Five Tips for Developing a Successful Franchise Marketing Strategy
Looking to expand your business into other regions? You’ll need to develop a franchise marketing strategy first. If you’re uncertain where to start, we have some good news. InnoVision Global Marketing specializes in developing impactful franchise marketing solutions and we want to share some of our insights with you. Here are our top five tips for developing a successful franchise marketing strategy.
1. Share Your Brand Story
Sharing your brand story is the perfect way to connect with your audience as well as prospective franchisees. Your brand story should use high-quality, impactful video storytelling to convey the essence of your brand.
For instance, do you own a health food store because a change in diet helped you recover from an illness? Do you run a sugar-free ice cream shop because your child has a sugar intolerance? Every brand has a “why” behind it, which means every brand has a story to tell. Brand stories are effective for engaging customers, but also like-minded individuals.
Find people who understand your brand and business goals. Connect with those who believe in what you’re trying to accomplish and share your vision. It will help you ensure your brand messaging is consistent as you expand your franchise and grow into new markets.
Sharing your brand story is about forming a connection with your audience. It could also be just what you need to connect with those who share your passion and commitment and want to help you expand your reach.
2. Leverage Social Media
Engaging social media posts can grow your audience, widen your customer base, and attract potential franchisees to your page. So be sure to leverage the power of social media to your advantage, using the insights captured through social media analytics.
For instance, do you have followers outside areas where you’re currently located? If so, that may be an area of interest for your franchise expansion.
Let’s use Facebook as an example. You can go to your professional dashboard and then select “See more insights.” Scroll down to see the demographic makeup of your followers. It will show you their ages, genders, and home countries. Keep scrolling to the right and you’ll see the top cities where your followers are based.
See a city listed where you’re not currently located? That could be a good indicator that there’s a market for your product elsewhere. If that city is in a different time zone than your own, schedule some social media posts when people in that area are most likely to be active on social media. You may even want to tailor a few posts to that region to see if you can grow your audience there.
Gather the metrics of your top-performing posts and share them with prospective franchisees. Anyone thinking about opening a franchise will likely want to know whether the business has the potential to turn a profit in their area. Sharing key data about the demographics of your audience, including age, gender, and location, will show you’re knowledgeable and prepared. It will also give prospective franchisees the specifics they need to make an informed decision.
3. Generate Leads
Once you’re armed with the data you need to show your business can excel in other communities, it’s time to get to work generating leads. One easy way to expand your customer base is by offering a discount code to website visitors in exchange for signing up for your email list.
Likewise, think about what you can do to generate leads when it comes to prospective franchisees. For instance, you may want to incentivize someone interested in opening a franchise to provide their email address in exchange for an ebook on running a business or some other form of informational guide. Explain the logistics of operating a franchise and the breakdown for prospective franchisees exactly why your business is ripe for opportunity.
Share your success story. Include customer testimonials or reviews. Demonstrate what sets your brand apart from the competition and why having a stake in your brand expansion is a smart move.
4. Optimize Visibility with SEO
Once you use social media metrics to determine where your following is based, try to use search engine optimization (SEO) best practices to target your desired audience. For instance, you can mention that particular location by name in your blog posts to increase brand awareness in that specific region. Consistently implementing SEO best practices should grow your audience and increase your visibility in your desired areas of expansion.
Share your blog posts on social media for optimal visibility and engagement. This should drive more people to your website so that you can generate solid leads and increase your pool of prospective franchisees.
5. Partner with the Right Agency
When you’re trying to run a business, it can be difficult to craft a franchise marketing strategy all on your own. Having the right team behind you will make your path toward expansion much smoother and easier. For instance, partnering with a reputable marketing agency will assist you in identifying the most effective franchise marketing solutions for your particular brand.
When it comes to franchising, there’s no one-size-fits-all formula. So let InnoVision Global Marketing craft a customized franchise marketing strategy tailored to your unique audience.
Whether you want to focus on expanding locally, nationally, or globally, we have the expertise to transform your business into a recognizable brand. Allow us to lend our expertise and devote the necessary time, energy, and resources to growing your business and maximizing its reach.
InnoVision believes in dreaming big and crafting a franchise marketing strategy that will help you actualize those dreams. As we often say, “When it comes to your brand, don’t think small … think global.” Entrust InnoVision to bring your vision to life and show you that even your wildest dreams are possible.
