Advertising: Is this normal?

[Mdc613]

I started advertising 2 weeks ago. I put flyers up at a few stores. I went to check them over the weekend and noticed most of the pull tabs are gone.

But no calls yet? Is this normal? I'm not sure why a person would take my information, but not contact me. Maybe in getting too antsy. Haha.

[permanentvacation]

Around my area, daycare providers and illegal babysitters take their competition (other child care providers) flyers down.

Is your phone number on the flyer as well as the pull tabs? If your number is only on the pull tabs, I would think another child care provider took them so no one could call you. If your number is on the flyer, it still might be that another child care provider took the pull tabs.

Or, on a positive note, maybe parents are collecting numbers and researching a little before they make their calls.

Just in case it's other child care providers taking your information so parents can't, I would suggest that you advertise in ways other providers can not destroy your ads. Such as placing an ad in newspapers, getting your daycare name and number put on the back window or side windows of your car, putting magnetic signs on your car (But keep in mind that they will most likely make the paint under the signs fade and sometimes people steal them off your car.), advertise on Craigslist and other child care websites in your area, listing your number in the child care section of the phone book (the paper book and the online phone book), etc.

[Controlled Chaos]

Around my area, daycare providers and illegal babysitters take their competition (other child care providers) flyers down.

Is your phone number on the flyer as well as the pull tabs? If your number is only on the pull tabs, I would think another child care provider took them so no one could call you. If your number is on the flyer, it still might be that another child care provider took the pull tabs.

Or, on a positive note, maybe parents are collecting numbers and researching a little before they make their calls.

Just in case it's other child care providers taking your information so parents can't, I would suggest that you advertise in ways other providers can not destroy your ads. Such as placing an ad in newspapers, getting your daycare name and number put on the back window or side windows of your car, putting magnetic signs on your car (But keep in mind that they will most likely make the paint under the signs fade and sometimes people steal them off your car.), advertise on Craigslist and other child care websites in your area, listing your number in the child care section of the phone book (the paper book and the online phone book), etc.

That really happens s???? I had never even considered that... I advertise mostly online though. Hmmm I've got nothing op.

[permanentvacation]

I don't know about your area, but here, I've literally watched daycare ladies take other daycare ladies' flyers down (including mine)! Sometimes they then put their own flyer up in place of the one they took down. Sometimes they just take the other person's ad down!

I've seen in in grocery stores, pizza restaurants, and a sub shop in my area. I would be in the grocery store line or ordering my pizza or sitting down at a table eating my sub and happen to look over at their cork board where they allow people to put ads and local info on and have seen people that I know are daycare ladies take others' ads down a few different times. I've also seen them pick up an entire pile of another daycare lady's business cards off the counter of the stores and restaurants that allow us to sit business cards out and they scoop up the other lady's business cards and throw them away or take them with them out of the store/restaurant.

I used to put flyers and business cards up until I saw this happen too often and decided that I am just wasting my money because most likely another child care provider is just throwing them away. I would put out flyers and cards and go back to check on them during the week. Typically every flyer and card I put out was gone within 3 days! But I never got calls from them. So I decided that another provider was most likely throwing them away and I stopped putting them out because I was just wasting my money.

That might not be what's happening in your area though. To check, you might want to put your flyers up and hang around for a little while to see what happens. You might also want to go and check daily if you can to see how long they stay up.

[ashleyh]

Hard to say what's happening unless it's seen that someone is taking it down. I know in our local grocery stores our ads are taken down within about a week because there are so many people are looking to place their ads up.

When I would put fliers out it was common to see the tabs ripped but not many calls. I stopped putting fliers up but did Facebook groups, craigslist and encouraged word of mouth.

[Mdc613]

Wow, that's pretty messed up!

But I don't think that's what's happening here. My flyers are still up and a few tabs left on them for people to take. That's what has me puzzled. (I am advertising other ways as well. Just wondered about the flyers).

[mia]

wow .. that is rude and really not fair for other providers looking for income.... I myself use to put up flyers on the post boxes for possible clients and at first I would get calls like crazy, how ever the last few times that I did I posted in a new subdivision two blocks away and never heard from anyone went around and a most my flyers where taken down and put into the trash near the post boxes, crumpled up.... and then the ones closer to my home well they had the tabs pulled off and no calls.. found out that it was my own kids and their friends that pulled a few off figuring that they where helping by letting me think that there was possible clients.... after that I stopped posting that way.... Only post on Kijiji or in the paper, word of mouth....

Best of luck ....