Going public

Like it or not, the nursery business is competitive, says Mary Evans , and you must sell your services

Many nursery owners seem to pride themselves on trading on word of mouth and never advertising, but in the competitive world of childcare today the ability to run a successful PR exercise and market your business effectively is becoming more and more important.

Martin Pace, who runs a management and marketing consultancy for childcare companies, says 'There are very few nurseries that are permanently 100 per cent full. Marketing is very important. There is always scope to develop and innovate. If a nursery can fill a few more places or develop in some way, then it can benefit from increased income and from economies of scale.

'It is a simple business principle that if you are not innovating in some way you are likely to stagnate and die. This is a constantly changing marketplace.

Although the market is under-supplied, competition is coming into play. New purpose-built nurseries are opening all the time and they are likely to take children and staff from existing nurseries.

' Some nursery managers believe that giving their settings a high profile will help them attract and retain well-qualified staff. But Nathan Archer, the newly-appointed communications manager for the National Day Nurseries Association, warns nurseries against going for a hard sell. 'They should use marketing and PR to enhance their profiles and promote an image of caring, high quality providers of childcare,' he says.

Mr Archer, who has a background in marketing, contributed to the marketing and PR advice that follows. He advises nursery owners and managers to use a range of different approaches to gain publicity. 'Local newspapers run a variety of page sections and nurseries could offer an interesting input on such issues as working women, parenting, children, education, modern living and business. The letters page offers an ideal opportunity to thank staff at the end of the year, or parents after their involvement with a project.

' One golden rule of organising publicity for a nursery is to inform the parents of your plans. Ask them to notify you if they do not want their child photographed, and respect their wishes. The same principles for running local paper and radio PR exercises (see boxes below) apply to attempting to win coverage in local television and the national media, but they are even more selective.

• Martin Pace can be contacted at Greenhouse Consultancy on 01625 575 594. Nathan Archer can be consulted at the National Day Nurseries Association on 01484 541641.
  

Launching a campaign What to do

• Focus on a particular aspect of your nursery you want to promote - for example, your facilities or your educational approach.
  
  
• Set a budget and timetable. Plan a co-ordinated campaign over a relatively brief period to grab people's attention.
  
  
• Monitor where the responses come from.

How to do it

• Keep it simple. Design a clear, attractive advertisement. Remember the value of pictures. An illustration of smiling children is more eye-catching than paragraphs of text.
  
  
• Use the same design for a programme of local press advertising, posters and leaflets.
  
  
• Follow up with an open day and/or celebrity visit and arrange media coverage.

What not to do

• Don't waste time and money on placing advertisements and posters where potential clients are not going to notice them.
  
  
• Don't run the campaign for too long - people will get become bored with you.
  
  
• Don't leave posters so long they get scruffy.
  

Launching your own website What to do

• Shop around for professional designers' quotes, but expect to pay 1,500 to 2,000 for the design and registration of your website.
  
  
• Essential to include are your contact phone/ fax numbers, nursery opening times, prices, staff and pupil numbers, plus the nursery's ethos or mission statement and its history.
  
  
• Ask parents and childcare professionals what they feel would be useful on your website and include links to other relevant bodies. How to do it
  
  
• Contact your local authority's Economic Development Department and your local Business Link office for advice and a list of recommended designers.
  
  
• Packages vary, but an average monthly charge for a website and dial-up account for receiving e-mail is about 25.
  
  
• Many of the parents are online at home or work. Ask for advice on what they like and dislike about comparable websites.
  
  
• Make sure the design is exactly what you want. Do not be afraid to go back to the designer until it is right.
  
  
• Publicise the website and e-mail address widely on notice boards, nursery newsletters, brochures and so on. Try to arrange coverage in the local press, with a picture. What not to do
  
  
• Avoid voyeurs. Do not include photographs of any of the children. Instead illustrate your web pages with the nursery logo or the children's artwork.
  
  
• Do not name staff. Protect their security and privacy and refer only to their qualifications and experience.
  
  
• Do not overload the site with too much information. Your aim is to give people an accurate impression of who you are and what you do and encourage them to make an appointment to visit the nursery in person.

Handling the press What to do

• Photographs of happy children sell local newspapers - if only to adoring parents!
  
  
• Scan your diary and think pictures. Newspapers like to illustrate annual events - Easter, Diwali, Chinese New Year, Halloween. They also look for local angles on national events so, for example, ask the local fire brigade to visit during fire safety week.
  
  
• Join in a charitable or community event such as a sponsored silence or tree planting. How to do it
  
  
• About two weeks before an event, tell the local paper clear, concise details of what is happening, where, why and when.
  
  
• Follow up by faxing the news editor a brief, well-written press release. The communications manager at the National Day Nurseries Association can offer advice - see telephone number above. What not to do
  
  
• Do not contact the news editor at his/her busiest time of day unless you have information on a breaking news story. Contact a weekly paper the day after publication or call an evening paper at the end of the day.
  
  
• Do not bore them by contacting them often.
  
  
• Don't take it personally if the paper does not respond to all your ideas. Focus efforts to try to get coverage five or six times a year.

Local radio What to do

• Local radio stations often welcome imaginative, well thought-out ideas. Listen in to get an idea of the output.
  
  
• Local stations run phone-ins and current affairs programmes. Ring in on any topic in which you have a professional interest, such as early education, childcare, Working Families Tax Credit, running a small business and so on.

How to do it

• Think sound. Come up with interesting sound items - animal noises, musical events, poetry competitions, children talking about Santa Claus or a popular toy.
  
  
• Research and rehearse what you want to say. Remember to speak low and slow. A high-pitched gabble is off-putting.

What not to do

• Keep background noise down for a phone- in or a recording at your nursery. Cheerful banter can sound like chaos over the radio and give a poor impression of the nursery.
  
  
• Do not lose your cool - just say your piece clearly, and stick to it.