This month we have been talking about marketing for childcare. Now I know that usually when you think about marketing what comes to mind is probably advertisements, referrals and of course your business card. But have you ever thought about branding your childcare? Well, I thought it might be great to actually get some knowledge from an expert on what it means to brand your childcare. I was so lucky to find someone who actually specializes in childcare marketing. Oh, be sure to hang on till the end for something special just for TCC readers. So let’s get into it.
What does Branding your Childcare mean?
Today we are meeting a childcare branding specialist, Ayla Corcoran-Royan. Hi Ayla! Would you please introduce yourself to the readers and tell us a little about yourself and what you do?
Sure. Hi, I’m Ayla from Neapolitan Design. I’m an Early Childhood Educator with a degree in Business Management and Marketing. I am also the former owner/operator of The Learning Den, a small Independent Preschool & Homeschool in New Brunswick, Canada.
I’m a homeschooling mother of three and working from home has been always something I’ve wanted to do.
How or why did you start your business?
I spent so much of my time working outside the house as a Preschool Educator and Family Literacy Coordinator to pay for my young kids to go to daycare so that I could go to work.
I decided enough was enough. So I opened The Learning Den and loved it. But I felt as my kids got into school ages my heart was drawn more towards helping others achieve the success and vision I had for myself.
My two passions: childcare and branding/marketing into one business.
I spent a lot of time learning about social media marketing, marketing and design, and branding while I was in school so an epiphany came to me. What if I can merge my two passions: childcare and branding/marketing into one business.
I fell into creating Neapolitan Design by accident. I was creating logos and designs for my own childcare business when an acquaintance of mine asked if I could do a logo for her.
So I did.
She recommended me to someone else.
So I did.
Then it just blew up. It became a full-service rollercoaster of business practically overnight.
Why is branding important for a childcare owner? Branding is a crucial element of business ownership that often goes overlooked.
Branding is how your business first looks, so your social media, your website, your signs, brochures, flyers, business card, logo, etc. It’s your colors, your style and everything you represent your business visually.
Sometimes it can make or break how you present yourself to the public.
Depending on the business, sometimes it can make or break how you present yourself to the public.
By having a proper brand that reflects your business and what your business stands for, you’re attracting your target client, you’re portraying yourself as a professional competitor in your field and you look super cute!
Who doesn’t want that?!
Childcare, in particular, has a great advantage with branding. Childcare is expected to be fun, light, colorful, bolder than say, an insurance company.
You can put hearts and teddy bears as a focus of your brand and get away with it. It’s super effective and the options are really limitless in childcare for branding.
Related Reading:
- Marketing Kit for Child Care – the How and the Why
- What should you include on your website?
- How to Create a Business Card that STANDS OUT
When it comes to branding your childcare, what do Providers forget that’s important?
I think providers forget to focus on their public image. I think a lot of people aren’t familiar or comfortable with getting out of their shell and marketing themselves beyond yard sale sites, family and friends.
Even if your center is full, you don’t have to stop promoting yourself and continue growing professionally. Childcare can change so quickly so it’s best to continually get out there and show what you’ve got that stands out from the rest.
Which one is the parent (your prospective client) going to go to?
What are the benefits of branding?
I touched on this quickly previously. But some of the major benefits are definitely getting yourself seen.
Imagine you’re one of the two ads on a local childcare site. You say all the right things but there’s nothing else.
No pictures, no logo, no personality.
The other person has a bright logo that reflects them and their educational philosophy, a GREAT and bright picture of their classroom space, a link to their social media and website.
Which one is the parent (your prospective client) going to go to?
How do you brand a childcare? What are the basics?
Starting off with a logo would be your best bet. Then afterward you can go as far as you want with it.
You can do print material, shirts, car magnets, business cards, you can make a website (or have one made for you), you can have a great big sign created on your building.
But the start is getting a great logo designed with what you want, your colors, fonts, ideas.
Is it expensive?
Branding in itself can be a very expensive market if you go with a large scale graphic design company. Logos can be upwards of $300.
Neapolitan Design charges $50 with unlimited revisions with constant communication to discuss your changes and needs.
Branding yourself and really identifying what you offer will attract the right people.
What if I need help?
Well, you can try to make them yourself if you’re tech savvy and have an eye for design. Or you can also try Fiverr but that doesn’t always guarantee that your design is original.
If you need help and you want to make sure it’s exactly what you want, you can contact me at Neapolitan Design and we can definitely work together to get just what you’d like.
What else can you share about branding?
I can’t stress enough the importance of continuing to promote your brand and get specific with your target market.
If you take on any family that comes to you, chances are you’ll have issues with compliance, or just personality clashes. You really need to focus on what you’re looking for in a family when you interview.
Branding yourself and really identifying what you offer will attract the right people.
This was really great Ayla! I want to thank you for talking with us today and helping us understand why branding our childcare businesses is so important.
How can people reach you if they want more information about branding their childcare businesses?
If you’re looking for someone to talk to about branding importance, strategies to enhance your image or design anything from logos to flyers to websites you can find me on Facebook @neapolitandesign.
But wait there’s more … Branding your childcare
Wow! Ayla really dropped some knowledge about what branding your childcare really means. I had no idea how beneficial it was to our businesses.
Ayla has graciously extended a SPECIAL OFFER to thrivingchildcare.com readers. For a LIMITED TIME, Neapolitan Design is offering $50 off her Premium Package, which includes a custom logo and website, flyer, & business card design. She also is giving us $10 off her Starter Package which is a great deal as well and includes a custom logo and flyer & business card design. Just use our promo code: TCCPromo
2 Responses
Thank you TCC for this very informative information! I’m currently in the process of rebranding after 20 years of business. I would like to be more visible on social media, therefore I want to change my overall look and I feel this Q & A really helped me gain insight on my
New vision. I will be contacting Ayla.
That’s great Shondra! I am so glad. Branding can so often be overlooked, especially by busy people like providers. Please let us know how your rebranding turns out.