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encourage interaction via comments, ‘likes’ and ‘shares. This helps to raise your profile and reach potential new families in your local area. It is important to post useful and interesting information rather than relying on obvious promotional plugs. Use different formats to communicate such as nice images, video and infographics. Short videos work particularly well online. You should always add links to your posts to drive traffic to your main website. Source relevant news and views from recognised and well-respected early years experts. Encourage interaction by asking for reactions or comments to your posts. Facebook also gives parents an easy way to get in touch with you. You should encourage parents to feedback positively about your service by leaving reviews on your page, and make sure you keep track of messages from parents both old and new. To make it work well, monitor every day, respond quickly to comments, choose interesting things to share and post regularly – three times a week ideally. You should ensure that you have a clear Facebook policy in place with secure login and password process limited to few trusted individuals, covering issues such as who will have access to the account and what is and isn’t acceptable in terms of content. MEASURING SUCCESS Every marketing strategy should include success measurements against each marketing activity chosen. This helps you to accurately review how well the marketing activity is going and where further improvements could be made. Digital marketing is incredibly effective in tracking engagement and interactions. Facebook and website analytics can provide you with considerable insight into what your customers are interested in, what they like and dislike, where they go after reading something online. Make sure you make it as easy as possible for them to contact you or ‘take action’ by using ‘call to action’ buttons such as ‘Get in touch’ or ‘Register now’. Your review should not happen at the end of the marketing strategy. It would be too late to refine and keep your plan on track. Put simply, agree success measurements against each activity at the beginning and monitor constantly. This gives time to tweak and improve at key stages which minimises overall risk of failure. MORE INFORMATION Further details on the various elements of the ‘sustainability jigsaw’, from effective leadership and financial management to marketing and developing high-quality provision, can be found in Operating a Viable Early Years Provision (Early Years Alliance, 2019). Social Media Marketing for early years settings and Marketing your early years setting online CPD-recognised EduCare bundle is available free to members. Special offer for non-members, only £13.50. THE SEVEN Ps Product (your service): is it what your parents are after? Can you show its high quality (Ofsted rating) and flexible? What makes you unique compared to other providers? How do you add value? Price: how do your fees compare to competitors? Do you offer good value or free ‘extras’? Are your fee payment terms parent- friendly, consistent, and transparent? Place: is your physical space accessible and attractive? Nice indoor and outdoor play areas? Do you promote where you are clearly in all communication? Promotion: is your digital promotion clear, consistent, well-branded (recognisable) and professionally presented? Are service benefits obvious for families (not features)? Are staff and parents involved? People: are your staff experienced, kind and well- qualified? Are families happy and positive about how they support them? Do you promote your professional, valued team prominently online? Process: do parents ‘journey’ happily through your online enquiry processes? Do you respond quickly to parent comments on Facebook and resolve quickly? Do you choose individual parent communication preferences when you contact them such as email rather than phone? Physical evidence: do you share parent reviews across all your digital communication platforms? Do you encourage feedback about your service?! Teachearlyyears.com 69