Franchises are a big deal: there are an estimated 750,000 of them in the US alone. In addition, these businesses provide employment to over 8 million people. That’s a lot of opportunities for jobs, growth, and creativity!
However, franchise marketing can be a little complicated. After all, it requires dealing with both a national brand and the local establishments. But how do you maintain brand consistency when your efforts must spread across a national network of businesses? Here’s a brief guide to how to franchise marketing should work.
Franchise Marketing Definition
Before we jump in, let’s get started with a few basic definitions. As you might expect, franchise marketing is when a company coordinates national and/or local marketing efforts.
The “franchisor” is the person or corporation that owns the business model and any related trademarks. This person is responsible for creating marketing campaigns on a national level. The “franchisee” is the person who owns a local business that uses the business model and trademark that the franchise has established. This person is responsible for marketing themselves on a local level.
Franchisor Marketing
As mentioned above, franchisors are responsible for a large part of the overall franchise marketing efforts. In essence, franchisors cultivate the look and appearance of the brand as a whole. This includes system-wide efforts that help increase visibility on a national level.
This includes developing an initial brand name and establishing trademarks for logos, artwork, the name, and more.
In addition, franchisors also cultivate the global brand personality. This often involves creating marketing guidelines for use across the entire franchise.
Of course, this can get complicated fast. This is why many franchisors reach out to a franchise marketing agency like sirendigital.co for assistance.
From there, franchisors may invest in national campaigns. Most of these efforts will include one or more of the following types of marketing:
- television and radio advertising
- digital marketing
- social media campaigns
- public relations campaigns
Though they may not take part in these efforts, local businesses enjoy these national marketing systems as well. The added national brand visibility can make a huge difference, even on a local level.
Franchisee Marketing
In many franchises, franchisors will create plans and outlines to help franchisees market themselves on a local level.
This may include marketing and advertising for a grand opening as well as other annual marketing efforts. Other efforts may range from mail campaigns for local specials to digital efforts to increase visibility online. In essence, franchisees can market on their own initiative, but they usually have guidance from the franchisor. In some cases, franchisors require franchisees to spend a certain percentage of their sales on marketing.
Make the Most of Your Marketing
At the end of the day, franchise marketing is the key to success for both the franchisor and franchisee. However, it means you’ll have to coordinate your efforts well! With a franchisor creating consistent branding and franchisees increasing their local visibility, the company as a whole has a high chance of success.
Looking for more of the basic marketing guides you need? Check out our other posts for more information!
