If you have been dealing with a quiet patch in your baby or toddler classes this term, then we have 3 simple ideas for you to try.
First of all, don’t despair at the sight of empty mats! It’s normal to have quiet terms at certain points in the year. Whether it’s due to families needing to save money, or simply being busier due to what’s going on in their personal lives, there’s a number of reasons why it might be happening. And the likelihood is, it’s nothing to do with what you are doing in your activity.
But, if you’re looking for some simple ideas to fill up your baby and toddler classes, here’s what we have to offer.
Try Your Baby / Toddler Classes Outside
As the seasons change, so do the desires of families looking for things to do. When it starts to approach the warmer point of the year, a lot of families would opt to take their children to an outdoor activity to make the most of the sunshine.
For that reason, it might be a good idea to take your baby and toddler classes outdoors. A change of environment, and venturing out into the fresh air, is as nice for you as it is for your teeny tiny class attendees.
However, it may take a little bit more preparation. You may need to contact your local council to check permissions for running your classes in parks, make sure the weather is going to be okay, and you may want to bring extra supplies to handle the change of environment (e.g. water bottles and baby-friendly hygiene products).
We have everything that you may need to think about in our blog: Running an Outdoor Baby Class: 9 Things You Need To Consider. We hope it’s useful!
Allow Drop-Ins
If you don’t already, then offering drop-ins is a good way to get extra bookings at the last minute.
Whilst it might not offer as much certainty, potentially having more customers turning up on your door minutes before your classes start, this ticket type truly offers flexibility to parents. Plus, you can do a push on social media or emails up until the very last minute, letting parents know that you have spaces still available for a class happening soon -even that same day!
It may take a little bit of organisation and extra work, as you’ll probably need to do more work on socials and email. But it’s definitely a good route to try!
Find out more about listing Drop-In tickets on Happity
Go Back To Basics
When in doubt, there’s nothing wrong with going back to the old methods and doing some offline marketing. Print off some flyers (and maybe posters too!) and take them to local venues that you think your target audience is likely to go to.
Places like:
- Supermarkets
- Libraries
- Swimming pool
- Community centre
- Churches
- Newsagents
- Nurseries
- Preschools
- Bus stops
- Park cafes or park billboards
- Baby-friendly cafes
Be sure to ask for permission before putting flyers up in these venues. Some of them may not require permission, but it’s a good idea to check beforehand.
Another simple (and cheap) way to share about your classes is to share info around various local Facebook groups. Search for groups that are along the lines of ‘baby activities *YOUR LOCATION*’ or ‘What’s on for toddlers *YOUR LOCATION*’.
(Remember to add a Happity badge to your marketing and you’ll be able to claim £10 of Happity credit!)
We sometimes forget about our grassroots when it comes to looking for new families to come to our classes. But hopefully trying some of these things will be able to help.
Happity: Created with baby class providers in mind!
Reach parents, secure bookings, and breeze through your class admin, all in one place. Happity is the only marketing and booking platform designed specifically for baby and toddler class providers. New parents are using Happity to find baby and toddler classes in their area. Make sure they know about yours.
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If you liked this post, you may also like:
How To Approach Nurseries As A Baby Or Toddler Class
10 Free Beginner Marketing Tools For Baby Classes (that we’ve used ourselves!)
4 Ways To Get Your Baby Classes Featured In Happity’s Marketing
