As a busy franchise marketing professional, you may find your franchisees sometimes are ambivalent about marketing. Yet, you both know that a solid and franchise marketing plan can lift almost any franchisee’s business and provide substantial benefits to the overall brand.
But how can you convince your franchisees, busy individuals with little spare time and restrictive budgets, that spending money on a franchise marketing plan will benefit their business?
For starters, it’s important to realize what you’re up against. Reluctance to invest in franchise marketing often comes down to one (or more) of these common objections:
- Lack of time
- Lack of money
- Lack of knowledge
1. Prove there’s value in marketing.
Unfortunately, many franchisees bring preconceived ideas about marketing into their business. They often believe particular marketing methods won’t work because they haven’t had success with them in the past or are reluctant to try new things. As a franchise marketing professional, you know better – and by providing your franchisee with appropriate resources, you can help show value in different forms or marketing for their business.
Two important tools are:
- Case Studies – Clear examples showing how other franchisees have used a particular marketing method and results that show success.
- Statistics – Franchise and industry statistics can help reinforce your point. Maybe that’s the number of your franchises that use Facebook or general marketing stats on the importance of various marketing tactics like direct mail and EDDM®.
A busy franchisee may feel he or she has neither the time nor knowhow to seek out the best marketing service providers or vendors. Lack of knowledge, in particular, leads to inaction because many small business owners fear making a mistake.
You can remove this fear by developing key business partnerships with companies that provide appropriate marketing services. Not only will you reassure your franchisees by providing recommendations, but you also can save them money by negotiating on behalf of the entire brand and providing better rates to your individual franchisees.
3. Provide Valuable Resources
By providing resources such as design templates for mailers or advertisements, you can make it cheaper and easier for your franchisees to get involved in marketing. Centrally-designed resources also ensure that every single franchise projects the same image and standards, reducing customer confusion and strengthening the overall brand.