicinity we are, which is why if we are able to do our due diligence, and we are able to attract a crowd of customers there, then there is the possibility of hitting success in the first few years of operation.
We plan to run a standard day care business which is why we hired one of the leading business consultants to work with us in setting up our business. The business consultant we have hired has over 10 years of experience in business management and has successfully opened several day care businesses in major cities across the United States of America.
So far, there are clear indications that with what he has brought up, we shall no doubt do well and even surpass other businesses in the state. We believe that for us to have hired one of the experts in town, without a shadow of doubt, we will do exceptionally well when eventually we kick start.
SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY
- Sources of Income
Our sources of income for Tiny Thoughts is limited to the services of taking proper care of the children that have been placed in our care. However, we are not relenting when it comes to opening different branches.
- Sales Forecast
It is important to state that our sale forecast is based on the data gathered during our feasibility studies and also some of the assumptions readily available on the field. Below is the sales projection based on the location (Ohio), which already has an avalanche of day care schools.
- 200 pupils per session
N.B: Our annual projected sales for Coffee4All® is put at about $4,800-$16,500, or $400 -$1,375 monthly per child. Over and above, as Tiny Thoughts gets established, our net profitability will likely witness a boom as that indeed is what we project.
- Pricing Strategy
When it comes to fixing prices for our services, we will ensure that we set pricing in line with what is available in the day care trade.
We are very aware that we have got to lower our price so that we will be able to attract customers like never before as we seek to gain recognition as newbies. When this is achieved, then bottom line is that our customers will derive real satisfaction when they bring their kids to us.
Our Unique Selling Point
- Our unique selling point is attached to the fact all kiddies are treated and related to on an individual basis.
- There is a nanny attached to a kid per time.
- We have extracurricular activities for all kids.
- We make every kid’s special day a memorable one.
- Introduction of basic alphabets and letters to the curriculum.
The Benefits Our Clients Stand to Gain When They Patronize Our Restaurant
We are aware that for parents to rest assured that daycares can take adequate care of their wards whilst they work, we have got to live to the billing. This is one of the reasons why we have got to make our services such that is loaded with benefits. This, we have worked on, and this is all thanks to the type of members that are kin our team.
They have been carefully selected and trained to pursue a common goal with the owner of our day care center Here is a look at some of the front burner benefits our clients stand to gain. These are the benefits that a client stands to gain when they have their kids enrolled at our day care center.
- Quality customer service to all wards and parents that have dealing with us.
- High quality service on all fronts.
- Competitive prices and discounts based on loyalty and referrals
- State of the art facility for the kids in our day care center.
- Morally raised kids.
Strategic Marketing Alliance with Our Competitors in the Day Care Industry
No, there isn’t the option of forming a marketing alliance with other businesses in the day care industry. This is so because everyone in this trade is all out to have as many kiddies enroll in their day care. This is why it is a solo kind of trade, where we have to do all our marketing ourselves. Additionally, whilst we do our marketing, we have to up our game, so that we can be the preferred brand at all times.
Our Client Retention Strategies (Ways to Improve Our Customer Experience)
Who finds new clients, only to later let them slip into the hands of competitors? Well, we are aware that we have got to block the backdoor, so that our clients are retained. It is for this reason that we have mapped out strategies on how to achieve this.
Here are the things we came up with:
- Ensure that all nannies have a close rapport with the kiddies.
- Ensure that our environment is spic and span always.
- Make birthdays and special holidays memorable for the kiddies.
- Make use of effective customer relationship management (CRM) software to effectively manage our clientele base.
- Ensures that we carry parents along when making decisions that directly affect them.
- Visiting kids at Home periodically.
- Giving outstanding gifts on kiddies’ special days.
Possible Ways We Intend Offering Incentives to Our Customers/ Clients (Bonus, Discounts, etc.)
There isn’t anyone who wouldn’t be excited about freebies. This is why we also have in place the incentive plan to keep our customers. We will give out incentives to parents and kiddies so that they can stay and as well recommend others to us.
- First off, we will make sure that all first timers would be given a rebate.
- For every parent/ guardian who recommends someone, we will have a gift for them.
- Kiddies will be awarded based on their composure at the center.
- We will host competitions and games for parents and wards, and have a monetary gift attached to it.
- We will make special holidays a memorable one too.
After Sales Service or Customer Support
- There are some parents who do not get to live work until late. Hence; we will do all we can to fill in the gap for them before they come pick up the child.
- We will have quality control experts who will ensure that our employees deliver the quality that is abiding by the health and safety rules and regulations as demanded by the appropriate quarters in authority.
- We will reach out to clients from time to time via; calls, emails, text messages, and what have you. The aim of this is to get words from clients on how they feel about our services.
10 Possible Questions We Intend Asking Our Customers during Our Market Survey
These are the 10 possible questions we are going to put forward when conducting marketing survey on our customers / clients. They include the following;
- Are you satisfied with your ward’s progress so far?
- Do you think the atmosphere we have created for your child is suitable?
- What areas would you want us to improve on going forward?
- Are you comfortable with our customer service?
- If you are not satisfied with our customer service relations, what areas would you want us to work on?
- Do you think our fee is moderate?
- How much will be too much to pay as a fee for your ward at our center?
- Are there added services you want us to start?
- Would you freely recommend a client?
- If no, what are the reasons?