Marketing your franchise

If you are new to the franchise industry, then it can be tricky to know what works well when looking at marketing for your franchise. As more and more things become digital, do you keep up with the trends or do you stay strong with the good old-fashioned ways?

Before purchasing a franchise, we thoroughly recommend that you have undertaken your due diligence in finding out firstly if that your area is in demand for the services you are going to be providing. This will help you to not only get to understand your customers before they know you, but also allow you to see more clearly if you are going to be profitable.

The franchisor should also be there to support you during your marketing exploration, showing you their previous models whether it be from flyers, social media or newspaper articles. Providing examples of how they have benefited or used marketing to their benefit will allow you to greater understand what type of marketing is best for you.

What marketing tools are there?

When looking at marketing, it is a very broad and large subject covering many aspects. It is important to know that there are different degrees of marketing and this consists of various costs and fees. 

Social Media – We may as well cover one of the biggest marketing tools you can use these days. Social media has managed to find its way into every nook and cranny of society, for better or for worse is to be debated. However, when it comes to increasing your reach and brand awareness, then social media is a great marketing tool for doing just that. Being able to upload delicious, mouth watering images on Instagram to entice foodies to come dine at your restaurant is a sure way to gain followers and attraction from locals who may not have heard of you. Because things are so easily shared, with the help of smartphones, means that anything can go viral and fast. There have been some great examples of big businesses either tweeting or doing a video which grants them huge media attention and even start ‘trending’. All it takes is to do the right hashtags and upload relevant content with your followers and you are onto a winner. Social media may be the only avenue going forward.

Advantages – Free; almost everyone is online now; great access to customers far and wide; easy to interact with customers; multiple platforms to increase brand awareness; can go viral.
Disadvantages – Easy to miss when scrolling; not enough traction or interest generated; can get trolled.
Suitable for – Every sector should use social media on at least one platform but in particular; Food, Cleaning, Sports, Retail, Gardening, Hair & Beauty and Pet.

Reviews – Although social media may be the new king in town, it is up against reviews for being the best marketing tool in your toolbox. Something that will always stand the test of time is hearing about previous experiences of someone who has used a service and how they fared with it. Things such as TripAdvisor and Google Reviews play a huge part in customers decision making. We are all guilty of hearing someone mention that they had a poor experience at a restaurant and therefore vowing never to set foot in that premises, without even going to see for yourself. Getting customers to write you feedback is a hugely beneficial marketing technique that will only increase your customer base. Having a top review on the likes of Google is great, especially if you can get more than a couple as this helps prove that it was not just a one-off fluke, you are consistently a good brand.

Advantages – People trust other’s experiences; word of mouth goes a long way; helps boost brand image if 5-star reviews are backed by multiple people; boosts confidence in customers.
Disadvantages – Negative reviews can scar and taint your brand image; difficult to ensure people leave reviews; no control of what is said; not really promoting all aspects of your business.
Suitable for – Again all franchises should look to utilise a review system, however would be more favourable for; Food, Care, Retail, Cleaning, Gardening and Tradesman Services.

Print – Before the likes of social media, smartphones and easy access to the internet (yes, there was a time when this was reality), people relied on other sources of marketing tools to help increase their brand awareness. Getting in touch with newspapers or magazines to have a dedicated article box, half spread or page was all that people could use to branch out where they could not go themselves. Being in your local newspapers or having flyers to pop through people’s doors is still a great way to get instant recognition. By doing this you are increasing the chance of catching the readers eye immediately and allowing them to have something physical for reference. It is far to easy on social media to scroll past your advert within seconds, seeing your time-consuming post vanish before it even got a chance to make an impact. But with material, someone will be able to hold it and flick through it, even if it is destined for the bin.

Advantages – Can reach a wide audience of people especially if in specific magazines (franchise specific); detail and show off your business how you want; physical copies of material and not just digital.
Disadvantages – Can be skimmed too; can be disposed of; difficult to gauge the interest or returns from the ad; can be expensive.
Suitable for – More for local based franchises such as Cleaning, Gardening, Vehicle, Hair & Beauty.

Person – Lastly is using yourself as the biggest sales tool. When trying to gain confidence and customers, the best way they can see what you are truly like is to meet you. Images, text and videos show you off to a certain degree, but there will always be an element of doubt that what you are offering may not live up to expectation. However, if you were to speak to people in person, the face-to-face meeting allows each party to gain trust and see the person for what they genuinely are. Speaking to people allows you to create conversations and learn about one another, things you cannot do over the phone or online.
Advantages – Instant connection with customers; actually see results of interactions; can get instant work/referrals; cheap
Disadvantages – Time consuming; can be difficult to engage with people as similar to cold calling; problematic when explaining business model
Suitable for – More for small businesses and ones who intend to work in the Gardening, Trades, Cleaning sectors.

These were a few of the advantages and disadvantages of using certain marketing materials and what business sector they relate too. Obviously things are transferrable and there is not one single answer to what the best marketing material for you is. The thing to understand is that it is important to improve brand awareness but ensuring that it is only the positive image you are projecting.