When you own or operate a franchise, knowing how and what to do for marketing can at times be a challenge. Depending on what your chain advises you to do, you may have a lot of freedom with your marketing or you may have your hands tied pretty tight. But regardless of what your parent company suggests, there are things you can do in your area and with your own store to make your franchise’s marketing more effective. To help you see this firsthand, here are three tips for better local franchise marketing success.
Keep Your Store’s Message Consistent With Your Chain’s
For large companies with franchises all over the country or the world, the issue of having a consistent brand message may arise. Depending on how your chain wants the brand to be viewed, you may have a lot or just a little control over your store’s brand message. Laurel Mintz, a contributor to Franchising.com, shares that as your brand gets bigger, controlling the message for each and every store gets more and more difficult. But to have the most success with both your individual store and your chain’s overall brand message, be sure you keep your marketing messaging consistent with the values of your parent brand.
Focus On the 3 Miles Surrounding Your Location
If the area in which you live has multiple franchises like yours, it can be difficult to set yourself apart from those stores and create your own marketing message and ideas. However, being unique may not be the best way to think about marketing your specific store location.
According to Sara Wilson, a contributor to AllBusiness.com, the 3-mile radius around your store is where you should be focusing your marketing to have the most success. Get to know the area and people in this circle and work to create relationships between your franchise and their businesses. Not only will this help you feel more tied to the community, but it will also help the community feel more tied to you, making them more likely to patronize your franchise rather than the one across town.
Don’t Overdo Your Discounts Via Social Media
While offering coupons and discounts is a great way to market your franchise and bring in new customers, Suzanne Vara, a contributor to TheFranchiseKing.com, recommends for businesses to strike the right balance between offering discounts via social media and creating the right value expectations for your customers.
Vara warns that if you always have online coupons being promoted on social media, your customers may begin to think that your regular prices are inflated, giving you negative press rather than positive press by offering customers a discount. By all means, use coupons and discounts as a way to market your franchise and pull customers away from your competitors, but use this tactic wisely to help build your brand loyalty as well.
By having a consistent brand message, marketing to the right area around your franchise, and being deliberate about online offers, you can up the marketing game of your franchise above the expectations of your parent company. Use the tips mentioned above to see for yourself how marketing your franchise can make a difference in your success.
Originally posted on November 16, 2015 @ 8:26 pm
