Franchise
Marketing
Marketing a
franchise should not be a
challenge as the franchisee will normally do the bulk of the
advertising that is needed to expose the product to the related target
market.
|
|
It
is important to read the fine print in the Franchise Agreement
to find
out what benefits you will receive in terms of Marketing and Exposure
of the franchise.
A franchise is a great choice as it is normally an established brand
with many advantages.
Franchising is a good choice as the success rate is much higher when
compared to a sole trader.
|
The best way to let
potential customers know about your franchise is to market your
business. There are a number of ways to advertise and market your
business and these are discussed below:
How franchisor's can market themselves.
1.
Develop a franchise brand positioning platform. Recognize that your
franchise is a separate (though interrelated) brand from your consumer
brand, and develop a franchise brand development platform. The platform
is generally a document of 10-20 pages that commits to paper the brand
identity of the franchise program, specifics of the target franchise
prospect, enumerates the benefits of the franchise program in terms
that relate to the prospect, and includes a 25-50 word description of
the franchise program that everyone in your organization, franchisees
included, should eventually be able to recite from memory.
2.
Be sure your marketing communicates the franchise brand position. From
your lead generation materials (print ads, postcards, in-store
messages, mini-brochures, digital brochures, website) to your follow-up
materials (franchise brochures, videotapes, email messages,
eBrochures), personal interactions and even the portrayal of
franchisees in consumer advertising should be consistent with the
Franchise Brand positioning.
3.
Get your salespeople and brokers on-board. Experienced, reputable
salespeople and brokers can be useful in generating interest and
following up, but you must be careful that the prospects they bring you
- and the prospects you sign - match your profile, are adequately
capitalized, have a clear understanding of the franchisor/franchisee
relationship and have realistic expectations.
4.
Be honest. In franchise sales, honesty truly is the best policy. The
prospects who respond to dreams of freedom and easy money are the ones
you will spend the most time and money dealing with. Smart franchisors
want smart franchisees. And smart franchisees respond to the truth. If
you're still working toward excellence, tell them where you are in the
process. Then keep working toward it.
5.
Develop a relationship between your customers and make them feel
welcome. Customer relations is a vital part of ensuring a franchise
success. If you are looking for problems in a business then the best
place would be to take a look at customer complaints and rectify the
problems immediately. A small problem such as burnt or under cooked
food has the potential to destroy your businesses reputation as well as
the brands reputation.
Most
franchise companies will do the majority of the advertising as you will
pay for advertising through your fees. The franchise companies are able
to take on major marketing campaigns that include TV advertising and
other media related advertising.
|
