Childcare marketing, and when not to do it.
A great many Irish creches do not have a demand problem. They have waiting lists, and the thing stopping them growing is staff and ratios rather than enquiries. Advertising into that produces frustrated parents and damages a reputation that runs almost entirely on word of mouth.
Where marketing genuinely helps is narrower and worth doing properly: a new opening, a new room, a specific age band with space, or a recruitment problem that is capping enrolment.
Everything, from the ad to the booked call.
Space-specific campaigns
Advertising the age bands and days you actually have room for, rather than the creche in general.
New opening and new room campaigns
The one situation where volume marketing genuinely fits childcare.
Recruitment campaigns
Frequently the more valuable spend. If staff are the constraint, hiring is what increases enrolment.
NCS and funding clarity
The subsidy questions parents actually search, answered plainly.
The weekly report
Enquiries, viewings booked and cost per enrolment.
The form asks first, so your phone rings second.
Every campaign sends the click to a lead form that asks the qualifying questions before the enquiry reaches you. For creches & childcare, that means:
- 01What age is your child?
- 02Which days do you need?
- 03When would you need to start?
- 04Are you claiming NCS?
Then one number every Friday: spend, leads, cost per lead and what we are changing next week.
qualified leads per month for a Dublin trades business
leads in the first month of a live trades campaign
Every figure comes from a client we can put you in touch with. We do not name clients in ads or on this page. See more on the results page.
We will tell you not to advertise
If you have a waiting list and no capacity, generating enquiries costs you money and goodwill. Parents who are turned away talk, and in childcare word of mouth is most of your marketing whether you manage it or not.
That is an unusual thing for an agency to say and it is the honest answer more often than not in this sector.
Recruitment is usually the real brief
When staffing caps enrolment, every additional qualified practitioner unlocks places that are already spoken for.
Campaigns aimed at practitioners — reaching people already in the sector, and people returning to it — are frequently worth several times a parent-facing campaign, and almost nobody runs them.
€1,500 a month. Everything included.
Meta advertising fully managed, lead forms that qualify, social media fully run, all creative every month and the Friday report. Google Ads managed on top: €2,000 a month. No setup fee, no contract, month to month. Advertising spend is paid directly to the platforms and stays in your control.
Every county in Ireland.
Campaigns are built around the towns you actually cover, not a county name. Counties where we see the most demand for creches & childcare:
Straight answers.
We have a waiting list. Should we advertise?
Probably not, and we will say so. Enquiries you cannot fulfil cost you money and irritate the parents who talk about you. Recruitment first if staffing is the cap.
What about a new room opening?
That is exactly when marketing works. Specific, time-bound, with real availability behind it.
How important is the Google profile?
Very. Parents research locally and read every review carefully. It is worth more attention than any campaign.
Should we advertise fees?
A fee range plus clarity on NCS helps enormously. It is the question every parent has and most providers make them ring to find out.
What does it cost?
€1,500 a month with everything included, or €2,000 with Google Ads managed on top.
Find out what you're missing.
A free growth audit of your Google map results, reviews, website and the ads running in your county. Sent as a PDF within 24 hours. No call needed.