Marketing your day nursery

By the National Day Nurseries Association

(Featherstone Education, 15, 0185 888 1212)

Reviewed by Miranda Walker, trainer and former nursery owner

The NDNA acknowledges that marketing is fundamental to the sustainability of private settings and this guide gives a good understanding of the basics.

It begins wtih the importance of market research and explains how to obtain and analyse information, including how to identify your own strengths and weaknesses and how to assess the services offered by your competitors. It also gives advice on choosing a nursery name and logo and how to write a promotional brochure or prospectus.

The information is given in sufficient depth to develop a comprehensive marketing plan. The 'top tips' for creating a website include useful technical suggestions such as making files small enough for visitors to be able to download quickly, as well as practical ideas, such as how to choose a designer and how to increase traffic to your site with a good position on a leading search engine.