“Super”Marketing

It’s been said that the best place to place your school’s marketing brochures (yes, even with the Internet and your school’s responsive-design Web site, you still need some print material) are places where mothers of school-age children gather…and wait. Three of the best places are doctor’s offices (especially pediatricians and obstetricians), hair and nail salons, and physical fitness facilities. Realtors have been suggested as a good resource for quite some time, but they’re effective when individuals are moving into your community. Their effectiveness may also be diminishing in this respect since most people moving into a community check the Internet to find out information about the housing market, the schools and the amenities prospective communities offer (and that’s where your school’s Web site comes in).

But what about supermarkets? Even though we’re still in a pandemic, and distancing isn’t quite the requirement that it was last year, I’ve found myself waiting in the checkout line, by the pharmacy, in the deli department and in the dry cleaning section. Lots of places to wait – and people will pick up stuff to look at while waiting. Maximize the opportunity by asking your local supermarket to place brochures not only in the checkout line, but anywhere where mothers with young children spend time…and that pharmacy line has no shortage of people these days.

I know what you’re saying. “We have a brochure, and we put them in the narthex of our church (or the church/parish that sends their children to your school).” While that’s a proper place for such information, I would hazard to guess that it’s not spectacularly effective. Mothers of young children aren’t usually hanging out in the narthex waiting for Mass to begin, or hang out there after Mass is finished…unless the very small ones are crying, and school won’t be on those mom’s minds for a couple of years.

But what if your parish has a specialized place for parents with very young children to go during the celebration of Mass, or your church has a place where parents can go with unruly toddlers? While some will debate whether or not such a “cry room” should exist, it is, nonetheless, a place where mothers with young children will be. These are parents that are bringing their children to worship – your precise target audience. Don’t miss out on this marketing opportunity!

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