Using Multi-Modal Drip Campaigns for Childcare Marketing: Best practices & compliance

Drip campaigns are a powerful tool for Australian Early Childhood Education (ECE) providers, allowing centres to nurture prospective families through automated, multi-step communication. 

 

To maximise engagement and conversion rates, a multi-modal approach is super helpful—combining emails and SMS —helps keep parents informed, engaged, and more likely to enrol.

 

Why use Multi-Modal Drip Campaigns?

 

Using both emails and SMS increases your chances of reaching busy parents who may not check emails frequently but will see a text message instantly. Line Leader’s recent benchmark report showed that 60 per cent of Gen Z parents are more likely to hang up if their call is not answered within 45 seconds.

 

Key benefits include:

 

• Higher engagement rates – SMS messages have an open rate of over 90 per cent, while emails allow for more detailed information.

 

• Timely & personalised follow-ups – Combining both channels ensures no leads go cold.

 

• Better parent experience – Parents receive reminders, invitations, and updates in the format that suits them best.

 

Structuring a Multi-Modal Drip Campaign

 

To create an effective marketing sequence, alternate between emails and SMS based on the message type.

 

Here’s an example of how a drip campaign may roll out: 

Campaigns like this one are easy to automate using Line Leader’s custom childcare experience platform, which combines a CRM (customer relationship management software), CMS (childcare management system), and Parent Engagement app for one simple parent and staff experience. 

 

With this system busy leaders can easily store templates and automate personalisation, automatically segment families and use personalisation keys like [Lead First Name] or [Location Name] with drip campaigns.

 

Compliance with Australian Regulations

 

When using multi-modal marketing, ECE providers must ensure compliance with Australian consumer and privacy laws:

 

• Spam Act 2003 – Obtain clear opt-in consent before sending marketing emails or SMS. Provide an easy way for parents to unsubscribe.

 

• Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) – Ensure that all parent data is stored securely and only used for its intended purpose.

 

• Australian Consumer Law (ACL) – Avoid misleading or exaggerated claims about your centre’s facilities, staff, or availability.

 

Optimising Multi-Modal drip campaigns

 

To get the best results:

✅ Keep SMS messages short & actionable – SMS should be under 160 characters and direct parents to book a tour or reply with questions.

✅ Use email for detailed info – Emails should be visually engaging with images, testimonials, and key details.

✅ Time messages effectively – Avoid sending messages at inconvenient times (e.g., late at night).

✅ Monitor & refine – Track open rates, response rates, and bookings to adjust your strategy as needed.

 

Choosing and using strengths 

 

A multi-modal drip campaign—combining email and SMS—helps Australian ECE providers engage with parents more effectively while remaining legally compliant. By using the strengths of both channels, centres can nurture leads, provide valuable information, and ultimately increase enrolments.

 

Already a Line Leader user?  

 

For more information on how to use drip campaigns in LineLeader Enrol, click the step-by-step article here. 

 

Not a Line Leader user yet? 

 

Get a demo to learn more about using automated drip campaigns to save time and grow at scale.