If You Don’t Know Where Your Parents Are, How Will You Reach Them?

June 25, 2025 | Read time: 3 mins

Welcome back, tuition leaders 👋
This week’s Business Builder Bulletin is a must-read for anyone running a tuition centre or educational service.

We’re diving into something that could quietly be costing you students every term:

🧭 Are you marketing in the right place—or just where you like to be?
📱 Where parents actually spend time online
🎯 How to get more enquiries using age-specific posts and ads
💡 The mistake I made trying to reach mums…on the wrong platform

Let’s dive in…👇

The Day I Realised I Was Talking to the Wrong Parents

A while ago, I ran a promotion for our Year 6–7 summer programme. I made a beautiful Instagram carousel, even posted on Threads, thinking it would get traction with parents.

It didn’t.

But later that week, I posted a simple message in a local Facebook group for mums, and within two days, we’d had 5 enquiries and 3 bookings.

That’s when it hit me: I was showing up in the wrong place.

I’d been focusing on platforms that looked nice, or that I personally liked using, instead of thinking:
Where are the actual parents of school-age children hanging out online?

Know Your Audience Before You Post

Most tuition centre owners don’t stop to think:

• What’s the age range of the parents I serve?

• Are they mums, dads, or both?

• What kind of content do they actually stop and read?

If your students are 5–16 years old, most of your decision-makers are:

👩‍👧‍👦 Mums aged 30–50
📍 Likely local
📱 Active online—but not necessarily on the platforms you’re using

📘 Facebook is Still King for Parents

• Ideal for: Primary & secondary school parents (especially mums)

• Why: They’re already using it for school updates, local groups, and parenting content

• Use for: Local promotions, success stories, reminders about term-time courses and holiday revision

• Post ideas:

  • “Only 5 spaces left for our Year 5 11+ group”

  • Photos of smiling students (with permission)

  • Testimonial quotes from other parents

  • Simple graphics with call-to-action buttons for messaging

📸 Instagram Has Potential—but Needs the Right Content

• Ideal for: Parents in their 30s–40s, especially in urban or affluent areas

• Use for: Visual proof of success—progress, feedback, and student stories

• Post ideas:

  • Before-and-after mock exam scores

  • Student of the week

  • Classroom reels and tutor intros

  • FAQs in Stories (e.g., “What’s the 11+?” or “Do we teach GCSE science?”)

🎵 TikTok Isn’t for Parents—but Their Kids Are Watching

• Ideal for: Teen students (13+)

• Use for: Brand-building with older kids—funny, light, behind-the-scenes

• Post ideas:

  • Study tips in 15 seconds

  • “A day in the life of a tutor”

  • Funny classroom memes (without showing kids)

Caution: Don't spend all your time here unless you're targeting teenagers directly. Your buyer is still the parent.

How to Respond: Be Strategic, Not Scattergun

1. Focus on where parents actually are—usually Facebook. Post consistently in your own feed and in local parenting and school groups.

2. Create content that speaks to their worries—confidence, exam stress, falling behind, or school transitions.

3. Use ads sparingly but smartly. Target mums aged 30–50 within 5–10 miles of your centre with clear headlines like “Summer GCSE Booster Starts July 15th.”

4. Stop marketing where you like to scroll—start marketing where they are ready to act.

Final Thought

You don’t need to be on every platform—you just need to be in the right place with the right message.

Ask yourself:

Are your marketing posts reaching the parents who are actually willing to pay for tuition?
And once you know where they are…
Are you showing up consistently with stories, proof, and a clear offer?

🎯 Want help creating local posts and Facebook ads that attract real parents, not just likes?
Message me today and let’s build a plan that gets you students—not just views.