How Can a Marketing Agency Help My Franchise?
Google, Facebook, banner ads, SEO, print advertising, tradeshows: with so many ways to market your business, is it any wonder that marketing your business is a confusing process? Being a franchise only adds to the confusion, so when is it time to hire a franchise marketing agency?
Marketing agencies bring expert assistance into your business to help you find the right clientele to market to. They’re good at understanding how to narrow your niche, build a target audience, and create succinct messaging.
Franchise marketing agencies specialize further. They perfect their marketing prowess for working with franchises. They understand what it takes to market a business on a broader scale.
All marketing has one goal: to bring in customers to grow a company’s profits. Franchises do have unique qualities that require building a slightly different marketing plan. Here is how a franchise marketing agency can help grow a franchise:
What Separates Franchise Marketing From Other Types of Marketing
Marketing a franchise starts by asking two distinct questions:
- How will we bring in new franchisees?
- How will we help individual franchises build a business and stay profitable?
As part of a larger structure, you have a vision for growth. You have numbers in mind and have a desire to bring in solid leads for people who will buy into the program and become future franchisees. You’ll need to create a marketing plan that reaches out to entrepreneurs looking for business ideas.
On a smaller scale, your job is to help each franchisee thrive. You create a brand that will be recognizable throughout the marketplace. You focus on creating a sound structure for each franchisee to use and carry forward as they build their own individual reputation.
How can you do all that with the marketing budget you’ve set aside?
Marketing Is Marketing
Marketing agencies are experts in all things marketing. They’ve gained experience from years within the industry.
John Wanamaker is considered a pioneer in marketing, known for his successful use of advertising. He coined the phrase: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.” While our marketing approach may be a little more concise today, advertising is still a “guessing” game. No matter how much effort you put into your marketing plan, it will never be 100 percent successful. You’ll never sell to everyone you connect with.
Yet the more you refine, the more profitable your marketing will become.
Marketing is about crafting your message well enough to reach out to those who truly want to do business with you. You use marketing strategies that fit with your goals. In today’s world, many tools exist to accomplish that effectively.
It Starts With Digital
Franchise marketing requires global thinking, no matter how big your dreams of growth might be. Luckily, there are easy ways to shortcut the process.
A website is a mandatory part of doing business in this day and age. You can’t operate any sized business without one. However, there are many tactics you can use to build your online digital presence alongside a well-designed website like:
Technical SEO
Every web page should be optimized to rank in the highest possible spot on Google. Optimizing includes cleaning up code, fixing broken links, improving page speed, and more.
On-Page SEO
Use tools such as metadata, keywords, internal and external linking, content, and other data on each page to attract attention in Google.
Off-Page SEO
Connections mean a lot to ranking well in the search engine. Backlinks from outside resources linking to your site will increase your credibility and your exposure to other like-minded sites.
Social Media
With so many different social media sites available to you, the most challenging part will be choosing the one that best suits your needs. Once there, use it as a soapbox to further connect with your audience. Used correctly, social media can be relationship marketing at its best.
Print Ads
Think print advertising is no longer relevant? Think again. Especially as a part of franchise marketing, as you’re working to create a global brand. Brand recognition ensures you’re recognizable as people move throughout their daily lives, online and off.
Video Production
We’re living in a visual world. Why say it with words when a video can create a clearer message? And with so many ways to showcase video throughout the online world, it can be a meaningful part of your overall marketing plan.
This is just the start, as there are many ways to make your franchise shine online and offline. At InnoVision Global Marketing, our extensive marketing and branding experience allows us to customize a plan to suit your needs.
Service at the Local Level for Worldwide Appeal
One of franchise owners’ biggest concerns is focus: do you spend time on the main company or just one local franchise? Why not both?
A marketing agency that understands the needs of a franchise understands that franchises are complex and need a more customized approach to marketing. They are able to reach out on a larger scale to find candidates for opening up new franchises while respecting the needs of individual locations and developing tactics for local penetration.
One consistently feeds off the other. As a brand builds, it gains recognition in the industry. Recognition brings desire. When entrepreneurs see growth, they want to join. And that’s where the focus really starts to pay off.
Digital strategies have the capability of thinking big and small at the same time. Get good at one tactic (SEO, for example), and you’ll have the knowledge to carry it forward in other ways.
Need help creating that plan? That’s where a franchise marketing agency like InnoVision comes into play. It’s the perfect partnership to blend expertise and knowledge at every franchise development stage. Whether you need localized help for individuals or global help for building an empire, we can help you every step of the way.
How can we help you grow and expand your franchise?
Meta: Franchises have unique qualities that require building a slightly different marketing plan. Discover how a franchise marketing agency can help grow your franchise.
