While word-of-mouth is a powerful tool for growing enrollment, relying on referrals alone may not be enough to fill every spot in your childcare program. Many providers use social media, but recent algorithm changes mean your organic posts reach fewer families than before.
Facebook ads offer a solution by allowing you to target your message directly to local families who need care. This article will walk you through setting up your first ad campaign, even if you have no prior advertising experience.
Why Facebook ads work for childcare programs
It is common to confuse running an ad campaign with "boosting" a post. Boosting is simply paying a little money to get a regular post seen by more people. A targeted ad campaign, however, is a more strategic tool found in Facebook's ad platform. It offers precise controls that make it highly effective for increasing enrollment.
Here are a few key benefits of using targeted ads:
- Hyper-local targeting: You can show ads only to people living within a specific radius of your facility. This ensures you aren't wasting money on people who live too far away to commute to your program.
- Demographic filtering: You can specifically reach adults in the age range of likely parents, ensuring your message lands with the right decision-makers.
- Cost-effectiveness: You don't need a massive marketing budget. You can start small, with as little as $5 to $10 a day, and scale up once you see what works for your business.
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Step 1: Set up your business manager account
The first step is ensuring you have the right account access. You should not run ads from your personal profile. Instead, you need to use Meta Business Suite (formerly Facebook Business Manager). This professional tool separates your personal life from your business assets and provides better security.
To get started, go to business.facebook.com and create an account. You will need to link your childcare program's Facebook business page to this new account. Once linked, set up your payment method securely. This ensures your billing is organized and ready to go before you launch your first campaign.
Step 2: Choose your objective
When you create a new campaign, Facebook will ask, "What do you want this ad to do?" This is your campaign objective. Choosing the right one is crucial because it tells Facebook's algorithm who to show your ad to.
For digital advertising for preschools and child care, these three objectives usually work best:
- Traffic: This objective is designed to send families to a specific destination, like your website. It works well if you want people to read about your curriculum or view a photo gallery on your site.
- Leads: This is often the best choice for collecting contact information. It allows families to fill out a form with their name, email, and phone number directly on Facebook. You can then use this info to follow up with a tour invite.
- Awareness: This objective maximizes the number of people who see your ad. It is useful for new programs that just want people to know they exist, though it typically generates fewer direct inquiries than the other options.
Step 3: Define your audience
This is arguably the most important part of your campaign. You don't want to pay to show ads to people who live three states away or don't have children. Reaching parents and guardians on Facebook requires setting strict parameters.
Use these tips to refine your audience:
- Location: Set your location to your program's specific address. Then, choose a radius around it. In a dense city, a one to three-mile radius might be enough. In suburban or rural areas, you might need to expand to five or ten miles.
- Age: Target the likely age range of parents with young children. A range of 25 to 40 usually covers the majority of families looking for child care.
- Interests: You can narrow your audience further by adding interests like "early childhood education," "preschool," or parenting-related topics. However, keep it broad enough for the algorithm to work effectively. If your audience is too small, your ads might not run.
Step 4: Create your ad creative
The "creative" refers to the images, videos, and text families will see in their feed. This is your chance to make a great first impression.
- Visuals: Use bright, high-quality photos of your facility. Real photos build trust much faster than stock photography. If you have permission from families, include photos of happy children engaging in activities. If not, photos of your clean, inviting classrooms or outdoor play areas work well too.
- Headline: Keep your headline clear and benefit-driven. Avoid being vague. Try something direct like "Now Enrolling: Quality Care in [City Name]" or "Book a Tour at [Program Name] Today."
- Primary text: Focus on what makes your program special. Do you offer organic meals? Do you have a low teacher-to-child ratio? Mention safety, curriculum, or your loving staff. Keep sentences short and easy to skim.
- Call to action (CTA) button: Use the built-in buttons to tell families exactly what to do next. "Learn More" or "Sign Up" are clear and effective options.
Step 5: Monitor and adjust
Once your ad is live, you cannot simply "set it and forget it." You need to check in to see how it is performing.
Keep an eye on these two metrics:
- Cost per click (CPC): This tells you how much you pay every time someone clicks on your ad. If this number is very high, your audience might be too narrow, or your creative might not be appealing.
- Click-through rate (CTR): This percentage shows how many people saw your ad and were interested enough to click. A low CTR usually means the image or headline isn't grabbing attention.
If an ad isn't performing well after a few days, try changing the photo or the headline. Small tweaks can often make a big difference in your results.
Tips for success
Local marketing for daycare doesn't have to be complicated, but it does require some strategy. Here are three final tips to help you succeed:
- Be patient: The algorithm takes a few days to learn who is most likely to click on your ad. Don't panic and turn it off after twenty-four hours.
- Follow up quickly: If you run a "Lead Generation" ad, contact the families who sign up as soon as possible. Calling or emailing within twenty-four hours significantly increases the chance of them booking a tour.
- Test different angles: Try running two versions of an ad at the same time. One could highlight your educational curriculum, while the other highlights your outdoor play area. Seeing which one performs better gives you valuable insight into what local families care about most.
Start reaching more families today
Facebook ads are a powerful tool to proactively reach local families rather than waiting for them to find you. By targeting the right people with the right message, you can effectively implement childcare marketing strategies that keep your enrollment full.
