Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps


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When sales decline in a franchise network, the franchisor is usually the main culprit. It's a varied and demanding job that involves marketing on two levels: recruiting the right franchisees and then marketing at the unit level, for which they pay a fee (usually a percentage of their sales) and often expect a fortune.

Attracting and retaining prospects or customers is everyone's job in a business, but marketing with a consistent and compelling message really starts at the top. Finally, one of the benefits of a franchise system is having access to existing and successful brands and their reach, including trade dress, professional signage, website design and promotional templates.

But before we look at what you as a franchisor need to provide franchisees for their local marketing efforts, let's start with the characteristics of a successful recruiting program.

Related: The 8 Rules of Franchise Marketing, According to Top Franchise CMOs

Marketing to potential franchisees

First and foremost, sales materials must be both persuasive and compliant. Different states have different requirements, so hire a franchise marketing expert and legal counsel to make sure you're both striking the right tone and operating within state and federal laws.

And even if you've been franchising for years, it's never a bad idea to revise sales materials to update the message, review a consistent look, re-ensure compliance, and leverage any new channels. How many franchisors would have dreamed of creating TikTok videos five years ago?

Start with a website that captures the imagination of your target audience – that reflects and enhances the brand, tells a good story, and explains the specific and unique benefits of your franchise offering.

It's also important to use a variety of media, including electronic collateral, search engine and social media advertising campaigns, direct marketing tactics, and trade shows and publications. And know your audience so you invest time and effort in the right places.

Because prospects are used to getting instant answers, technology will play a big role in ongoing communication with prospective buyers, especially as they become leads. Whether through AI chatbots, SMS, email, or phone calls, find out how candidates like to receive information and interact.

In addition, you should have a plan and a budget. If you don't have the staff to develop and implement a franchise marketing plan, hire a firm with experience (and success) in creating and implementing plans for other franchises. Now is not the time to just throw ideas at the wall and see what sticks.

Related: The True Cost of Franchising Your Business

Unit-level marketing

Once you have franchisees signed up to your system, it's your responsibility to help them advertise and market. Word of mouth has traditionally been considered the best form of advertising here, but with social media taking over, words now come from a great many mouths – and not just those of your fans. To ensure you and your franchisees are sending the same message, provide them with sample content and at the very least (better yet, directly manage) their online presence (including social media) as well as their overall marketing message.

Keeping track of all franchisees' marketing activities may sound daunting, but it's important not to leave anything to chance. At the very least, approve all content posted on their individual social media accounts or websites/webpages. A better approach, in my experience, is to provide templates and messaging so that the look and feel of all posts, announcements, promotions and videos are always on-brand. These can be created by your own staff and/or an outside agency.

Another idea is a hybrid approach where the franchisor manages all campaigns but allows franchisees to post for territory-specific events as long as they get the content approved in advance.

Of course, this direct management approach requires dedication and planning and doesn't leave much room for spontaneity, so make an effort to be responsive when a franchisee wants to advertise or post something about what's new in their market.

Another important point: if you set up a brand development (or system marketing) fund, make sure that the fees charged to franchisees are enough to cover the costs of producing marketing materials, including employee time. Make it clear to them that these fees will of course benefit each local franchise, but will also be used to fund regional or national campaigns that benefit the entire system. And finally, consider having all stores owned by the parent company contribute the same percentage to system marketing as the franchisees, so that there is a sense of equitable participation throughout the network.

Related: Your franchise marketing needs this secret weapon to captivate and convert

There will always be pressure (especially on new and emerging franchisors) to develop new marketing materials to justify contributions to the marketing fund. Historically, one of the most common complaints from franchisees is that they would have expected more support in this area. And some franchisors also require franchisees to spend certain amounts on their own marketing in their territory, which can cause additional consternation. Another solution might be to combine these two fees into a common percentage, especially when an outside agency is hired to manage campaigns.

But no matter how you design your marketing funds and programs, transparency is key. Provide regular accounts/reports on how funds are being spent, including social media growth efforts and ad reach, and provide evidence of how campaigns are performing.

Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps

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