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<div id="pastingspan1">As political candidates jockey for the top spot in the polls, they are actually providing franchisors with a wealth of information that they can learn from to help or hinder the success of their brands.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><span style=""><strong>Know your audience.<br /></strong></span>When The Donald announced he was running for POTUS, not many people took him seriously. The Huffington Post even went as far as to put news related to Donald Trump related in their <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-entertainment-morning-joe_55d7701ae4b0a40aa3aae77a?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=10-things-franchisors-can-learn-from-the-presidential-campaign-2909" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="">entertainment</a> section. However, the more he spoke, the more Americans listened. Not everyone agrees with his views, but there&#8217;s no denying he knows how to relate to a large U.S. demographic.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>In regard to franchising, you can&#8217;t make everyone happy. The important things are to recognize who your product is aimed toward and how to best attract them for the long haul.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Get your marketing right<br /></strong>Jeb Bush was the hands-down favorite to get the Republican nomination in the early stages of the campaigns. And while there are a myriad of reasons the former Florida governor has fallen back in the polls, but his early campaign slogan certainly didn&#8217;t help his cause: &#8220;Jeb!&#8221; It didn&#8217;t really invoke much enthusiasm&#8212;or anything else really. However, Bush&#8217;s team decided to redirect his campaign under his new tagline &#8220;<a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2015/11/02/bush-hits-campaign-reset-says-hes-a-doer-not-a-talker?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=10-things-franchisors-can-learn-from-the-presidential-campaign-2909" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jeb Can Fix It</a>.&#8221; It&#8217;s not thrilling, but it&#8217;s an improvement.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Make sure you know what message you&#8217;re trying to convey through your marketing and advertising initiatives. This is how your brand will be recognized, so make it memorable for the right reasons.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Build a strong support team.<br /></strong>Sen. Marco Rubio has been mildly successful early on in the Republican debates, but his ability to bring aboard prominent donors has been his most impressive feat. Recently, Rubio reeled in billionaire <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/frank-vandersloot-marco-rubio-216027?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=10-things-franchisors-can-learn-from-the-presidential-campaign-2909" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Frank VanderSloot</a>, the CEO of a health-care products company in Idaho&#8212;one of three wealthy funders to back his campaign.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>When looking for franchisees, make sure you find the right people to join your system. Potential franchisees need to have a good balance of liquid assets, determination and core values if they are going to be an asset to your brand.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Don't underestimate the little guy.<br /></strong>There&#8217;s no denying the groundswell of support for <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/bernie-sanders-political-revolution-20151118?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=10-things-franchisors-can-learn-from-the-presidential-campaign-2909" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bernie Sanders</a>. Written off early by pundits and candidates alike, Sanders has been able to gain unprecedented momentum for his campaign through a grassroots approach to politics.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>If there&#8217;s anything franchisors can learn from Sanders, it&#8217;s that no matter how big or small your business, exciting your fan base can result an unexpected word-of-mouth marketing boon.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Know your target markets.<br /></strong>The rags-to-riches story shared by Ben Carson has caught the attention of voters across the country. While some people can relate to his conservative values, he may have difficulty reaching them when he can&#8217;t find them on a map. On November 17, Carson&#8217;s campaign team launched a map on social media highlighting the states that were in favor of refusing Syrian refugees. However, five of the New England <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/11/18/ben-carsons-campaign-made-a-u-s-map-and-put-a-bunch-of-states-in-the-wrong-place/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=10-things-franchisors-can-learn-from-the-presidential-campaign-2909" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">states were misplaced</a>. Whoopsie!</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>As you begin researching where you would like to develop your franchise, make sure you familiarize yourself with the territories you&#8217;ve targeted. If you are unknowledgeable about the region, you may have a difficult time finding the right franchisees or media outlets who will take you seriously.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Have a pulse on your supporters.<br /></strong>Martin O&#8217;Malley has nearly everything a Democrat would want in a candidate: he&#8217;s good looking, in his early 50s and is a well-respected politician with a clean record. However, he has been unable to gain support as he flounders with a meager 2 percent of support from voters. The people haven&#8217;t spoken yet, but you can hear them murmur: <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/nov/12/martin-omalley-seeks-jump-start-for-longshot-2016-/?page=all&utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=10-things-franchisors-can-learn-from-the-presidential-campaign-2909" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">you&#8217;re not their type</a>, Marty.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>As a franchisor, you need to know your consumers and recognize what separates you from other brands. While you may not be for everyone, you may have a niche consumer base, and if so, there&#8217;s nothing wrong with finding success by meeting their needs.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Don't mislead the masses.<br /></strong>Storytime with Carly Fiorina may be a great FOX Business segment, but the premise doesn&#8217;t work well in presidential debates. She caught fire early on after bringing attention to Planned Parenthood and their potentially questionable practices. The validity of her statement was questioned at the time, and since then she has admitted to presenting <a href="http://fortune.com/2015/11/02/carly-fiorina-wrong-92-percent/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=10-things-franchisors-can-learn-from-the-presidential-campaign-2909" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">flawed facts</a> about female job loss under President Obama, and where and under what circumstances she met Russian President Vladimir Putin.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Don&#8217;t get caught up in misleading your supporters, or anyone else for that matter. It&#8217;s difficult to regain trust once doubt has entered the equation. With that, always honor your coupons and vouchers.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Will you stay in the U.S. or go International?<br /></strong>A Canadian-born Hispanic senator from Texas, Ted Cruz is a real slice of Americana. His success and heritage are reminders of the melting pot that is the U.S.A., and his political principles are about as traditional and conservative as they come. Still, his background has raised questions about if he can <a href="http://radio.foxnews.com/2015/11/05/ted-cruz-has-a-birther-problem/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=10-things-franchisors-can-learn-from-the-presidential-campaign-2909" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">legally</a> run for Commander in Chief.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Not all franchises succeed internationally. It&#8217;s important to recognize how far you want to reach.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Don't piggyback on tragedy for attention.<br /></strong>Email scandal aside, Hillary Clinton made a comment during the November 14 debate that has left some liberals uneasy. With a reasonable lead in the Democratic race to the White House, Clinton was asked to comment on her relationship with Wall Street. She in turn made a seemingly unnecessary 9/11 <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/11/hillary-clinton-wall-street-september-11?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=10-things-franchisors-can-learn-from-the-presidential-campaign-2909" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">reference</a> that advocates and opponents alike believe was made irrationally.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Don&#8217;t unnecessarily tie yourself to tragedy for the sake of attention&#8212;plain and simple.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Recognize when it's not worth pursuing.<br /></strong>In a 14-horse race full of legitimate Republican contenders, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/11/politics/rick-perry-2016-campaign-suspended/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=10-things-franchisors-can-learn-from-the-presidential-campaign-2909" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rick Perry</a> decided he was better off hanging around the stables and waiting until 2020 or beyond.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>There&#8217;s nothing wrong with looking internally and realizing that you can&#8217;t break into a certain segment.</div>

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