Two years ago Gary Holmes, owner of Stepping Stones Day Nursery in Nottingham, decided to scrutinise his social media strategy with a view to making it work more effectively for his business. As part of this he enlisted the services of Kate Tyler, managing director of Shake Social, who advises a range of clients on harnessing the power of social media.
'We have always been forward-looking as a nursery and recognised that Facebook and Twitter could be very powerful tools for us, particularly in terms of interacting with our parents and beyond,' says Mr Holmes.
'We were also very aware of the fact that generally many parents are around the age of 30 or younger, and are heavy users of social media. The growing use of mobile devices is also a factor in making it such an essential communication tool.'
Initially, Ms Tyler paid a visit to the nursery and got a feel for the ethos of the provision. She then carried out research to gauge what parents wanted from the nursery's digital channels and created an implementation plan. This included looking at an approach to encourage discussion around topical issues, such as fussy eating. Child information and advice was also identified as a key driver for the Twitter feed.
Stepping Stones is a relatively large nursery with 149 places, and occupation rates are high. The premises boasts seven ground floor rooms and four secure outdoor areas. While it is convenient for the centre of Nottingham and Nottingham University, it is situated by a park and is a little out of the way.
'We don't have passing trade so we really wanted the combination of our website, Facebook and Twitter working together to create a high profile,' Mr Holmes says.
Today, Stepping Stones has 2,700 followers on Twitter and 1,200 friends on Facebook. 'We've got to where we want to be,' he says. 'We now have very broad communities on Facebook and Twitter.'
Topical issues play an important part in driving traffic. 'For example,' says Holmes, 'we have discussions on Facebook about the extent to which technology should feature in young children's early education. There is one discussion currently running about when children should start helping around the house.'
Social media is also providing a bridge for Stepping Stones to link with other nurseries, manufacturers and service providers.
'Linking with other nurseries enables us to share good practice. Some companies also contact us with new products and ask us to test them, which benefits both them and us,' says Mr Holmes. 'In the past couple of years, we have seen occupancy grow and along with this our reputation and customers' trust in us.'
He adds, 'Kate is still on hand to advise us and our staff all feed in to it. It's fair to say it has gathered its own momentum and now drives itself.'
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