The million dollar question...

"How did you hear about us?"

A simple question that could save you tons of money and time!

Asking people how they heard about you is the easiest way to find out what's working and what's not in your marketing campaigns. Keep track for the responses and review every quarter. Keep going with the one's that make the phone ring and abandon the ones that don't!

FunTrax!

FunTrax Dollar Promotion!

PureFun! customers can sign up for FunTrax for just $1 a month through March 2009!

Funtrax is a Web based reward and incentive system, designed to help Childcare Centers define and reward the behavior they value in their staff. FunTrax is designed to help centers motivate and incent their staff, through a culture of immediate validation. The "catch someone doing the right thing" concept is taken to the next level with this easy to use tool.

Owners, Supervisors and Team leaders benefit from a solution that helps build your culture and turn employees into "Ambassadors" of your Brand!

Improved morale, reduced turnover and increased productivity are just a couple of clicks away!

Click here to get started with FunTrax!

Your Marketing Tool Kit

Here is another question that I get quite a bit. "What marketing tools should I have?"

At a minimum you should have:

• Business cards
• Signage (Street & Building)
• Letterhead
• Web Site
• Informational brochure

Advanced tool kit includes:

• All of the above
• Blog
• Email signature
• Email tool & template (Constant Contact is a good option)
  
• Counter top sign templates

That should be all you'll need to make a lasting impression.

Passion

Just a quick note to remind you to keep your heads up!

What you do is important and valued by all whom you serve.

Don't let a slumping economy take away your passion to do what you love.

Consistency

This first thing I do when I'm called in to help a center is gather up all of their marketing and printed materials. Every flyer, business card and pricing sheet. Anything that leaves the center is collected and evaluated.

Here's the secret... I'm looking for the most important marketing fundamental, consistency.

Nothing does more damage to a brand than inconsistent messaging and branding. When I say "branding" think look and feel. Mis-matched collateral and different design confuses people and hinders building brand equity. Simply put, inconsistent marketing leaves people with a bad impression.

Here are a few things I've found and simple solutions:

• Different business card designs for different people. All business cards should have the same design with just the name and title adjusted. Throw away old cards that do not match.
• "Mis-matched" collateral. All collateral should have the same design. Try something simple like your center name or logo at the top of a Word document. Keep things the same color and size for a more professional look.
  
• Multi-colored collateral. Use color sparingly to call attention to one specific point. Adults do not appreciate multi-colored communications, simple black and white is fine.
• Multi-sized copy. Here's another time where simple is better. You should use no more than two sizes in a normal document. The headline should be the largest with the content a smaller size. Think about all of the articles you read in the newspaper and magazines.
  
• No branding or messaging. Make sure that your name, tag line and 3 key points about your center are on all of your collateral. The top (header) and bottom of the page (footer) are good places for your "standard" messaging. Make sure it's easy to read but not overpowering. Assume that everyone is seeing your brand for the first and only time so it's important that we make it prominent and memorable.
  

Oh, one last thing... use good paper for all of your printed materials. It's better to have fewer pieces that are higher quality.

What's "Better for Kids?"

It's best to share Todd's own words:

It all started on a flight out of Denver with what appeared to be another “what’s old is new again” business book. Something was different this time. This book asked the toughest question… "So what?"

It hit me hard - we weren’t doing anything different, anything that mattered.

It became so obvious…be "Better for Kids".

Deep down we all really want what’s "Better" for kids. So it became our charter to establish a vendor/customer relationship that’s really a partnership based on addressing the needs of kids. It has to be far more than just juice, toilet paper and green beans. Being Better for Kids meant putting them first. It meant creating a new standard for us and embarking on initiatives designed to impact childhood issues ranging from obesity to illiteracy.

Some of our initiatives come under the heading “Better for You”, so you can be Better for Kids. The goal is simple; help centers become profitable advocates for our children.

"Better for Kids", a slogan?

NO, it’s a movement- Join Us!