People see approximately 4,000-10,000 ads per day.
Talk about information overload! 😱
Some of these ads may be plugged into blog articles or emails, others are sent via text, and many are used on billboards on the highway, promoting a local new hot spot.
No matter where they are or what they’re doing, your prospective families are flooded with advertisements that don’t capture their attention and don’t relate to them.
With so many promotions crossing their path, it's common for them to feel burnt out and ignore the childcare ads you’ve spent countless hours and resources on.
Find ways to make your ads stand out and cut through all the noise. Learn how to avoid ad fatigue with content that engages your parent audience.
What is ad fatigue?
Ad fatigue is when a potential family repeatedly sees an advertisement so many times that they begin to disengage and dislike the ad. Repetition is crucial in marketing, but there’s a balance between making the message stick and overdoing it.
Picture a commercial. A common commercial in the mid to late 2000s was of Mr. Six – an elderly man moving to a musical beat near a bus that magically transported its riders to Six Flags. It was a long-running Six Flags TV advertisement that stirred up a range of emotions for viewers – from nostalgia to annoyance.
While the advertisement was popular early on; it ran for 6 years straight (2004-2010). Towards the end of the commercial’s lifecycle – people would flip to the next channel. It served its purpose, performed well at first, and then kept running – even after people were ‘over it’.
Tips to refresh daycare ads
Track these essential metrics to monitor the success of your daycare ads.
Today, advertisements aren’t only commercials. Digital advertising has expanded to a host of online promotions. Easily gain new families by highlighting your center through social media, Google, and more.
- Google (search – PPC/SEO) ads
- Facebook ads
- LinkedIn ads
- Display ads
- Native ads
- Video ads
Download the Ultimate Facebook Marketing E-book for actionable tips you can start using at your centers today.
To determine if your daycare ads have served their purpose, you should monitor and track key advertisement metrics.
- Impressions – When a digital ad reaches a consumer or prospect.
- Clicks – When your consumer/prospect clicks the digital ad and enters your enrollment funnel.
- Click-thru-rate (CTR) – The percentage of prospects who actually clicked on a digital ad and reached your desired online source.
- Cost-per-click (CPC) – The amount of money spent to get a click on an ad.
- Frequency: One of the most vital metrics to understand your ad’s level of fatigue. Frequency is the average number of times people see your ad. If your audience starts seeing your ad close to 10 times, they see it too often. They’ll gradually start to feel weary every time it pops up.
Family
4 Ways to Beat Ad Fatigue
How can you avoid running unstimulating ads?
Keep fresh ads in your circuit to attract new families and retain your current ones.
Daycare ad example
1) Create new audiences.
Once you monitor metrics to see which of your childcare ads have a frequency level too high, it’s time to revitalize your approach. Create a lookalike audience.
A lookalike audience is a way your ads can reach new families who are likely to be interested in your childcare business because they share similar characteristics (demographics, interests, behaviors) to your existing customers.
Lookalike audiences use an existing Custom Audience you select for its source audience. When you use a lookalike audience, your ad is delivered to that audience of people who are similar to (or "look like") your existing customers.
For instance, say your target audience is Millennial parents. Up until this point, all ads have been focused on attracting that particular group. When you implement a lookalike audience, your ads may start to pinpoint a different generation of parents, depending on their attributes.
Generation X is a tad older than Millennials. However, at the lower end, they’re still likely to have younger children.
Plus, both Generation X and Millennials are comfortable with technology. This is an overlapping behavior you can use to refresh your ads with content that provides value to these groups.
Family on the phone
2) Change Your Ad Colors and Content
The smallest changes have the biggest impact.
Color theory is essential for ads. You want to use colors that...
- Complement each other
- Stand out
- Are readable and easy on the eyes
Keep in mind, you’ll want to remain within your childcare business’s brand guidelines. Stick with colors that make your childcare brand recognizable.
Additionally, reword your ad content to convey a compelling message. Add urgency and make families feel like they’re missing out on all the wonderful things your centers have to offer.
Daycare ad and flyer
3) Use a Different Visual
Keep your daycare ads fresh and relevant. Combat ad fatigue by reviving your images. Instead of showcasing your empty center – liven up the image. Display ads of dress-up days.
Use a visual of your decorated classrooms. Get creative with angles and lighting to give your ads an energetic and fun feel.
Doodle Bugs! digital marketing campaign
4) Swap Out Your Call-to-Action (CTA)
CTAs are a crucial element of your ads. They provide prospective families with a clear direction and next steps. With the click of a button, you can guide families through your enrollment funnel to encourage enrollment.
Consider the goal of your advertisement. If you’re hoping to attract new families to fill out your newly opened infant program – don't rush things.
Instead of a ‘Sign Up’ CTA to immediately push for enrollment, gradually nurture families with valuable information by urging them to ‘Learn More.’ Remember, you want to consistently track your advertising metrics to see what’s working and what’s not.
Facebook CTA button options
5) Happier Teachers and Families
Burnout is an ongoing challenge for modern ECE professionals.
According to the National Foundation for Educational Research, one in five teachers feels tense about their jobs, compared with only 13% in other occupations. In a fast-paced environment like early learning, that number may be even higher.
Though no fault of their own, teacher stress can have a detrimental impact on the children in their care. Fortunately, the right childcare app can reduce the time it takes to fulfill the admin tasks that often bog your teachers down.
By using a childcare app that is directly connected to the same childcare experience platform used for billing, classroom ratios, and reporting, the team at Lightbridge saves 35 hours per center, per month.
Just imagine how much happier your teachers and staff would be if they could win back an entire week each month.
With instant access to all family data, a great childcare app will also help reduce stress within the team by giving staff access to the answers they need, when they need them.
Happy teacher
Integrate your daycare ads with an all-in-one customer relationship management and childcare management platform for easy follow-up.
Beating ad fatigue is only half the battle. With refreshed childcare advertisements, you’re likely to see an influx of new leads.
How can you keep up?
The simple solution to accomplish more, with less work – use a Childcare Experience Platform. Fortunately, once you breathe life back into your ads, your Childcare Experience Platform can effortlessly manage and organize your leads from Facebook, Google, your website – and more.
For example, LineLeader by ChildcareCRM integrates with Facebook Lead Ads. That way, the second a parent fills out your lead ad form to inquire about care via Facebook, it instantly lands in your unified solution. Using LineLeader by ChildcareCRM’s exceptional automation tools, you can schedule immediate follow-up text messages and emails – with the click of a button.
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