Franchises can become widespread money-making machines. But like any multi-legged creature, managing numerous limbs in sync can be extremely difficult. Franchise marketing is a similarly double-edged sword.
According to Forbes, a consistent brand presentation can increase revenue by up to 23 percent. Consider the possible strength and profit of consistent branding across 2, 3, 200, or 500 branches.
Today, we’re exploring the franchise marketing opportunities you need to invest time and perhaps funds into as a franchise or franchise branch owner.
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Franchise Marketing at the Local Level
Cementing franchise branding at the national or non-branch-specific level can cultivate customer loyalty and trust. However, customers never visit two branches of a franchise at the same time. Your customer’s experience is still largely tied to the specific branch they decide to visit.
And no customer can visit a branch that they don’t know exists! So how will you ensure your specific branches show up on the map?
You can literally affect how often your branches appear on the map by investing franchise marketing dollars into local SEO and local paid advertising.
Bettering a franchise branch website’s SEO will ensure they show up more often in potential customer’s searches for services and products “near me.” Allocating paid advertising dollars to campaigns delivered within a certain radius of franchise branches will also increase branch awareness.
National Brands Dominate Local Media Spend
Newer franchises and brands may need to spend advertising dollars on brand awareness. But if you already have a handful or more locations, investing in local franchise SEO and paid advertising will help you more directly get potential customers to visit your branches.
In fact, national brands are the biggest spenders when it comes to local paid ad spend. According to BIA Advisory Services, national brands spent $600 million more in local paid media marketing in 2019 compared to 2018.
They also estimate national brands to spend about twice as much as local advertisers on local ads. Think about it-your local Starbucks doesn’t automatically make more money than a single local Mom & Pop store. Large brand branches may even need to make more money than single-owned businesses to send profits to the top of the chain.
This is why local media organic SEO and paid media spending are vital, even for franchise marketing.
Consulting Franchise Marketing Experts
Franchise marketing can seem like a difficult uphill battle. Sometimes, parent franchises give branches specific branding and promotional guidelines. Bigger franchises even allocate marketing dollars to branches on occasion.
But it’s just as common for franchise branches to be left to fend for themselves. In any of these instances, partnering with a marketing expert agency can shortcut marketing success.
Companies such as the HOTH offer franchise marketing solutions that range from small packages to fully-managed solutions. It’s often worth scheduling a consultation call with agency experts to collect quotes and entry-level opinions on moving forward with your franchise’s marketing.
Value of Marketing for Franchise and Franchise Branch Owners
Franchise marketing can increase your franchise’s perceived worth and bottom line. Ensuring that each of your franchise branches is also taking advantage of local SEO will also ensure longevity and the best local experience for your customers.
Ready to jumpstart franchise marketing today? Consult with your internal team for organic promotion scheduling and expert consultation. Read more about how to optimize and grow your business on our blog today.
