Deciding to joining a franchise chain always seems like a great idea, after all, all the infrastructure, systems and material needed to market your business already exist. And while this may be convenient, it can sometimes be limiting, especially when you want to stand out from the crowd.
The thing is, franchisees are party of a bigger picture and not just their business, which is why consistency in marketing is key to success. It’s their duty to uphold the brand’s reputation and strengthen their public image. This is where franchise marketing comes into play, and how the purpose of this article came about.
What Is Franchise Marketing?
Before we can guide you on your franchise marketing techniques and strategies, you should probably know what it is. So, let’s get down to it, shall we?
As the name implies, franchise marketing is the way in which franchisors (the main franchise owner) and franchisees (the people who buy into a franchise to own their own store) choose to advertise and market their franchise to attract new customers and retain the existing ones. This means that their strategies and tactics need to align to this common goal – looking at how to increase franchise sales.
Types of Franchise Marketing
While the main form of franchise marketing is based on the operations of it all and seeks to attract new customers, there is a second time of franchise marketing – franchise development.
This second form of marketing is used by franchisors to attract new franchisees to grow their business network and family. Both aspects need to be addressed if the franchise is to grow and succeed.
In both instances, there needs to be open channels of communication to allow easy replication of the business model. The business model will be developed by the franchisors with the aim of franchisees replicating it to promote their stores and brand. This will answer the question most franchisees ask time and time again, which is how to grow your franchise business. Of course, these guidelines need to be followed correctly and failure to do so could have some serious consequences.
Why A Franchise Needs Marketing
When it comes to marketing your franchise and ensuring that your business grows and thrives, you need to have a clear marketing strategy. This is an obvious part of any business, not just when it comes to a franchise operation.
Research has found that almost 100 per cent of franchise marketing occurs in the digital space, which means that the approach needs to be in line with that. This means that social media marketing for franchises is non-negotiable. Another great aspect to digital marketing that brands can look into is the use of smart speaker marketing – but that’s an entirely different conversation best saved for another day.
In addition to this, consistency is key when it comes to marketing, and when it comes to franchises, this can refer to two things – content delivery as well as aligning with the overall brand.
As we’ve already discussed, franchise seeks to expand the business reach by reaching out to potential business owners as well as a new customer base – in addition to maintaining the existing customer database.
6 Franchise Marketing Statistics you Need To Know
The world of franchising grows with every passing year and with it the need for more effective customer communication. Don’t take our word for it. Let’s take a look at some of the statistics related to franchises.
1. It’s estimated that 300 businesses start franchising each year
2. Franchising makes up around 3% of the American GDP
3. In 2019, 7-Eleven was the world’s biggest franchise with over 68,236 stores worldwide
4.93% of all consumers use the internet to find local businesses
5.55% of US franchises use social media as their main marketing channel
6. Franchises that choose to automate their email marketing process generate up to 320% more revenue
7 Franchise Marketing Tips On How Drive Massive Sales
As with any business, there are several factors that can help to make a franchise successful from a marketing perspective. To help you get a head start, we’ll share our 7 best franchise marketing tips with you.
1. Use local SEO to improve your ranking and reach a wider, more specific, audience.
2.Pay per click advertising can improve your chances in being found when potential customers search for products or services related to your business.
3. As with any form of marketing, content is king. Ensure that every piece of content created serves a purpose and helps position your brand as a leader in your respective industry.
4. Social media remains one of the most effective ways to market your brand, so be sure to create a solid social media marketing strategy and keep your platforms up to date.
5. In the online world, your website needs to be user friendly to encourage sales and returning customers. It also needs to have all the information customers may be looking for.
6. Email marketing gives you the ability to reach customers in their inboxes. It’s cost effective and can even be automated to save you time.
7. Encourage customer reviews and respond to public feedback to strengthen your online reputation and to build trust with your audience.
Franchise Marketing Challenges
When you’re looking at how to promote a franchise business, there are a few challenges that may arise. The two main problems that generally arise include:
- Unclear guidelines from the franchisor in terms of marketing guidelines
- Franchisees choosing to ignore the given guidelines
Within these two challenges, a third may also arise, which is a lack of communication or miscommunication. Franchisees may misinterpret the information supplied, or the franchisor may not properly express what can and can’t be done.
Human error is bound to creep in, and knowing how to avoid this is important, and so is knowing how to cope with it when it does happen is even more important. Open and clear communication will make the world of difference, and having documents in place to refer back to will help ensure that everyone is on the same page – pun intended.
Examples Of Successful Franchises
In case you hadn’t already had a few global franchises come to mind while reading this, we’ll be sharing the of the biggest names that will help you get a better idea of what a franchise is, and more importantly, what an aligned franchise marketing plan looks like.
So without wasting too much time, here’s our 3 franchises:
1. McDonalds – Everyone loves their McNuggets and that’s not even their best meal
2. Domino’s Pizza – You’ll recognize that blue and red logo anywhere
3. Subway – The world’s favorite sandwich
Franchises Are More Than Just A Name
Many people think that by buying into a franchise, your marketing options are limited. But the truth is that in the digital space, the opportunities are actually endless. It’s a simple matter of determining where your customers may be and reaching them It’s as simple as that.
If you need assistance when it comes to marketing your franchise, give us a shout. Our team of experts would love to help you unleash your potential.
Tell us your thoughts in the comments