Imagine your favorite store, your favorite restaurant, and your favorite tech brand. Now combine them. That’s how I feel about our son’s preschool. I absolutely love it. I can’t express enough how much I adore the school and the teachers and the curriculum. No matter what the day or week has been like, I still get excited about taking him to school. Then after I drop him off, I eagerly anticipate what he’s going to tell me about his day. And I get all giddy when I think about my daughter going there next year as well.
And while I certainly get the warm fuzzies as a Mama when I think about my oldest kiddo learning and making friends, the marketer in me also understands that this preschool is absolutely killing it from a business perspective. So, what can your company learn about consumer satisfaction, staffing, and product offerings from a preschool? Let’s dive in!
And while I certainly get the warm fuzzies as a Mama when I think about my oldest kiddo learning and making friends, the marketer in me also understands that this preschool is absolutely killing it from a business perspective. So, what can your company learn about consumer satisfaction, staffing, and product offerings from a preschool? Let’s dive in!
Brand Loyalty
My son’s preschool cultivates a love for the school through things like the school song. This song has a chorus that’s basically just “<School name> preschool hey hey hey <school name> is the one for you” over and over. The kids sing this song when they leave, which means that it’s stuck in my son’s head all day afterwards… and mine too. This “brand jingle” reinforces the idea that we made the right choice sending him there, helping to transform me into a brand loyal parent. And I’m not alone!
The families that send their kids there, send ALL their kids there, which is really saying something since the average family in West Michigan doesn’t have 1.93 children like the national average. Here it’s common for families to have 2 kids, sure. But it’s just as common to see families with 3-6 kids, and if one went to this preschool, you can bet they all did! Ask parents to describe their feelings about the school and they literally can’t help but glow – recounting everything wonderful about the time their children spent there.
Stickiness usually refers to something else in the context of a preschool, but this preschool has brand stickiness that is enviable for any business!
How can you develop a brand that people can’t help but love and support?
Have you ever been a part of an organization where everyone agrees that things need to be done, but no one wants to do them? Yeah, it’s not like that here – at all.
The loyalty that my son’s preschool fosters drives a level of engagement that most business owners can only dream of. Kids and parents alike are both engaged at all levels, creating a family-like setting. A snack schedule where each parent is assigned a week to bring in items for the class fills a functional need while also giving parents a sense of ownership over part of the day. Parent volunteers help with fundraising efforts when asked and regularly bring food to the teachers to express their appreciation. In fact, there were so many people that wanted to bring in lunch to the teachers earlier this month that the organizer was inundated with emails from parents after the signup filled up.
How can you get your audience to engage?
When I told a friend who my son had for teachers this year, she shrieked excitedly, “Oh, they’re the best! They’re each like local early education royalty! And he has BOTH of them!” Needless to say, the school has a staff of extremely talented teachers that everyone loves. These teachers genuinely love what they do, and it shows in how they do their jobs.
Without employees that are passionate about the work they’re doing your business can’t succeed, and the world’s most profitable companies know it. Marcus Lemonis, the famed entrepreneur and investor worth approximately $900M, always touts the importance of “the three Ps” – people, process, and product.
Attracting and retaining top talent is crucial for any organization.
Exceptional Offerings
My son’s preschool operates like a well-oiled machine, and I couldn’t love that more! They offer limited class options, so you’re not overwhelmed by the choices and you don’t worry that you’ve made the wrong selection on something as important as your child’s education. Then, they execute to perfection. The proof is in how much our son has learned so much already. He’s learning new skills and songs at a pace I couldn’t have imagined. And it’s not just learning – he also has an enthusiasm for learning like I’ve never seen before. Going to school is the highlight of his week.
The product or service you're delivering needs to check all the boxes for your audience to view it as exceptional.
Read what one of the nation’s top investors has to say about growing sustainable revenue in our popular article - The Keys to Success: Product, People, and Process
My son’s preschool cultivates a love for the school through things like the school song. This song has a chorus that’s basically just “<School name> preschool hey hey hey <school name> is the one for you” over and over. The kids sing this song when they leave, which means that it’s stuck in my son’s head all day afterwards… and mine too. This “brand jingle” reinforces the idea that we made the right choice sending him there, helping to transform me into a brand loyal parent. And I’m not alone!
The families that send their kids there, send ALL their kids there, which is really saying something since the average family in West Michigan doesn’t have 1.93 children like the national average. Here it’s common for families to have 2 kids, sure. But it’s just as common to see families with 3-6 kids, and if one went to this preschool, you can bet they all did! Ask parents to describe their feelings about the school and they literally can’t help but glow – recounting everything wonderful about the time their children spent there.
Stickiness usually refers to something else in the context of a preschool, but this preschool has brand stickiness that is enviable for any business!
How can you develop a brand that people can’t help but love and support?
- Listen to your customers and aim to serve them in ways that create both loyalty and advocacy.
- Communicate with transparency and consistency.
- Prioritize the customer experience to create value
Have you ever been a part of an organization where everyone agrees that things need to be done, but no one wants to do them? Yeah, it’s not like that here – at all.
The loyalty that my son’s preschool fosters drives a level of engagement that most business owners can only dream of. Kids and parents alike are both engaged at all levels, creating a family-like setting. A snack schedule where each parent is assigned a week to bring in items for the class fills a functional need while also giving parents a sense of ownership over part of the day. Parent volunteers help with fundraising efforts when asked and regularly bring food to the teachers to express their appreciation. In fact, there were so many people that wanted to bring in lunch to the teachers earlier this month that the organizer was inundated with emails from parents after the signup filled up.
How can you get your audience to engage?
- Act like a human, not an entity
- Create resources that your audience wants
- Give without asking for anything in return
- Treat customers like people, not numbers
- Tailor the customer experience to meet individual needs
- Communicate openly on public channels and also privately to forge deeper connections
When I told a friend who my son had for teachers this year, she shrieked excitedly, “Oh, they’re the best! They’re each like local early education royalty! And he has BOTH of them!” Needless to say, the school has a staff of extremely talented teachers that everyone loves. These teachers genuinely love what they do, and it shows in how they do their jobs.
Without employees that are passionate about the work they’re doing your business can’t succeed, and the world’s most profitable companies know it. Marcus Lemonis, the famed entrepreneur and investor worth approximately $900M, always touts the importance of “the three Ps” – people, process, and product.
Attracting and retaining top talent is crucial for any organization.
- Hire staff that cares about their work – people that want to help others and make a difference, not just receive a paycheck
Exceptional Offerings
My son’s preschool operates like a well-oiled machine, and I couldn’t love that more! They offer limited class options, so you’re not overwhelmed by the choices and you don’t worry that you’ve made the wrong selection on something as important as your child’s education. Then, they execute to perfection. The proof is in how much our son has learned so much already. He’s learning new skills and songs at a pace I couldn’t have imagined. And it’s not just learning – he also has an enthusiasm for learning like I’ve never seen before. Going to school is the highlight of his week.
The product or service you're delivering needs to check all the boxes for your audience to view it as exceptional.
- Lean on quality – prioritize R&D and don’t sacrifice on what makes your offerings great.
Read what one of the nation’s top investors has to say about growing sustainable revenue in our popular article - The Keys to Success: Product, People, and Process
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