Demographics and market research are not just for large companies. Every business – including child care businesses have much to gain from knowing some basic market area demographics. Demographics are valuable to child care businesses for many reasons here are five:
Defining your ideal customer (parent). Can you as a child care owner describe the characteristics that represent your ideal customer? What age, median income, gender, education level, income available for child care, key child care program aspects that appeal to your ideal customer, etc. Once you have a clear definition of your ideal customer – the type parent that will find the unique aspects of your child care program the most desirable and valuable, using demographics, you can locate and effectively target them.
Decrease marketing costs. Using demographics, you can locate your ideal customer and effectively market to them. Marketing becomes more targeted – focused on reaching your ideal customer instead of marketing to the masses and wasting valuable marketing dollars on individuals that do not meet the definition of your ideal customer.
Tailor your marketing message. Knowing your ideal customer and where they live provides the opportunity for you to tailor your marketing message to speak to the important things your ideal customer is seeking in a child care and early education program. For instance, your program provides children additional exposure to computers and technology. When marketing to your ideal customer, your message might focus on how children’s learning is enhanced by computers and technology in your child care program.
Increased enrollment and revenue. The goal of marketing is to increase the exposure of your child care services to your ideal customer resulting in increased enrollment and revenue. Return on investment of marketing dollars is greatly increased when your marketing focuses on parents (ideal customers) that are most likely to value and “buy” the uniqueness of your child care programs.
Customer retention and loyalty. Parents that appreciate and value the uniqueness of your child care programs will be more likely to stay with you and enroll their next child in your program as well. Moreover, as we all know, “word of mouth” is very important to a child care business. Happy, loyal parents are more likely to tell their family, friends, and co-workers about your child care programs.
Simply put, demographics allow you to learn more about your customers and provide them with the child care services they desire.
