What have you found to be the best form of advertising ?

**newtothis** · 26-08-2011, 07:30 AM

Hi

Recently registered and looking at which could be the best form of advertising ? I have made some business cards up and distributed a few

Anyone had any sucess with other methods ?

Thanks

**Tinglesnark** · 26-08-2011, 07:35 AM

my car sign has been the only thing to generate proper business. Mum's have spotted the sign and come over for a chat and then things have gone on from there.
My website has gotten me enquiries but no business, it is a bit of a waste of money and i wish i'd done a free one!
The enquiries ive got from childcare websites have never come to fruition either but then i really am appalling at interviews!

Dont spend money on advertising though, everyone has always said word of mouth is the best way to get work and it really is true!

x good luck x

**lulubelle** · 26-08-2011, 08:08 AM

i have had replies from ***** and adds in local newsagents etc (only costs a couple of quid so not bad)

i have just ordered car signs and some new bussiness cards!

**Greengrass74** · 26-08-2011, 08:15 AM

For us it is flyers into the schools we do pick up/drop offs from then getting to know the staff at schools/nurseries, it does pay off having a chat with the receptionist at schools and telling them what you do as they are normally the ones that get asked if they know of any childminders by parents.

Thankfully mt wife is well know within the SEN circle and within our local Council so we do get work from them as they recommend her.

I think a lot of it is getting your name out there and get talking not only to parents but to other childcare experts don't be shy in telling people what you do.

**pinkbutterfly** · 26-08-2011, 08:59 AM

I've had lots of enquiries from my website. I positioned it well on google and others so if anybody types in childcare or childminder and my town I come up as one of the first ones.
I had a call through yellow pages too .... but that got me nowhere ... at least it's free.
Google maps/google places was good too ... again it was free and I got a mindee from it.
I got adhoc child from an advert from newsagents.
I got one from ***** - I answered the advert.
Most of my enquiries come from FIS lists though.

**kellib** · 26-08-2011, 10:02 AM

I've had more enquires through ***** than anywhere else and a few from childcare.co.uk

**lorraine04** · 26-08-2011, 03:48 PM

Ive got a sign up in my car, put flyers up in school and also a poster up in the local shop and post office. So far my enquiries have been through word of mouth and the poster in the shop. I also made some flyers and posted them through local letter boxes, when my finger got bitten by a dog it kind of ended that form of advertising

...(wouldn't recommend putting your fingers through anyones letter box)

**The Juggler** · 26-08-2011, 03:49 PM

getting known at school and the childrens' centre. the teachers and cc manager are always telling people to give me a call. I agree with the others, word of mouth is the best way. Even before the school knew me well other minders knew I was a new minder looking for work and if they couldn't do the job, they'd pass on to me.

**jadavi** · 26-08-2011, 03:56 PM

Pinkbutterfly... how on earth did you manage to 'position it well in google' so your site comes up? All that comes up for me is childcare.co if I google childminder and my town...

Would dearly love to know! Please share!

**miffy** · 26-08-2011, 04:08 PM

I think word of mouth is the best way so get yourself known in your area. I get quite a few enquiries via FIS too.

Miffy xx

**cockatoos** · 26-08-2011, 04:42 PM

I'm new childminder and I have had most enquiries from childcare.co.uk and word of mouth. I put a ad in a local free newsletter which goes to about 2000 houses for £20 - not a phone call from that!!!

**Dragonfly** · 26-08-2011, 06:41 PM

In 15 years of being a childminder I have never ever advertised at all. Its all been word of mouth, so sorry cant help.

**khlwomitchell** · 26-08-2011, 06:44 PM

Local doctors and health care surgery. Especially where they do baby clinic, both my little ones from that ad x

**Adiamond** · 27-08-2011, 07:20 AM

I have recently started advertising on facebook and I have to say this has been my best ever advertising campaign

I get lots of people messaging me just for general information but I have got all my new mindees from there and I like it because you can sort of get a background before they come to meet you!!

Also regarding google, if I search childminders and my town I am usually top of the list I DO NOT or HAVE NOT ever paid for this not sure how it works

but to be fair I hardly get any enquires from this!!!

**jadavi** · 27-08-2011, 09:41 AM

What is FIS please?

**Mamma4Ya** · 27-08-2011, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by jackieab53d

What is FIS please?

Family Information Service

**pinkbutterfly** · 27-08-2011, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by jackieab53d

Pinkbutterfly... how on earth did you manage to 'position it well in google' so your site comes up? All that comes up for me is childcare.co if I google childminder and my town...

Would dearly love to know! Please share!

I just used keywords on my website. They are hidden from the eye but when google crawls through websites it looks for the key words. Having google analytics account is good too. Once you're on google searches you can log in to analytics and see how many visitors you had, where they came from (ie if they clicked on a link somewhere or just typed in your address), where they came from geographically and if they used google search engine and clicked on your listing it tells you the phrase they used for search. It tells you what pages they vistied and how long they've stayed on the site. If it was a new visitor or not. It's fascinating. And it's all free.

**mrs lilly** · 27-08-2011, 02:52 PM

It was nearly always through my website. I registered a clever domain name in the I was www.thechildminderinxxxxxxxxxx.com. This meant if anyone searched for childminder in xxxxxxxx I was always the first hit

I then posted the URL on any free online advertising site I could fnd. By the time I gave up minding if you searched Childminder in xxxxxxxx I came up pretty much the whole of the first page of google/search engine.