How to start a child care marketing email campaign
Now that you know what your marketing email should look like, let’s go over the steps needed to start your campaign.
Choose an email marketing software
Choosing the right email marketing software is critical for any business purpose, whether it’s for child care or back-to-school email marketing. The email marketing software like Selzy is a dedicated service to send emails in bulk to your subscribers. It allows you to create, send, and track your email communications with parents and potential clients. Here are some important factors to consider when choosing email marketing software for your child care business:
- Ease of use: Check out the user reviews of the service, look at the screenshots, etc. to understand whether the service is beginner-friendly and has helpful customer support. Additionally, see if there are tutorials for the service. You don’t want to spend hours trying to figure out how to create and send emails, especially when you have other important tasks to handle.
- Pricing: Email marketing software can range from free to $20+ a month for 1,000 subscribers, depending on the features and services offered. Automation, A/B testing, and integrations can rank up the price for the service. So it’s important to determine what features you need and choose the pricing plan accordingly.
- Automation: This means you can schedule emails at specific times, such as during enrollment periods, birthdays, and holidays, without having to manually send them.
- Analytics: Tracking open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates shows the success of your email campaigns and allows you to adjust your email marketing strategy accordingly.
- Integrations: Choose software that can integrate with your existing systems, such as your customer relationship management (CRM) software or your website.
There are many email marketing software options available, including Selzy. Take the time to research and compare different options to find the one that best fits your needs and budget. We have an article on how to find the best email marketing service for your needs and a comparison tool to compare two services back-to-back.
Build your email list
Once you’ve chosen your email marketing software, it’s time to start building your email list. You can gather email addresses from a variety of sources, including:
- Enrollment forms and paperwork
- Website sign-ups and contact forms
- Social media platforms
- Events and open houses
Make sure to comply with email regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the CAN-SPAM Act. This includes ensuring that your subscribers can unsubscribe from your email list and that your emails are not misleading or fraudulent.
Set the goal of your marketing emails
Before you start sending out emails, determine what you want to achieve with them. Some common goals for child care providers include:
- Attracting new families
- Retaining existing families
- Promoting new programs or services
- Building community involvement and engagement for charity initiatives, events, etc.
The clearer the goal — the better. Depending on your email marketing strategy, you can set different metrics: the number of new subscribers, clicks, etc.
Once you’ve identified your goal, you can tailor your email content and strategies to achieve it. For example, if you are looking to build connections and engage with the members of your email list, then emails with useful information such as guidance, tips, or news related to the industry will likely make a bigger impact.
Segment your audience
One of the most effective ways to create relevant and valuable emails is to segment your audience. This means dividing your email list into smaller categories based on specific characteristics or interests.
Here’s an example of how you might segment an email list for a child care email marketing campaign:
- Age of the child: If your child care center offers services for children of different ages, it makes sense to segment your email list based on kids’ age. For example, you might have one segment for infants’ parents, one for toddlers’, and one for preschoolers’.
- Enrollment status: You could segment your list based on whether the recipient has already enrolled their child in your center or not. For those who haven’t enrolled yet, you could send emails highlighting the benefits of your center and encouraging them to schedule a tour. For those who have enrolled, you could send emails with updates on what their child is learning and upcoming events.
- Location: If you have multiple locations or serve different neighborhoods, consider geographic segmentation. This allows you to send targeted messages to parents who live near a specific center and promote events or specials that are happening at that location.
- Interests: You could segment your list based on the interests of the parents or the child. For example, if you offer extracurricular activities like music lessons or language classes, you could send targeted emails to parents who have expressed interest in those programs.
These are just a few examples of how you might segment an email list. The key is to think about what information you have about your recipients and how you can use that information to create more targeted and relevant messaging.
Craft a catchy subject line
Your email subject line is one of the most important parts of your message, as it’s the first thing your recipients will see. A catchy subject line can entice your recipients to open your email and read your content.
Consider using personalization (include the subscriber’s name or their child’s name), asking a question, or using action-oriented language in your subject line. And be sure to keep it short and sweet — most email clients only display the first few words of the subject line (generally, up to 60 characters).
Here are some examples of catchy subject lines for your email campaign:
- Your child’s future starts here: register for the fall semester today
- Limited spaces available: Secure your child’s spot now
- Summer fun awaits: Sign up for our summer program today
- Don’t let your child miss out: Join our music lessons now
- Your child deserves the best: Enroll in our accredited center now
- Give your child a gift: Sign up for our sports camp today
- [Child’s name] can learn more about science in our new summer camp
- We can help: Learn more about our special education services
Prepare the content and proofread it
Here are some tips for preparing and proofreading your child care marketing email content:
- Define your message: Before you start writing, clearly define the main message you want to convey in your email. Ideally, you should only have one message. Whether it’s promoting a new program, sharing valuable tips for parents, or announcing an upcoming event, a clear message will help you stay focused and deliver a compelling email.
- Write engaging content: Write your email content as if you’re having a friendly conversation with the recipient. Use personal pronouns, keep sentences and paragraphs concise, and use an active voice to make your content more engaging and relatable. Remember to keep your language simple and jargon-free, ensuring that your message is easily understood.
- Structure your content: Organize your content into sections with headings and subheadings. This makes your email visually appealing and helps readers navigate through the information easily. Also, follow the email design best practices.
- Add visuals: Including relevant visuals in your email can make it more appealing and help convey your message effectively. Use high-quality images that relate to your content, such as photos of happy children engaged in activities at your child care center. Ensure that the visuals are properly formatted and optimized for email.
- Proofread and edit: After writing your email content, take the time to proofread and edit it carefully. Look for spelling and grammar errors, punctuation mistakes, and any inconsistencies in your messaging. Read your content aloud or ask a team member to review it to catch any overlooked errors or areas that could be improved.
Include a CTA
Your email should include a clear call-to-action (CTA) that encourages your recipients to take action. Here are some CTA examples for your campaigns:
- Sign up (for a program or service)
- Call this number
- Download the guide
- Schedule tour
Be sure to make your CTA prominent and easy to find within your email content. Plus, consider making it a button, and not just a simple link.
Set up tracking and analytics
Most email marketing software includes tracking and analytics features to measure the success of the email campaign. You can analyze your email campaigns’ open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
Use this data to refine your email content and strategies over time, and to continually improve the effectiveness of your email campaigns. Experiment with different subject lines, content types, and CTAs to see what resonates best with your audience.