Once your Changing Places toilet has been installed the work doesn’t stop there. Although you may expect facility usage to come naturally, people won’t use your loo if they don’t know about it.

Promoting your Changing Places toilet is an important part of the overall installation process. In addition to helping you capitalise on the purple pound with more customers or visitors, a well-promoted loo has the potential to seriously make a difference to somebody’s life.

-> One of our previous clients, The National Space Centre, produced a great video to showcase their facility and help attract new visitors:

When Should I Start Promoting our CP Facility?

Although you may think promoting your Changing Places toilet is a job best left until after installation, we advise you to start as soon as possible! There are lots of milestones and steps involved in toilet installation and these all present an opportunity to reach potential users and promote the overall Changing Places campaign.

Milestones include:

• News on campaigning or fundraising
• Facility funding approved/achieved
• Building plans approved
• Building work started
• Build progress pictures
• Pictures of the completed facility
• Pictures of the opening ceremony

How Can I Promote My Changing Places Toilet?

Below are some of the best ways to promote your new Changing Places toilet both on and offline.

Changing Places Toilet Map

The first and most important element of promoting your new toilet is ensuring it is registered with the Changing Places Consortium. Providing your new facility has been installed in accordance with British Standard 8300 and therefore meets the consortiums requirements, it will be registered and listed on the Changing Places Toilet Map.

The toilet map is an important resource for people with disabilities and their families. The map shows the location of every single registered loo in the country, enabling users to plan travel, days out and holidays. If your facility doesn’t appear on the map, then you will be missing a large portion of potential customers.

Social Media

Social media is a powerful way to engage with customers and potential users of your new toilet. Installing a Changing Places toilet is a fantastic thing to do and has the potential to improve the lives of so many people – you should shout about it as much as possible on your social media channels!

Keep your followers up to date with progress reports, from funding to the final product and don’t shy away from asking people to share the news. Although there are more than 14 million disabled people in the UK, getting lots of social media engagement and shares increases your chances of reaching the right people with your news.

If there is any budget for social media, you may want to consider promoting your posts to target potential customers and users more effectively.

Press & Media

Consider creating a press release to celebrate key milestones throughout your campaign and the build process.

This can be published on your website or sent to the local press. A press release or news article on your website is a good way to update customers and stakeholders but is unlikely to be picked up by the media.

To capture the attention of the local press try contacting editors, explaining your project and what benefits the facility will bring to the area and the people that use the loo. Local press will be especially interested once the toilet is operational – ensure you emphasise the reasons you have installed the toilet and who the toilet is for. This not only helps promote your facility but the wider Changing Places campaign too. If you hold an event to mark the opening of your toilet, inform local media as they may send a photographer to capture images of the event.

If you don’t have a PR or marketing team in-house, How to Write a Press Release from Hubspot is a good resource to get you started.

Campaigners & Community

Most businesses installing a toilet will be working with campaigners or local groups as part of the consultation process leading up to work starting on their toilet. It is vital to keep these people informed of the project process as some of these individuals may be users of the finished loo, or carers and family members.  

These key stakeholders will be vital when promoting the new facility – to other community groups, care homes, special schools, and their wider networks. If you are not working with a consultation group, you should reach out to hospitals, schools, and community groups at some point to inform them about the new toilet.

Marketing Materials & Website

As soon as your new toilet is open to the public, you need to ensure your marketing materials and website are up to date.

If your website has a section about accessibility (common for tourist attractions), then update this section with the official Changing Places logo and the location of the toilet. Access to a Changing Places loo can make or break a visit for a potential customer so it’s important to ensure your website and any other promotional materials let visitors know you have one.

Party Time!

Finally, why not consider holding a PR event or party to celebrate the opening of your new facility? An opening ceremony is a great way to drum up publicity, thank any campaigners or local groups who have been involved in the process, and in the process promote your business and the wider Changing Places campaign.

Installing a Changing Places toilet is a wonderful achievement and should be celebrated as such!