Six ways to market your Franchised Business

There are six ways to market your franchised business: direct mail, advertising, sales, promotions, online or digital marketing and public relations.  Take the most successful franchisors in the world, they have broken down these 6 pillars of marketing franchised business and continue to innovate, adapt and fine-tune as the results vary.  The following are some of the ways to market your franchised business:

Advertising:
The mother of all marketing campaigns – advertising is not just print media. As a franchisor you must not be afraid to test the waters to promote your marketing message. Try anything under the sun from newspapers, magazines, TV advertisements, billboards, radio ads, and now with the advent of technology, internet advertising, and websites and much more for the best possible return on investment (ROI). Much has changed today; more recently the traditional ‘Call Now’ button has been replaced by direct user engagement with the franchisor’s website for enquiry.

Direct mail:
One of the earliest marketing campaigns that still can only be overlooked at your own risk. This is still the cheapest option available, especially when you have several direct mail options such as drip email campaigns, e–newsletters, and other opt–in alternative mailers that send information of your franchise business to potential franchisees via your website.

Sales:
Whatever be your marketing campaign, an effective and systematic sales process must be in place in every franchise business. There are only three sub-categories when it comes down to sales promotion:

One–to–one sales: Person–to–person sales as in a trade fair, expo, discovery day or one–on–one session with prospective takers for any franchise business.

Phone sales that happen either as an incoming or outgoing basis: It pays in the long run to have an in–house franchise sales expert who knows to present and manage prospective franchise opportunities, answer queries as well as manage objections.

Outgoing phones sales, also termed as telemarketing, can be an effective option, though success rate can be questionable with caller ID, voicemail and do–not–call lists. The main objective of the sales process is that it should offer the franchise the required buyer information with an incentive to continue the discovery process with the franchisor.

The scope of technology with emails, web presentations, texting, SMS, teleconferencing, calendar syncing, are quite as useful as any traditional sales tool for customer collaboration. The best candidates for your franchise will follow the discovery trail, less likely to miss appointments, and quickly get back to you         when you leave them with any messages. One of the most powerful tools is CRM software to document franchise prospects and their developments throughout your sales pipeline.

4. Promotions:
   Successful franchisors make the best possible combination of traditional promotional methods and promotions using social media tools. For example, franchisor may run promo campaigns such as billboards, print, TV and radio, whilst at the same time running similar campaigns on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media channels.
5. Public relations
   Traditionally, public relations (PR) campaigns would include press kits, press releases, sponsorships and other goodwill campaigns and events. The most effective way is to spin a PR and distribute it across 100+ news media outlets for brand awareness and recognition. Also, roping in influencers, writing blogs, creating vlogs, and developing guest columns can draw potential traffic from different online sources; also, unlike a traditional PR campaign, these campaigns can be measured using analytics and the results fine–tuned.
6. Online marketing:
   Because many franchisors are pretty much newbies at online or digital marketing, they can seek the assistance of a qualified SEO or an SMO team. A good working knowledge of search technology, social media marketing campaigns, Paid marketing, Analytics and other online tools can come in real handy when you are looking to set up online promotional campaigns. And remember these are quite cost–effective, measurable and result–oriented too.
   
   Are you a franchisor looking to market your business and take it to the next level? We are the topmost Franchise Consultants in Chennai, and get in touch with us for a detailed marketing report and plan of action.