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7 Steps To Improve Your Franchise Marketing
October 7, 2022
Franchise marketing occupies a unique position in the world of small business marketing. In most franchise systems, the franchisor will be in charge of marketing for the entire brand, with individual operations paying a set fee into this marketing fund. The benefits of this are that a local franchise can get the name recognition of a national advertising campaign, making them instantly recognizable without having to do anything themselves.
However, with the franchisor working on such a large scale, franchisees may need to put in more work on a smaller, local level to inspire lead generation. While the franchisor may support franchisees taking the initiative in terms of their own marketing efforts and even supply templates for advertising materials, others may put strict terms on how a franchisee can market and present itself. It’s always better to check the terms of your franchise agreement before marketing your franchise locally.
With that said, marketing is still a vital element of any business’s success, so here we’ll look at some steps you can take to improve your own franchise marketing.
7 Steps to Improve Your Franchise Marketing
Google Business Profiles
Your Google Business Profile is basically a short snippet with your essential business details and a photo. It may seem minor, but this is the centerpiece for all of your representation on Google, which makes it hugely significant for your digital marketing overall. If someone searches for your exact business, for example, “Screenmobile west palm beach,” then it is this Google Business Profile that will show up, giving the searcher a map to your location, contact details and your working hours. With 46% of searches on Google being from people looking for local results making sure that Google has the right details for you should be the first priority of your franchise marketing.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
This is another strand of digital marketing which helps searchers find your business. SEO basically means publishing content, like blogs, and filling out your website with information that lets people know what you do and where you are based. This won’t always be possible if your franchisor manages your web presence, but where it is, you can improve your local SEO results by being clear in reference to the products or services you provide and mentioning the locations you serve across your website.
Build a Brand Story
Whether it’s going to be online or through word-of-mouth, a good business should be proud of its own story. As a franchisee, you may be the sole proprietor, so this can be about your own journey and how you came to an end up starting the franchise. People respond better to franchise marketing that they can relate to or empathize with, so spend some time thinking about what that journey has been and how to relate that to your target audience.
Social Media
There are over four billion social media users worldwide, so it’s naturally a place you want to have a presence for your franchise marketing. Social media is, by nature, quite informal, so you can use it to give your audience a better idea of the work you do with on-the-job pictures or announcing where you’ll be working out next. You can also bolster your brand story by posting personal insights on your business and how you fit into the community.
Flyers and Direct Mail
Despite how it might seem, marketing hasn’t completely retreated to the digital world and the likes of email marketing. Having a presence in the physical realm can make a big difference in your franchise marketing. Making up and distributing flyers with your franchise branding or launching a direct mail campaign can improve lead generation, especially on a local level, as it gets you a place in the kitchen (or whatever part of the house a family looks at their mail) which is stronger than a spot on a screen that can be easily ignored.
Sponsoring Local Organizations
Communities like to give back to each other, and a local business that is generous in supporting local initiatives can expect goodwill in return. These organizations can include schools, charities or local sports teams. While the sponsorship will give greater local name recognition, the events themselves can also be great franchise marketing opportunities where you can meet potential customers in a social environment.
Value Customer Feedback
A customer’s dealings with your business are going to reflect on your franchise, so an important part of franchise marketing is making sure that experience is the best it can be. In any business, that isn’t always possible, but how you handle customer feedback, whether it’s to put right a mistake that happened or to improve service for the future, can be the difference in how your business is seen and known in the locality.
Final Thought on Franchise Marketing
Franchise marketing can be unusual in the fact that the franchisor will handle the vast majority of marketing tasks for the whole group. However, that doesn’t mean that individual franchisees can’t work to improve lead generation and how they are seen on a local level. Depending on the contractual parameters in the franchise agreement, a franchisee can work on their web presence, social media, and marketing materials such as flyers and mail-outs. An area that’s always available to work on, though, is word of mouth and giving your organization a good name in the community.
If you want to open a franchise that’s got national recognition and is involved in a booming industry, then look no further than Screenmobile. With over four decades of franchise experience, we’re proud to look after the success of our franchisees so well that we have a 99.5% renewal rate. To find out more, you can read about franchising with Screenmobile here or talk to our team.
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