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SOP: Marketing Data Gathering Checklist

Work through each category and check off each item as you collect it. If a tool or platform doesn’t apply to your center right now, mark it N/A.

☐ SWOT Analysis

Your SWOT gives you a snapshot of how your center is positioned in the market — what’s working in your favor and what may be working against you.

  • ☐ Strengths — What does your center do better than competitors?
  • ☐ Weaknesses — What internal gaps could be hurting enrollment?
  • ☐ Opportunities — What is your market asking for that you could provide?
  • ☐ Threats — What external factors are affecting your enrollment pipeline?

☐ Google Analytics (Website Performance)

  • ☐ Total website visitors (monthly average)
  • ☐ Traffic sources (Google search, direct, social, referral, paid)
  • ☐ Most visited pages
  • ☐ Average time spent on site
  • ☐ Bounce rate (how quickly visitors leave)
  • ☐ Conversion actions taken (form submissions, calls, tour requests)
  • ☐ Mobile vs. desktop traffic breakdown

☐ Google Ads (Paid Search Performance)

  • ☐ Total impressions (how many times your ad was shown)
  • ☐ Total clicks
  • ☐ Click-through rate (CTR)
  • ☐ Cost per click (CPC)
  • ☐ Total conversions (calls, form fills, tour bookings)
  • ☐ Cost per conversion
  • ☐ Conversion rate
  • ☐ Top-performing campaigns and ad groups
  • ☐ Underperforming campaigns that are draining budget
  • ☐ Keywords triggering your ads
  • ☐ Negative keywords in use
  • ☐ Quality scores for top keywords

☐ Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram Paid Campaigns)

  • ☐ Total reach (unique people who saw your ad)
  • ☐ Total impressions
  • ☐ Click-through rate (CTR)
  • ☐ Cost per click (CPC)
  • ☐ Cost per lead
  • ☐ Total leads generated
  • ☐ Lead quality (how many leads converted to tours or enrollments)
  • ☐ Best-performing ad creative (image, video, carousel)
  • ☐ Best-performing audience (age, location, interest targeting)
  • ☐ Retargeting campaigns in place (yes/no)
  • ☐ Ad spend by campaign

☐ Local SEO Performance

  • ☐ Google Business Profile — is it fully completed and up to date?
  • ☐ Google Maps ranking for “childcare near me” and related searches
  • ☐ Top keywords your website ranks for in local search
  • ☐ Keywords you are not ranking for but should be
  • ☐ Local search visibility score (if using an SEO tool)
  • ☐ Backlinks pointing to your website
  • ☐ NAP consistency — Name, Address, Phone number matching across all directories
  • ☐ Listings on childcare directories (Care.com, Winnie, ChildcareCenter.us, etc.)

☐ Reputation Management

  • ☐ Total number of Google reviews
  • ☐ Current Google star rating
  • ☐ Facebook reviews — total and rating
  • ☐ Yelp reviews (if applicable)
  • ☐ Care.com or Winnie reviews (if applicable)
  • ☐ Most recent 10 reviews — common themes, compliments, complaints
  • ☐ Any unanswered negative reviews
  • ☐ Review response rate — are you responding to reviews?
  • ☐ Word-of-mouth reputation — what are parents saying in community Facebook groups, neighborhood forums, or Nextdoor?
  • ☐ Staff reviews on Indeed or Glassdoor (these affect parent trust too)

☐ Social Media Performance

  • ☐ Platforms you are active on (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube)
  • ☐ Posting frequency — how often are you publishing content?
  • ☐ Average reach per post
  • ☐ Average engagement rate (likes, comments, shares, saves)
  • ☐ Top-performing post types (photos, reels, carousels, stories)
  • ☐ Follower growth over the last 90 days
  • ☐ Inbound messages or inquiries coming from social media
  • ☐ Content themes that generate the most engagement

☐ Lead Source Tracking

  • ☐ Where are your inquiries coming from? (Google search, Google Ads, Meta Ads, referrals, social media, community events, walk-ins, signs, partnerships, website contact form)
  • ☐ Which source produces the most leads?
  • ☐ Which source produces the highest-quality leads (most likely to enroll)?
  • ☐ Lead volume by month — are inquiries seasonal?
  • ☐ Current lead tracking system in place — CRM, spreadsheet, enrollment software, or manual?

☐ Enrollment Funnel Data

  • ☐ Number of inquiries received last 30 days
  • ☐ Number of tours scheduled from those inquiries
  • ☐ Number of tours completed
  • ☐ Number of enrollments from tours
  • ☐ Inquiry-to-tour conversion rate
  • ☐ Tour-to-enrollment conversion rate
  • ☐ Average response time to new inquiries (minutes or hours)
  • ☐ Current follow-up process for families who inquire but don’t tour
  • ☐ Current follow-up process for families who tour but don’t enroll