We live in the age of social media. Checking out a company via Facebook or Instagram is now often where first impressions are formed.
Historically, nurseries have used Facebook or Twitter (now X) to showcase their activities and ethos to parents. The introduction of communication platforms (like Blossom) removed the need to use social media as a window into the nursery day.
Social media platforms like Facebook are now being used as extensions of your website. Targeting prospective parents using tailored Facebook ads can create more opportunities to reach your local audience.
Where to start when it comes to using Facebook professionally for your nursery? In this article, we’ll take you through the importance of your childcare Facebook page, how to create targeted ads and the risks to avoid.
In this article:
Why is a Facebook page useful for a nursery?
The six main social media platforms companies use are:
- Facebook (to get in front of a broad audience)
- LinkedIn (to target professionals)
- Instagram (for a more relaxed window into a brand)
- X (to share short pieces of information or images to your network)
- Pinterest (often used for those selling products)
- TikTok (short videos for those looking for entertainment)
Facebook has access to groups made by members and companies, often with tens and hundreds of thousands of members. By finding the groups created for your local community and childcare professionals, you can reach thousands of your target audience.
Whether you’re looking to fill your nursery or advertise your latest practitioner vacancy – Facebook is a handy platform for nurseries.
Facebook also has a paid ads feature for business pages. These ads are simple to set up and a key part of many nurseries’ marketing strategies – more on this later.
Setting up your nursery’s Facebook page
Your page likely already has a Facebook page, but if you’re new to the platform or want to refresh your current one, here’s all you need to know.
Top Tip: To set up your nursery’s page, you’ll need to choose a business account, which often is tied to a regular personal account. A tip worth sharing is to ensure your manager or owner is the one to set up your business account rather than an employee. Page ownership and admin rights can be transferred should they leave the company, but it isn’t worth the risk!
Facebook has steps and instructions for setting up your page. It’s straightforward and should take 10-15 minutes to get the page up and running.
Your nursery’s business page should have a link to your website and be in line with your brand colours, logo and fonts you use to tie it all together.
Here are some tips for making sure your Facebook profile looks professional:
- Use a clear and professional nursery logo as your profile picture
- Use a cover photo that is vibrant and showcases the provision available in your setting
- Ensure parent permission for any images of children used on your Facebook
- Add a link to your nursery’s website (if you don’t have one yet, we can help!)
- Write a simple, friendly bio section explaining how many places you cater for, if you accept government-funded places and your ethos
- Include a ‘call to action’ (CTA) in your bio – that’s the action you want your audience to take (book a visit, send us a message, etc.)
- Ensure your opening hours and contact information are all correct
What content to share on your nursery’s Facebook
Facebook and X used to be used by nurseries and schools to share the day’s activities with parents. Gone are the days when these platforms are the window into the child’s day at nursery.
Most nurseries have moved to the modern (and safer) approach to parent communication and nursery management software platforms.
These platforms are far safer for sharing images and videos of children enjoying activities. They now contain everything in one place, such as:
So, if apps like the Parent App are used to communicate with parents, what do we use the Facebook account for? A professional extension of your website.
You can share images (with permission) of some children enjoying your facilities. Showcase the outdoor provision your children have access to and some examples of your ethos and visions for learning.
Many nurseries use their Facebook profile to share:
- Select images of children enjoying the provision
- Images and videos of the nursery rooms and facilities
- Meet the team information about practitioners
- Updates and event information (upcoming open days and events, for example)
- Useful articles written by the nursery team or shared from other trusted platforms (like the Blossom Blog)
- Enquiry forms and how to book in walk arounds and visits
- Links to specific pages on your website to direct parents to the relevant information quickly
Facebook Ads to attract prospective parents
Facebook ads allow you to reach specific audiences, like local, new parents or those looking for after-school club provision (if you offer this at your setting). You can tailor the ads to focus on specific genders, locations, ages and interests.
You’ll define the budget you’d like to spend on the ad and the length of time it should run. You’ll also need some images for your ad. Think less is more when it comes to text on the images, and choose the call-to-action button (we suggest booking a visit and linking to your website).
Paid advertising is becoming more popular with nursery managers. In our free downloadable Nursery Marketing Guide, paid ads ranked as 2nd out of 6 top strategies managers should consider when improving their nursery’s digital visibility.
Facebook ads are not the only paid advertising route, there are also LinkedIn campaigns (if you’re targeting an audience that hangs out there) and the more commonly known, Google Ads.
There are six main ways you can increase the visibility of your nursery online through marketing strategies: paid ads, search engine optimisation (SEO), local targeting, in-person events, implementing a social media strategy, and a combination of the five listed.
Keywords for nursery Facebook ads
You’ll want to pinpoint the keywords that your audience is searching for. As your prospective customers will be within specific areas, local SEO is the term you’ll want to explore.
Here is a list of keywords you might want to consider when you place a Facebook ad:
- Nurseries near me
- Nursery near [location]
- Early years settings in [location]
- Childcare in [location]
In the ad, use images of your nursery, children playing and a friendly image of your staff. Then add a call-to-action button like ‘Book a visit today’ or ‘Secure your child’s place for 2025’ linking to your website enquiries page. Turning enquiries into enrolments is always the aim of the game with Facebook ads.
Shout about your process
You’ll notice many nurseries now share the software tools they use to communicate with parents as an extra attractive feature. Parents want to know communication is simple and a priority for the nursery. It is almost an expected feature to be given a window into their child’s day at nursery.
Shared on your website pages or via social media, you can mention how your choice of software supports parents and helps you to stay in touch throughout the day.
Here’s an example of a phrase you might use to shout about your software tools:
‘We use Blossom’s Parent App to share daily updates with our parents. We track their development, nappy changes and have a messaging feature to ensure quality communication is a priority.’
Staying professional on Facebook
Facebook began as a social platform and has become a marketing method for many companies. Since a large percentage of prospective parents use the platform, it is the perfect place to capture your audience when they are scrolling.
However, you and your team should take several safety measures to ensure your nursery’s Facebook presence is always professional:
- Check all of your nursery team’s Facebook profiles are private and appropriately reflecting their profession and your setting’s ethos
- You can use the Facebook privacy checkup tool to see how your profile looks to others
- If multiple people have access to the company’s Facebook profile, ensure measures are in place to avoid the accidental posting of personal content on the professional page
- Monitor your comments section for inappropriate comments from users. You can delete these comments and also report them easily through the Facebook app
- Run continuing professional development (CPD) sessions on appropriate online conduct and how to discuss work-related issues on social platforms
- Include social media checks as part of your safer recruitment process. Identifying if a prospective employee aligns with your company’s ethos and image is commonplace when doing background checks, but don’t go overboard and ‘friend’ them
Measuring success on Facebook
Facebook Insights is the tracking and metric hub for business profiles. It shows vital information like engagement rates, page reach, and ad performance. While it can be nice to see that your page has reached thousands of people, it’s important to know what the analytics tell you.
Remember, the goal is increased enquiries and interest in your nursery.
Pairing your advertising efforts with enquiry tracking tools can help with your predictive analytics. If parents click through to your enquiries page, you’ll want to track what happens afterwards. Knowing if you have converted or lost prospective parents is the only way to refine and improve your enrolment strategy.
A well-managed Facebook profile has many benefits for nurseries. Managers and owners are boosting their online presence by using modern methods to reach their audience.
If you’d like to see why we’re one of the top UK nursery management software tools trusted by over 1,500 nursery managers and settings, book a free demo or chat with our team about swapping to Blossom.
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