Using Signs to Market Your Family Child Care Business

As a family child care provider you want to be marketing your business on an ongoing basis. Don't wait until you have openings to promote your program. Posting a lawn sign is an inexpensive marketing tool.

* You can buy blank yard signs at Kmart, Walmart or at local sign shops

* Go to www.vistaprint.com where you can purchase:- Lawn signs (with stand) for $25.97- Window decals for $11.99- Car magnets for $19.95- Bumper stickers for $3.99

* You can make your own signs using a flat piece of sheet metal or plywood and waterproof paint

Other Issues

Make sure your yard sign is not a hazard to children or visitors to your home. Before posting a yard sign check with your county zoning office to find out if there are restrictions on signage. Many cities will limit the size of signs and restrict how close they can be to the street. (I once helped a child care provider who had to replace her sign after a neighbor complained. The city told her it was too large.)

If you belong to a homeowner's association look at the bylaws and rules to find out if there are restrictions about posting signs.

Posting signs about your program can help attract attention from parents. A car magnet or bumper sticker may be more effective in a small town where prospective parents who might see them live close by.

One provider told me that her neighborhood association prohibited the posting of any yard signs. So she put a sign on her car window and left her car parked in her driveway!

How have you used signs to promote your business?

Good discussion about yard signs here.

Tom Copeland - www.tomcopelandblog.com

Photo credit: karenskare.com

For more information about marketing your program, see my book Family Child Care Marketing Guide.