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<div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style="">In the world of franchising, there are two very distinct categories of operators. There are single-unit owners and there are multi-unit owners. Deciding to make this leap is a big step that takes serious due diligence &#8211; huge considerations include operational capacity, finding the right real estate, hiring qualified staff, and having the financial bandwidth to do all this while not letting anything slip at your first location.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style="">Whether big or small, multi-unit owners create their own business plans to run their units successfully while also remaining good franchisees that follow the system that corporate has laid out for them to be profitable. To gather insight, Nish Patel, a three-unit <a href="http://saladworksfranchising.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=going-from-a-single-unit-to-multiple-units-consider-these-factors-before-making-the-jump-4144" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Saladworks</a> franchisee and Cary Albert, a multi-brand, multi-unit franchisee with 25 <a href="http://www.schlotzskysfranchising.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=going-from-a-single-unit-to-multiple-units-consider-these-factors-before-making-the-jump-4144" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Schlotzsky&#8217;s</a> and <a href="http://www.cinnabonfranchising.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=going-from-a-single-unit-to-multiple-units-consider-these-factors-before-making-the-jump-4144" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cinnabon</a> locations in addition to seven <a href="http://www.dairyqueen.com/us-en/Company/Franchise-With-Us/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=going-from-a-single-unit-to-multiple-units-consider-these-factors-before-making-the-jump-4144" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DQ Grill &amp; Chill</a> restaurants, weighed in on opposite ends of the spectrum and offered tips to other franchisees considering multi-unit expansion.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><strong>Understand That You Must Work Extremely Hard To See Success</strong></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style="">Patel was the general manager of a Saladworks location when it became available for purchase. However, that location also came with a second unit to purchase at the same time. Although he had hoped to expand quickly, he went from being a GM to owning two units immediately. It was a lot of responsibility right from the beginning and Patel had to work hard to manage the locations properly.</div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style="">&#8220;I kind of learned as I went, and there was a lot of hard work, but I took a leap of faith when I took ownership of both locations,&#8221; Patel said.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><strong>Expect For Your Plans To Be Completely Disrupted</strong></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style="">&#8220;For someone going from single-unit ownership to having multiple-units, every plan that you have will not go accordingly,&#8221; Patel said. &#8220;Your plans usually get disrupted by something, but it will eventually all turn out great if you put in the work.&#8221;</div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style="">Before taking over the two <a href="http://saladworks.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=going-from-a-single-unit-to-multiple-units-consider-these-factors-before-making-the-jump-4144" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Saladworks</a> units, Patel had planned to have an existing manger remain at one restaurant to help ease his transition into ownership, but the manager ended up leaving. It made the shift to multi-unit franchise ownership more difficult, but it also forced Patel to hyper-focus on the unit-economics of both locations, which ultimately helped propel his business forward. </span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><strong>Train The Staff To Work Without You And Hold General Managers Responsible</strong></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style="">Now with three locations across Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Patel operates more as a regional owner, and he stops into all three stores every day.</div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style="">&#8220;I think it is key to get involved and work hard when you&#8217;re inside your restaurants, but as a multi-unit owner, you need to empower your staff to step up and take responsibility as well,&#8221; Patel said. &#8220;By teaching your employees how to properly operate a restaurant and deliver great customer service, they are able to keep up with the work when you&#8217;re not there.&#8221; </span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style="">Furthermore, Patel explains that you need to hold your general managers responsible for labor, food costs, and restaurant efficiency in order to maintain profitability at the unit level. </span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style="">&#8220;You have to provide guidance, training and ongoing support in order to continually improve operations and drive repeat guest traffic,&#8221; added Patel. </span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><strong>Add In Roles Within The Organization To Offer Support</strong></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style="">Cary Albert, the largest Schlotzsky&#8217;s Deli and Cinnabon franchisee in the country, and DQ Grill and Chill multi-unit owner, believes that once you cross the four-unit threshold, it&#8217;s time to consider bringing on staff to help manage operations.</div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style="">Albert and his wife initially split the work up when they only had a handful of locations, but to manage growth, they brought on a vice president of operations. That was only the beginning.  Eventually they hired a district manager and added a controller to their accounting department, among other internal resources. At a dozen units, they brought in a director of catering, and grew that department to three employees. </span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style="">&#8220;We started adding in all these layers that are active and passive roles within the organization, including many support roles that had to be managed,&#8221; Albert said. &#8220;You have to figure out how big do you really want to get and where does it make sense. Once we went past a dozen units, we decided that we might as well go to 50. Our goal is to be at 50 units by the end of 2018, so we have the next 32 months.&#8221;</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><strong><br /></strong></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><strong>Consider Investing In Real Estate</strong></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style="">One of the ways Albert has been able to keep cash flow moving was by adopting a very real estate-centric model for growth.</div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style="">&#8220;We actually became Schlotzsky&#8217;s franchisees in 1995. We grew to six units, but we didn&#8217;t own real estate,&#8221; Albert said. &#8220;In 2006, I was able to purchase the real estate, and eventually a retail center, so then we became landlords.&#8221; </span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style="">Albert and his team look for ways to leverage real estate holdings, such as selling a lease back to a building to raise capital. His model is about being able to capitalize on a great opportunity, not only for a franchise location and for the business, but to capture a great piece of real estate by rolling the rent and loan into one monthly principal interest payment.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1" style=""><span style="">&#8220;This is basically a matter of accelerating your cash flow, having more cash flow monthly, and accelerating your expansion possibilities,&#8221; he adds. &#8220;With three upcoming openings in the next month, we're trying some unique things to open quickly and achieve our 50-unit goal.&#8221;</span></div><div style="   font-style: normal;"></div>

1851 Franchise

Dairy Queen multi-unit franchisee Cary Albert and Saladworks multi-unit franchisee Nish Patel weigh in with personal advice about growing at different stages in their careers.  

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<p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">How much can franchisees make? It’s a question many prospective owners ask before investing in a franchise. While earnings tend to be driven by variables such as industry, location and general management skills, a proper understanding of the key factors driving profitability can help franchise owners develop expectations that are realistic.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Multi-unit franchisee&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mangesh-patel-9368569/"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>Mangesh Patel</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">, who’s readying the launch of six&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.beefobradysfranchise.com/"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>Beef ‘O’ Brady’s</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> restaurant locations in the Macon, Georgia area, shares insights from his franchising experience.</span></p><h2><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Understanding Franchise Income</span></h2><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Keeping operational costs in check can have a major impact on overall earnings. Taking a proactive approach to expenses such as food and labor, as well as payroll and scheduling, can help align actual franchise income with general expectations for the business.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“I just had a meeting with a couple of people, and they said, ‘You talked about a 25% profit margin, but I’m only doing 12%.’ So, I looked at the figures they sent me,” Patel said. “Their&nbsp;</span><a href="https://1851franchise.com/calculate-restaurant-franchise-profit-2730476"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>restaurant</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> food cost was running at 37%, which should be around 30%. The national average is about 32%. If I do things correctly, my average food cost needs to be at or below 30%. And payroll should run around 18%. But many people run 25 to 28%.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">So,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://1851franchise.com/unraveling-franchise-earnings-how-much-can-you-really-make-2723935"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>how much can franchisees make</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">? Here are five areas to consider.</span></p><h2><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Practical Tips for Prospective Franchisees</span></h2><ol><li><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><strong>Control Costs From Day One:&nbsp;</strong>It’s important to monitor payroll, food and supply costs closely. Overstaffing and inefficiencies can quickly reduce profits.</span></li><li><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><strong>Plan For The Opening Surge:&nbsp;</strong>Traffic within the first few months of opening is likely to be higher. It’s important to adjust staffing and inventory accordingly, and pay close attention to how those levels change as time goes on.</span></li><li><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><strong>Invest In Training:&nbsp;</strong>Properly trained workers can help reduce waste and improve overall service, which has a direct effect on net income.</span></li><li><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><strong>Understand Your Market:&nbsp;</strong>Each market is unique and revenue potential will vary depending upon location, demographics and competition.</span></li><li><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><strong>Track Metrics Regularly:&nbsp;</strong>Food cost percentages, labor ratios and weekly sales data act as key indicators operations may need to be adjusted.</span></li></ol><h2><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">What Profitability Really Comes Down To</span></h2><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Patel notes that if franchise owners manage labor and costs properly, it’s not impossible to achieve strong cash flow even in the first year, bucking some franchising trends.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">So,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://1851franchise.com/how-much-can-you-make-as-a-franchise-owner-2724761"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>how much can franchisees make</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">? While results tend to vary, careful planning, disciplined operations and a proactive approach to assessing initial costs are essential. But by grasping and guiding the elements that drive franchise profitability, franchise owners can maximize overall business earnings, scaling a business that’s sustainable financially over the long term.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><i>Want to learn more about franchise opportunities on 1851 Franchise? Be sure to visit our&nbsp;</i></span><a href="https://1851franchise.com/power-rankings"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#467886;"><i><u>Power Rankings</u></i></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><i> to read more on brands making moves.</i></span></p>

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<p><a href="https://hardeesfranchising.com/"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#467886;"><u>Hardee’s</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">, a 65-year-old burger chain best known for its Thickburgers and breakfast biscuits, is facing a fast-moving round of closures driven by a franchise dispute rather than a bankruptcy filing.&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.inc.com/ava-levinson/hardees-shutting-dozens-restaurants/91282586"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#467886;"><u>Inc. recently reported that</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> 77&nbsp;</span><a href="https://1851franchise.com/franchise-deep-dive-hardees-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data-2721286"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#467886;"><u>Hardee’s</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> restaurants are expected to close within two weeks as one of the brand’s largest franchisees exits the system.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">According to the report, Hardee’s is suing&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.arcburger.com/"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#467886;"><u>ARC Burger</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> — a franchise operator owned by&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.highbluffcap.com/"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#467886;"><u>High Bluff Capital Partners</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> — alleging the company fell behind on required payments and other contract obligations. Twenty-eight locations had already gone dark as of late December, with remaining sites scheduled to shutter across eight states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina and Wyoming.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">At the center of the complaint is the franchising “stack” of ongoing fees and pass-through costs that keep a system running. ARC Burger allegedly owes more than $6.5 million, including royalties, advertising fund contributions, technology and training fees, rent and taxes, and that payments stopped in December 2024. Hardee’s also argued in the lawsuit that the franchisee’s cash flow was not being used to bring accounts current.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Hardee’s, for its part, is framing the shutdowns as a contractual enforcement issue, not a brand-wide retrenchment. “These closures are a result of ARC Burger’s failure to cure its defaults under its franchise agreements, despite solid sales,” a Hardee’s spokesperson said.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">The situation highlights a familiar franchising pressure point: unit economics. Inc. reported that Hardee’s operates more than 1,800 U.S. restaurants and that average annual sales per location are less than $1.2 million, well below averages cited for&nbsp;</span><a href="https://1851franchise.com/franchise-deep-dive-wendys-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data-2722520"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#467886;"><u>Wendy’s</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> and&nbsp;</span><a href="https://1851franchise.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-buy-a-mcdonalds-franchise-2724654#stories"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#467886;"><u>McDonald’s</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">. Lower volumes can leave franchisees with less room to absorb higher labor, food and occupancy costs while staying current on fees.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Hardee’s said it is working to limit fallout for workers and communities and is looking for ways to reopen closed restaurants. For franchising, the next chapter will likely involve finding replacement operators, transferring sites and rebuilding compliance — a reminder that franchise growth depends as much on franchisee solvency and execution as it does on consumer demand.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Read the original article&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.inc.com/ava-levinson/hardees-shutting-dozens-restaurants/91282586"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#467886;"><u>here</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><i>Want to learn more about how 1851 helps franchisees find the right franchise opportunity? Visit&nbsp;</i></span><a href="https://www.1851growthclub.com"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#467886;"><i><u>www.1851growthclub.com</u></i></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><i> and start your journey.</i></span></p>

Hardee's Franchise - ARC Burger Lawsuit - 1851 Franchise

The closures stem from alleged unpaid royalties and missed franchise obligations by a major operator, not a broader chainwide collapse for the Hardee’s system.

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<p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">The linear sales funnel is dying. Prospective buyers are no longer filling out a form at first glance and waiting for the phone to ring. They’re doing the majority of the heavy lifting before they even make themselves known to the franchisor. For franchisors, this means one key thing: you must know exactly where candidates spend their time. No guesswork. And you have to adjust your strategy accordingly.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">And, in today's buyer world, the biggest buzz term is 2026's ride or die for franchise brands – Ai.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">If you are trying to sell a franchise today, you must meet candidates where they are (four walls, Ai, website, social advertising).&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Focusing on a strong digital footprint first and then lead generation will help the brand with validation and will lay the foundation for trust before the first conversation even happens. Still, franchisors must know where to find their candidates and be confident the candidates are being sent to the right place.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“We consistently see the strongest lead performance from Google Search (paid and organic), social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and our franchise development website,” said&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinlsnyder"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>Erin Snyder</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">, head of franchise development at&nbsp;</span><a href="https://handelsicecream.com/handels-franchise/"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream</u></span></a><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">. “Because all awareness and advertising efforts ultimately funnel candidates to our development site, maintaining a highly optimized, mobile-first web presence is critical for conversion.”</span></p><h2><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">The "Hidden" Channels: Authentic Research via AiSEO</span></h2><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">While Google and major portals are often where a candidate might start a broad search, the deep research happens in the shadows. This is where candidates scroll, mindlessly or otherwise, simply observing rather than clicking “apply” immediately; or, ask Ai chatbots about the best franchises to buy, the blind spots, the why nots, and, of course, the whys.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Right now, Ai plays a key role in this research stage. Buyers want the truth.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">For franchisors, this means your content strategy must pivot. It is no longer enough to post stock photos of happy business owners. You must document the journey, showing the behind-the-scenes reality that proves your concept has staying power.</span></p><h2><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">The Pivot From Print to Digital Interactivity</span></h2><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">While print media has been a channel for franchise development in the past, its static nature has made it less effective as the buyer’s journey has shifted to digital. Buyers are generally looking for channels that will allow them to click, read and continue the search immediately.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“Traditional print media has largely become a thing of the past for franchise development,” Snyder said. “What has been encouraging, though, is seeing many of these publications successfully pivot to digital formats that offer greater interactivity, stronger analytics and far better linkability than print ever could.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">This creates a more dynamic experience for the candidate. In addition to a digital article, franchisors can embed a “day in the life” video, for example, or hyperlink a deeper dive on costs and profits for instant validation.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">This shift also allows franchisors to track return on investment more effectively. Instead of guessing if an article or ad worked, digital publications allow you to see exactly who clicked through, allowing for retargeting and smarter budget allocation.</span></p><h2><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">The Conversion Hub: Your Mobile-First Website</span></h2><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Once a candidate has discovered you on Google, watched your videos on TikTok and read about you in a digital publication, they finally arrive at the destination: your franchise development website.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">This is the bottom of the funnel, where you will win or lose a candidate. Because all other channels point here, your website cannot just be a digital brochure. It has to be a conversion engine. And crucially, it must work perfectly on a smartphone.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">The question can’t just be “Do we have a website?” Questions about the website should surround usability and readability. Is navigation easy on a smartphone? Does the site load quickly? Is it readable? If a prospect has to pinch-and-zoom to read your investment costs and financial performance, they will leave.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">An optimized, mobile-first presence is critical because it serves as the collection point; all other awareness efforts funnel potential franchisees to the site. The user experience here should validate the trust built on other channels. However, accessibility is only half the battle; the content itself must be unsparingly open. The website is the channel where you must prove your value proposition with hard data.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“Across all channels, the messaging needs to be clear, concise and consistent,” Snyder said. “Candidates should be able to easily find transparent investment ranges and financial requirements, a clear value proposition, compelling franchisee success stories, key differentiators from competitors and straightforward next steps for how to inquire.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">When you treat your website as a transparency engine rather than a gatekeeper, you change the dynamic of the eventual sales call. A candidate who has already consumed your financial data and success stories arrives at the inquiry stage educated and qualified. This allows the development team to skip the basic fact-finding and move straight to strategy and fit.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“When a candidate submits an inquiry, the first conversation should build on what the candidate has already learned,” Snyder said “ensuring they understand the opportunity they are considering, clarifying details, personalizing the discussion to their goals and moving them into a structured education process rather than starting from scratch.”</span></p><h2><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Allocating the Budget: The "Ideal Candidate" Approach</span></h2><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">While a presence across multiple channels — from search and social to digital publications — is key, understanding exactly how much to invest in each option is the next hurdle. There is no single, magical approach to budgeting; a brand selling multi-million-dollar franchises needs to develop a presence in different places than a low-cost, mobile franchise will.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">To spend effectively, you must deeply understand your ideal franchisee profile. Once you know who is investing, you can begin working on where to find them. For example, a high-net-worth investor might be on LinkedIn and reading digital trade journals, while a first-time investor or someone seeking an owner-operator model might be influenced by local Facebook ads.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“Franchisors should start by understanding their ideal franchisee profile and then allocate budget toward the channels where those prospects spend the most time,” Snyder said. “The mix will naturally look different for a high-investment, multi-unit candidate than for a first-time owner-operator. Beyond that, it’s critical to consider overall brand awareness and invest in channels that consistently get both the brand and the franchise opportunity in front of qualified prospects. A balanced approach that supports both awareness and lead capture tends to produce the strongest results.”</span></p><h2><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Key Takeaways and Next Steps:</span></h2><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><strong>Make sure you have a content footprint that answers the top 25 questions asked about your brand in Ai and Google searchs.</strong></span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><strong>Review your mobile experience:</strong> Open your franchise development site on your phone. If it takes more than three seconds to load or if the "Apply" button is hard to find, fix it immediately.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><strong>Embrace "lo-fi" video content:</strong> You don't need a production crew. Use a smartphone to record "day in the life" videos with your franchisees and post them to social to build authentic trust.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><strong>Ensure transparency and continuity:&nbsp;</strong>Candidates need to be able to find the information they’re looking for, and the experience should be consistent between a social page and a franchise development site. Make sure your value proposition is clear across all channels.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><strong>Embrace innovation, but don’t count out the classics:&nbsp;</strong>Look at the whole picture. Many candidates are exploring opportunities on supplemental platforms like social media or in the results of a Google search, but they’re still looking at the franchise development site, too. Don’t confine yourself to the “old reliable” methods, but don’t leave them behind, either.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><strong>Budget by persona, not platform:</strong> Don't just "do Facebook ads." Define exactly who your buyer is, and spend your money only on the channels where that specific person consumes content.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><i>For more information on franchise growth channels, check out these related stories on 1851 Franchise:</i></span></p><ul><li><a href="https://1851franchise.com/how-to-use-social-media-marketing-to-promote-your-franchise-2727185#stories"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>How To Use Social Media Marketing To Promote Your Franchise</u></span></a></li><li><a href="https://1851franchise.com/building-a-franchise-website-that-converts-key-features-and-best-practices-2727363#stories"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>Building a Franchise Website That Converts: Key Features and Best Practices</u></span></a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlfduHqGy7I"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1155cc;"><u>How to Sell Franchises | The Buyer Persona</u></span></a></li></ul>

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