1851

When trying to get a franchise brand in front of prospective buyers, the marketing mix is important. You don&rsquo;t want to put all of your dollars into one singular advertisement or one PR campaign or one piece of marketing collateral. Creating a strategy that crosses various platforms and media with an alignment of messaging is the best way to reach a targeted audience. This balance is especially important when it comes to the content mix.

&ldquo;Franchisees are going to do their homework online in various places, not just on a company blog. The blog may give some insight on your brand&rsquo;s news, but the average process for buying a franchise is six months -- from point of interest to filling out an inquiry form,&rdquo; said Nick Powills, CEO of No Limit Agency* and 1851Franchise.com. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re going to spend more time during that time talking with people and doing online research than looking at your website, though integrating your website content with your social media channels offers an opportunity to enrich the footprint and create a consistency of message across all channels.&rdquo;

While no longer the primary content platform, a blog is still a useful tool in franchise marketing. By blogging, brands can control the message and get some SEO benefit, but should be one piece of a bigger content strategy.

&ldquo;The problem with blogging and directing candidates to the content on your website is that it&rsquo;s clearly self-promotional copy, so they&rsquo;re less likely to read it,&rdquo; said Sean Fitzgerald, chief development strategist for No Limit Agency and 1851Franchise.com. &ldquo;Relying on a blog as a content strategy simply isn&rsquo;t enough anymore.&rdquo;

As news outlets continue to close and teams continue to shrink, the traditional media as we know it will continue to change. With the rise of content marketing, a brand can control the story and craft it directly to the audience they are trying to reach.

&ldquo;Nowadays, accessibility to content that matters is limited,&rdquo; said Powills. &ldquo;Trade publications often write fluff pieces that are driven by the advertisers that help pay the publishing costs. Therefore, creating a publication that would be able to distribute news quickly and specifically to the audiences that demand them created an opportunity to build a point of differentiation.&rdquo;

That point of differentiation was 1851Franchise.com, an industry trade publication and content marketing platform, that was born from the idea that during due diligence, franchisees want one cohesive spot to read about a brand&rsquo;s news. A brand gets a custom publication that aggregates media placements and brand content in one place. This third-party content lends credibility while allowing that brand to craft a story in a way that the traditional media might not.

&ldquo;External content gets third-party validation, as well as the inbound link benefit to your franchise development site. If another website is recommending your site and linking to it, it&rsquo;s a huge plus when it comes to search engine optimization,&rdquo; said Fitzgerald.

Creating a strategy that includes blogging, external content, social media and PR enables brands to increase reach and target a very specific audience. The content should be aligned across channels under one cohesive campaign, and according to Fitzgerald, profiles of successful franchisees are most attractive to a candidate.

&ldquo;Reading stories about people who have bought into the brand -- and made money doing it -- is what moves the needle for candidates,&rdquo; he said.

Other content that attracts attention from prospective buyers includes stories corporate growth plans, new locations opening and same-store-sales growth.

&ldquo;The idea is to develop content that a brand is growing very quickly -- and that people need to jump on now to not miss out on the opportunity,&rdquo; said Fitzgerald. &ldquo;If the perception is that your brand is growing, it&rsquo;s going to resonate with prospective franchisees.&rdquo;

As we all know, in franchising, there is no silver bullet, but creating solid content campaigns with touch points across various channels is the winning strategy to attract prospective franchise candidates.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Blogs vs. External Content: What Resonates with Prospective Franchisees?

1851 Franchise

When marketing a franchise brand to potential buyers, a balance of content is key

blogs-vs-external-content-what-resonates-with-prospective-franchisees

Mellow Mushroom

How Mellow Mushroom’s Model Made it the Perfect Addition to Brad Harper’s Restaurant Portfolio

How Mellow Mushroom’s Flexible Model Made it the Perfect Addition to Brad Harper’s Growing Restaurant Portfolio

mellow-mushroom-brad-harper-restaurant-growth

Dillas Quesadillas

Dillas Quesadillas Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

dillas-quesadillas-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data-for-2025

Paris Baguette

image of paris baguette Love Baked In Culture & Community Impact No Kid Hungry and City Harvest

How Paris Baguette’s ‘Love Baked In’ Culture Nourishes Communities

culture-love-baked-in-community

Mellow Mushroom CEO Richard Brasch Reveals How the Iconic Pizza Brand Is Evolving Without Losing Its Soul

mellow-mushroom-ceo-richard-brasch-reveals-how-the-iconic-pizza-brand-is-evolving-without-losing-its-soul

Children's Lighthouse

Why Family-Owned Children’s Lighthouse Gives Franchisees a Long-Term Advantage

why-family-owned-childrens-lighthouse-franchise-advantage

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Pieology Pizza Enters Chapter 11 Following Costly Bid To Save Struggling Stores

pieology-pizza-files-chapter-11-bankruptcy

CNBC: McDonald’s Will Assess if Franchisees Are Offering Value for Customers Under New Standards

mcdonalds-franchise-standards-value-metric

How AI Is Transforming Restaurant Operations and Franchises

ai-impact-restaurants-franchises-human-centric-technology

Round Table Pizza Franchisees Take FAT Brands to Court Over Marketing Fund Mismanagement

round-table-pizza-franchisees-take-fat-brands-to-court-over-marketing-fund-mismanagement

FAT Brands Nears Bankruptcy as Creditors Demand Repayment of $1.3 Billion Debt

fat-brands-nears-bankruptcy-as-creditors-demand-repayment-of-13-billion-debt

EarthWise Pet Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

earthwise-pet-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data

Newk's Eatery Franchise - Columbus, Mississippi Expansion - 1851 Franchise

Newk’s Eatery Taps Seasoned Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Multi-Unit Operators for New Columbus, Mississippi Expansion

newks-franchise-columbus-ms-patel

Robert Palmer’s Long Game: Turning a Cleveland Lawn Business into the Lawn Squad Franchise

growing-the-lawn-squad-franchise-scaling-authority-brands

image of 1851 franchise deep dive on lawn squad franchise franchise evaluation, financials

Lawn Squad Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

lawn-squad-franchise-cost-fees-profit-data

A Practical Playbook: Who To Call First When Franchising Your Business

franchising-your-business-who-to-call-first

Photo of group of dogs standing together in day care facility

Top Pet Boarding and Day Care Franchise Opportunities for 2025

top-pet-boarding-daycare-franchises

image of jerome hanway from right at home Las Cruces, New Mexico 1851 franchise franchisee spotlight

Jerome Hanway Is Building His Right at Home Franchise Around His Mission To Serve

right-at-home-franchise-las-cruces-jerome-hanway

AI-related job cuts, October U.S. job cuts, American job cut record

AI-Fueled Layoffs Reshape the U.S. Job Market — And Highlight Franchising’s Resilience

Blogs vs. External Content: What Resonates with Prospective Franchisees?

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS