childcare.co.uk

[Rick]

The simple fact is that the nature of our businesss means we are dealing with quite a tricky situation with regard to any form of advertising. We are not big multinationals where an advertising system is sucessful if it raises our sales of pop by 0.1% (worth $millions.) We have limited spaces, so each client/enquiry can make a huge difference to our turnover.

ie. I could spend money at PepsiCola proportions to advertise on NBC at half time in the Superbowl and not get a single enquiry from it. OTOH, I could put a grotty little card in the window of a newsagents in the most dire estate in town, and if just 1 person sees it and signs up: success, and a big jump in my income.

All we can do is go with what seems to be the most cost-effective and well-targeted advertising. Richard's website certainly falls within that category when you consider the broad picture of what members are saying, taking account of those who find it really good, plus a small handful of less positive anecdotes. I also think we sometimes succumb to the classic 'small business(wo)man mentality' that anyone who wants us to actually pay for them to provide a service must be trying to exploit us or wreck our business. We forget about value for money and expect too much for free. I certainly believe childcare.co.uk is far more effective than the constant sales calls I get: do I want to pay £100s for a 1 inch square box ad on a calendar for a doctor's surgery 15 miles from here? - yes, of course I do.

I believe parents are far more likely to actually find childcare.co.uk than the FIS listings which appear on about page 18 of a Google search. Whilst I appreciate the FIS listings give me something for nothing, I sometimes get nervous about the enquiries I get from there. The general pattern is one of: "are you very close and are you very cheap" (the subtext being, "...because I don't give a about quality childcare so long as I can offload my DS/DD somewhere cheap and convenient." )

Like Rickysmiths, I too would like to charge for the window-shoppers who use up hours of my unpaid time. I'd also like them to pay for all the parent information guides, child record forms, and other paperwork they've stolen ( "oh, yes, we'll definitely be back with it by the weekend...." ) On the plus side, I am at least relieved that the time-wasters and paperwork thieves filter themselves out at an early stage, leaving me with (on the whole) the lovely sort of worthwhile families RS alludes to.

While we're at it, I'd like the smug Daily Mail journos to consider the unpaid hours we spend on window-shopping 'enquiries' when they're trying to join up the letters on their latest "childcare is too expense" column-filler.

Oh, and whilst I'm getting things off my chest: here's my biggest advertising gripe. I am sick and tired of lazy local CMs who, backed by their DO, believe that I should pass on to them all the enquiries I get. Erm, I spend time, money and effort on effective advertising whilst they're on the settee with the wine, chocs and Jeremy Kyle (well, not in person) - so why should I be passing them work? They're not offering any finder's fee, and I'm not a s0dding agency.

Well, that's the Sunday rant over...... (feeling better now. Calm........calm...........calm........ )

.......I think what Bunyip's trying to say is....good morning everyone.....have a happy Sunday

[Kiddleywinks]

.......I think what Bunyip's trying to say is....good morning everyone.....have a happy Sunday

Now that's hilarious!

[bunyip]

.......I think what Bunyip's trying to say is....good morning everyone.....have a happy Sunday

Something like that.