Promoting franchise businesses can feel a lot simpler than promoting independently operated enterprises. That’s part of the reason why so many small business owners in Australia opt to become a franchisee. After all, franchise enterprises have the resources required to gain greater word of mouth referrals, or even to fund larger scale local advertising campaigns. With the resources of a large corporation and the agility of small businesses combined, both franchisors and franchisees have plenty of options to select from when it comes to promoting their business.
Of course, if you’re either a franchisor or a franchisee, there are several things you’ll need to take into account when trying to spread the word about your flourishing business. For starters, you should look into the cost-efficiency of any marketing campaigns you’re looking to take on. Rather than paying thousands of dollars for bus stop ads, it may be more valuable for franchises to use their own window space for free by enlisting large format printing services to prepare seasonal promotional posters.
Has that got you brainstorming? Then let’s keep this momentum going by sharing 7 other great tips for sustainably promoting your franchise business either as a franchisor or a franchisee.
1. Maintain a Consistent Brand
Before we dive in, let’s first touch upon the importance of maintaining consistency between all your branded materials. Whether you’re the franchisor or the franchisee, you’ll want to make sure your brand stays consistent across the different branches. If you’re the former, this boosts the overall value of your brand, and can be enforced via your franchise contract and by providing proper training for franchisees.
If you’re a franchisee, sticking close to your franchisor’s brand gives you the benefit of an existing brand. You’ll be able to attract customers who already buy from your franchise, and you’ll make sure you stay out of trouble with your franchisor.
2. Be a Voice on Social Media
Having a presence on social media is key to connecting with your customers. Besides attracting new buyers and building narratives around your business and brand, social media also allows you to reach out to people who have already bought from you in the past. Social media also lets your customers talk to you: platforms like Facebook and X give you the ability to gauge customer sentiments and read individual comments/reviews.
As a franchise business, you’ll also want to share news common to the parent business both through your main social media accounts and through the individual accounts of your franchisees, if they have them. In other words, your social media accounts can be used to build up a digital network for your business and all its offshoots, ensuring that customers do see every store within your franchise as one part of a harmonic whole.
3. Think Like a Startup
While the two aren’t exactly the same, being a franchisee and a startup founder share some important similarities, which is why you’ll want to apply some of the same tried and tested marketing principles used by successful startups. This includes connecting with influencers, making sure your brand is mobile friendly, and showcasing your business’ impact on the local community – be it in the form of local sponsorship opportunities or participating in community events like fairs.
This is the reason why so many franchisors are more than happy for franchisees to put their own spin on their marketing calendar, taking additional opportunities to engage with their community and solidify themselves as a valuable fixture of that community, as any other small business is equipped to do.
4. Create Quality Content
We can’t speak about promoting your franchise without touching on the vital investment that is content marketing. Whether you’re sharing something on social media, sending out promotional emails or posting content on a third party website, you’ll want both quality and quantity when it comes to your company content. The first reason is that, if you present yourself as a genuine resource in a particular area, people are more likely to build an affinity with your brand.
Creating content regularly and to a certain standard also helps with SEO. For instance, having content that has been optimised for search engine visibility can naturally help your franchise get more clicks online. And more clicks means more site visitors to explore and engage with your promotions and seasonal deals. It’s all about welcoming them in and then giving them a reason to stay – that’s the power of well-written promotional content.
5. Make Your Visuals Appealing
While creating gripping visuals is as much an art as it is a science, there are some general guidelines that will be useful to you. For starters, make sure that you pick a style and stick to it, and don’t stray too far from your brand identity when it comes to selecting stylistic things like colours and font type.
One of the most important aspects of creating marketing visuals is to know how to place emphasis on your key message. This might be a discount, an aspect of your brand or a piece of company news. Some strategies for placing emphasis include highlighting, centering certain words and playing with different colours. Be sure to also produce variations of poster designs so that your marketing team can determine which designs are likely to be most effective – either by conducting A/B testing or simply by developing customer feedback surveys following sales.
6. Choose Partnerships Carefully
You can’t do anything on your own. If you’re running any sort of business, it’s crucial to find good marketing partners. If you find ones that are less than ideal, you’ll end up losing a lot of time and money (and probably your temper, too!), so you’ll want to go through a rigorous selection process.
One of your most important partnerships is whoever will be printing your physical marketing material. Find someone who communicates well, understands your needs and has the capacity to deliver what you need when you need it.
The same goes for your digital marketing efforts as well. You want trusted professionals handling your marketing campaigns, be they traditional or via social media. After all, these campaigns are how your business introduces itself to prospective clients. The last thing any business owner wants is to make a poor first impression.
7. Keep in Touch With Existing Customers
Finally, while it’s important to attract new customers, you’ll also want to keep your existing ones coming back. There are several ways to do this, including email marketing, SMS marketing and push notifications, if you have a business app.
Generally, getting people who have already bought from you to make repeat purchases is much, much cheaper than gaining new customers. If you want to get the most bang for your back as a marketer or a business owner, CRM is key.
We’ve just gone through a few key ways to promote your franchise business. While we recognise that each business and situation is unique, and that a tailored approach is crucial to success, there are several key principles that will work for almost anyone. Whether you’re a franchisee or a franchisor, these marketing tips will set you on your way to owning a thriving business.
If you’ve just finished reading this article and thought you’ve found something useful, today’s the day to apply what you’ve just learned to your own business.