Around 54% of people research products via social media platforms before visiting a company’s website. Social media is no longer an add-on ‘nice to have’ for your nursery.
Nurseries implementing effective marketing strategies know that social media can be the first touch for many potential customers. Social media often serves as a gateway to your nursery’s website rather than vice versa.
Here we’ll share a social media audit for your nursery, covering the main steps you’ll need to make your nursery’s social media presence consistent, optimised, and underpinned by strategy.
Jump ahead to:
What is a social media audit?
A social media audit should help you to identify what is working well and what can be improved with your online social presence.
A social media audit looks at your current social profiles under a magnifying glass. As with anything you invest your time in, you’ll want to know the markers of success. A social media audit can highlight if your efforts are helping you to meet your targets.
Is social media important for nurseries?
Previously, you’d expect to see posts like:
‘Our welly walk has been great fun today – lots of coloured leaves collected for our next craft project!’
This post aims to give parents a window into their child’s day – and we all know the benefits of that for developing lasting home-nursery relationships.
But we’ve progressed from this by introducing software to communicate with parents. These snippets into the daily life of their toddlers have become the norm.
Parents now expect regular updates via their communication platform. Many nurseries turned away from X as a platform for sharing information, choosing platforms where only parents receive updates about their child.
This makes sense due to GDPR concerns and the introduction of features like photo permission reminders before sharing group images.
With so many nurseries using online software as their vehicle to communicate with parents (among other features), is social media obsolete?
Quite the opposite. As we wrote above, 54% of people who use social media research products via social platforms before checking out their website. In the chicken and egg analogy, your social profiles are whichever you think comes first!
Let’s get your social media strategy sorted.
Setting your nursery social media strategy
You’ll have used SMART goals many times in your professional career. They also apply to your use of social media for your nursery.
Yes, you can fire any old content onto your platforms. Possibly a few times a week so your company looks active. But why?
Developing a social media strategy doesn’t take pages and pages of action plans. It can be written on a Post-it note. It always boils down to the ‘why’.
Your social media strategy should give clarity for five main questions:
- What are your goals?
- Increase capacity, attract practitioner applicants, grow your nursery brand… or, all of the above.
- Who is your audience?
- Parents, practitioners, or the wider EYFS industry.
- Where will you interact with this audience?
- Which social media platform(s) will most likely help you with your goal?
- How will you achieve this goal?
- Regular posting, the types of content you choose, how to find your audience etc.
- Who will be responsible for your social media presence?
- Social media management, when done correctly, is a full-time job in itself. You’ll have to work to the capacity that you have.
Your first step in auditing your social media presence is to know your strategy. Discuss your upcoming goals as a team (filling spaces, hiring, expanding, building community relationships etc.). These goals will drive the types of content you create.
Optimising your nursery social media profiles
Optimising your social media platforms is simple when you know your target audience.
For example, we sell nursery management software, so our target audience is primarily nursery managers and owners. Then, we branch out to sharing expert advice with our related audience: practitioners and sometimes parents.
Every social media platform you use should be optimised (tailored) to your audience. All profiles must show brand consistency throughout (the same logos, fonts, contact information and messages).
Keyword research is used by all organisations (whether you realise it or not). It shows your search engine and audience that you offer something they are looking for.
Language is the golden thread for building lasting relationships and converting customers – it’s why we’re one of the leading names in nursery management software. Because our origins stem from EYFS practitioners themselves, we know our stuff and your challenges.
Here are some ways you can optimise your social profiles:
- Ensure the images you use are high-quality
- Have a brand palette (to compliment your logo colours) and thread this throughout your socials)
- Fill in the ‘bio’ and about us sections of your social platforms using words you know your audience will be searching for (don’t forget to include your location)
- Include a ‘call to action’ (CTA) in your bio, tell them how to reach you
- Include the link to your nursery website (don’t have one yet? We can help you make one)
- Ensure all business information is correct (address, contact details, manager name, and opening hours)
- Use platform-specific features (some platforms have story options for short clips and images, skill sections, review options, and the chance to ‘pin’ important posts)
Social Media Consistency
No matter how often you post or what you post, be sure to stay consistent throughout. Forgetting what you’ve posted before in style, tone and topic can ruin your brand.
Consistency builds trust in your nursery brand and identity, and helps to build a community around your socials. Users are more likely to ask your opinion online if they can be confident that your nursery’s opinion is one they can trust.
Followers should be able to tell at a glance that any given social post is from you and not another brand. And your wall/account landing page should look like you whether looking at one post or all of them at once.
Planning your nursery social media content
You and your nursery team now know the answers to the five main strategy questions. Your profiles are optimised, and consistently share the correct message to your audience.
You’re now ready to consider the type of content you’d like to post.
Most content plans are underpinned by campaigns (goals that can be measured, like an increase in parent walk-arounds booked). You should think about the type of content your audience would like to see.
For example, if you aim to highlight the option for existing customers to book extra nursery sessions where capacity allows. The type of content you’d choose will firstly tell parents that this is an option, explain the process and encourage them to use your nursery software to check availability and book on.
Pair your social media strategy with predictive analytics (using data to plan for the future), and your nursery will maximise profit potential.
It’s important to share a variety of content with your audience. You may want to initially plan to meet a balance similar to:
50% of your content to drive traffic to your website (to see facility information or give additional, more in-depth information)
25% of your content will share interesting information your audience will appreciate (tips for teething babies or home craft ideas during the seasonal periods)
20% of your content will support your campaign goals (to increase walk around book-ins, promote practitioner vacancies or shout about your upcoming open day event)
5% of your content will share the human side of your nursery (meet the team, your nursery ethos, your company culture and training your team has invested in – and why)
Your industry knowledge comes in handy when thinking about how to get your content in front of your target audience. If you were aiming to recruit newly qualified practitioners, sharing information in a Facebook group for Early Education graduates at your local university would be a good start.
Similarly, suppose you’re aiming to increase your number on roll. In that case, parent groups on Facebook will be a hive of information for parent questions, opportunities for you to give expert advice and to build a relationship from the first digital-touch.
Using your social media profiles in practice
Social media is regularly used for reviews, advice, and recommendations. If your target audience hangs out on a particular platform (most likely Facebook), your efforts are best placed there.
Facebook reviews for your business can be useful, as are Google reviews. Take some time to look into how to set up Google reviews and share the review form with your existing customers to build your online reputation.
Top Tip: If your setting doesn’t have a social media profile yet, take care when setting one up.
Ensure you use a company address to create your profile and then alter the permission settings. All too often, companies have a tech-savvy employee set up their social media platforms. They can unknowingly tie the platform to their personal account, meaning your business social profile relies on theirs – particularly problematic if they leave your nursery.
A quick search to make sure you’re setting a profile correctly can save you hassle in the long run.
Some extras to consider:
- Include your social media platforms in your email sign-offs
- Share your newly optimised profiles with your existing parents, remind them what they can expect from your profile (sharing interesting articles, setting-specific updates and more information about the team)
- You can schedule your posts on some social media platforms (like LinkedIn), this can save you time and ensure you post frequently
- There are paid posting platforms where you can create, schedule, post and analyse your social post performance
To summarise, your social media presence is an important first touch point for many of your target audience. It is vital you optimise your profile to demonstrate your professionalism and grasp of modern communication methods.
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