Can't find clients!!

I am starting a daycare in my home in June 2012. I've seen a few ads on Kijiji from parents looking for childcare this coming June. So, I decided to post my ad a little early. I also have an ad on this website. On Kijiji I get about 30-50 hits in two days and so far my ad on Daycare bear has gotten 41 views but I have yet to get ANY replies!! Am I doing something wrong? I have information about what my daycare provides, what is available in my area as well the fact that I have CPR first aid and police record check. Am I giving too much info or not enough? Am I posting too early? What are your experiences with posting on daycare bear? do you find a lot of clients?

Hi,
The hits on your ads means nothing when it comes to getting business.Starting is always the most tough part.I have been running my day care for the past 5 years and there are alwayz ups and downs.I do get clients from daycare bear and have also gotton in the past.I would advise that start with patience first....you need that a lot.Now start advertising on numerous places.Post an ad all the local free classifieds-Kijiji,Craigslist are the most common ones.Also there are a few daycare directories out there.Try and create a local google place page listing(that is free too).Try putting pictures on your ad(parents like to see that).You can also post a link to your ad and maybe I can tell you how to improve that.To begin with you can try extended hours or something that other daycares in your area dont provide.

Daycarebear is the site that attracts clients to my website. I can tell by looking at the website statistics. I do advertise on kijiji too but I get very strange requests sometimes from people looking on that site. The first few years in this business are really difficult, but once you get some great clients they will tell all their friends and co-workers about you and you won't have to advertise as much. Two of my current families were referrals by word of mouth from previous clients and they came into the interview pre-sold, you know?

As for starting out, just keep going, keep trying, be confident in your daycare and what you will offer. Some people do start looking early but others wait until a couple of months before they go back to work because they just don't want to think about it. Do you have it in your ad that you are just opening? I wouldn't tell anybody about that until they get to you and see your setup and you have a chance to sell your ideas.

I don't know what city or province you reside but check into places where new Moms meet and support each other or playgroups and see if you can advertise with those places. Advertise with large corporations, hospitals, factories, places with an electronic internal system where they place ads.

Don't forget that some of those views on daycarebear, kijiji or whatever will be other curious daycare providers checking out the competition. It is still early for June and parents too are just beginning to start looking and deciding what to do.

It can be hard to get started since no one wants to be first. After you get your first family in care it gets easier to get the next families. Do you have your house already set up for care so that you can show pictures on your listing as I have always gotten more hits when I had pictures up.

When I started out I offered my friends kids to babysit at a very nominal rate.That ways I had one or two kids when parents came to visit.Parents are hesitant to send their kids if they dont see any other kid.

The clients are out there - you just need to let them find out about you!

Get creative in your advertizing ... aside from online do not forget your local groceries 'community board, church community boards, make up a sign for your front lawn (check your local bi-laws on this), go to your local schools and ask the secretaries if they can pass on your info, in Ontario the Early Years Centres have 'home childcare binders' we can advertize in.

I started out in 2007 doing home childcare with 17 years experience in 'centre' care - I was advertizing 'new program opening in September' and explaining I had experience and so forth and was getting NOTHING ... I took out the 'new program' and just focused on when the 'start date for the opening' was and my program highlights and that I had 'first aid, CPR and childcare experience' ... and I got inquires out the wazoo and was full within a month after sitting there for two months with 'not a bite'. However once they came into my home and MET me being 'new' to the field was not an issue at all ;)

So based on that lesson another suggestion I would make is do not advertize you are NEW ... just focus on 'now accepting inquires for a full time client for June 2012' ..... unlike a car where NEW is a selling point in this business NEW is a red flag for clients ... they worry is she going to change her mind and quit on me ... in your ads focus on all the awesome things about your program, when you book an interview and have them into your home once you have made your awesome first impression, shown them how much you have invested into your new business in your playroom and so forth .... but wait for them to ASK how many other children you have or how long have you been doing this than that is the time to tell them that you are just getting started out and have your child plus one other or whatever....generall y by then they are over that red flag because they have fallen in love with you!

Along with removing the idea of being a new program, if you are not ready it would be better to remove your ad and get your setup ready to go so that when people do come to interview they will see exactly what they will be getting. Also people looking too early are just shopping around and know they have time to make up their minds. When it gets 3-4 months before June the people who contact you will be more serious about making a decision.