Where would you look to find activities for your child?

[miss_chase]

I ask because I have just set up a company (run by me) teaching drama classes for children, offering children's parties, private tuition etc. (N16 and North London area). It's www.blueskydrama.co.uk to have a look at the kind of thing I do (website not set up properly yet).

I obviously will need to advertise, so am asking parents where would you look if you wanted to find drama/other activities for your children?

Thank you for all your comments.

x

[boobesque]

local papers, newsagent windows, not everyone chucks leaflets given out in the street or through the door, also word of mouth, get your friends to tell their friends etc!!

[nfn]

school newsletter and Primary Times a nationwide newsletter distributed by primary schools. My copy is for east anglia but they will put you in touch with your nearest one [email protected] or www.primarytimes.net.

Good luck

[miss_chase]

Thanks, both of these are really helpful especially as they are along the lines of what I was planning!

Will check out Primary Times too...

x

[Mistopheles]

I used to run a children's sports club and after experimenting with various forms of advertising over many years, found these the best (in this order):
Website (over 50% of my business found us on the internet!)
Yellow Pages
Local papers

The other way I got noticed was to do the occasional thing as a favour - you know the kind of thing, once I was established, we'd put on the odd show at local fetes, children's schools, etc. I also ran a couple of 'open to the public' children's events each year - fun days etc - which sometimes got promoted in the local papers - this helped. Good luck.

[miss_chase]

Thanks Mistopheles, was planning to run a couple of tasters at local primary schools, hadn't thought of fetes etc. Thanks for being so generous with your knowledge.

Now I need my bloke to come back from holidays and set up my website properly!!

x

[sunflower68]

miss_chase I wish you worked up here in cambs!  My daughter did a great drama workshop last month which I discovered through a flyer which came home in her bookbag; they seem to be allowed to do this and I don't mind a bit.  Good luck in your venture; there is certainly a large market for what you are doing and you are right to think big about marketing it well. 

[grannyg]

 Libraries or church noticeboards and some supermarkets have advertisement boards.

[stoo_pid]

Check if your local council hold / publish a list of children's activities in the area.  We found loads to do for ours on the council website.  Our local leisure centre also has a community noticeboard which has proved useful a couple of times.

Also if I were specifically looking for drama classes I would first contact any theatres / performance venues to see if they had any suggestions & also any am dram groups in the area. 

Hope that helps

[ceebee007]

In addition to all the other good suggestions, you could also post some info on the www.netmums.com site - they have local sites for the various london boroughs.

As far as the children's parties are concerned, make sure one of your leaflets goes home with every child in the party bag.

Good luck!