1851

Franchisors do not like uncertainty. Franchising was developed as a bulwark to the inherent uncertainty of opening a new business or expanding an existing one into a new market. Operations manuals, FDDs, national marketing strategies and singular branding are all means of establishing consistency and mitigating uncertainty. There are any number of persistent uncertainties in the industry &mdash; changing consumer habits and a shifting economy are perennial concerns &mdash; but in recent years franchisors have had to face up to a wholly new known unknown: the millennial investor.

Of course, now is not the first time that franchise brands have had to repackage their concept for a new generation of investors, but millennials represent by far the biggest leap from one generation to the next in terms of how candidates interact with a brand.

&ldquo;Millennials are the first generation to grow up with the internet, and that&rsquo;s a game-changer,&rdquo; said Sean Fitzgerald, Chief Development Strategist for 1851 Franchise. &ldquo;The ways that franchises used to court candidates just don&rsquo;t work anymore.&rdquo;

Fitzgerald says franchise development teams would do well to take notes from their consumer marketing counterparts, who have long understood the sea change they are facing.

&ldquo;In terms of marketing, most brands are putting most of their resources into consumer marketing, and they&rsquo;ve developed more sophisticated strategies to reach consumers,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Dev marketing needs to do the same thing.&rdquo;

While social media is the natural first step for a franchise brand to reach millennials, Fitzgerald stresses that is just that &mdash; a first step. And throwing a few advertisements on Snapchat isn&rsquo;t enough.

&ldquo;You need to engage with social media, but you can&rsquo;t just spam any given channel with ads,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You need to understand how users engage with the media. Millennials have grown up avoiding ads. The hard sell doesn&rsquo;t work. You need a softer, more educational approach. You want to tell a story.&rdquo;

Millennials, Fitzgerald says, are savvy researchers. They aren&rsquo;t going to go straight to the brand for information; they are going to scour a variety of sources. So it&rsquo;s crucial that a franchise brand puts its story out on an array of channels.

&ldquo;When I was in college, the rule of thumb for advertising was three&ndash;five impressions would lead to action. Now it&rsquo;s 15&ndash;25, and that&rsquo;s for impulse buys,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Now take something that is not an impulse buy, something that investors are researching and vetting, and you see just how much you are going to have to interact with a candidate before they inquire.&rdquo;

According to Fitzgerald, one of the segments that has done best with development marketing to millennials is the service industry, which requires a sort of flexible, web-oriented footprint that appeals to the younger generation.

&ldquo;Take a brand like<a href="https://mosquitojoefranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=sean-fitzgerald-franchise-marketing-to-millennials-2707138" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"> Mosquito Joe</a>,&rdquo; he offered. &ldquo;They don&rsquo;t have brick-and-mortar locations, so they need to be very active about getting their name out their and cementing their reputation through other means, which is something that millennials are very good at. Brands like that, who apply the same strategy to their dev marketing, are finding a lot of interest from millennials.&rdquo;

Franchising, of course, is still a high-capital investment, and the older generation is always going to have an advantage in that regard. It may be tempting for brands to fall back on the old strategies and continue targeting older, well-financed investors. But Fitzgerald cautions franchisors against taking the easy route.

&ldquo;You&rsquo;re still seeing a lot of resistance from some brands to break away from the old strategies,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You can only go after the same big fish for so long. Millennials have been in the workforce for more than a decade now. They are saving money, they are looking for new opportunities, and it won&rsquo;t be long before they become the big fish. You&rsquo;ve got to know how to catch them.&rdquo;

Sean Fitzgerald on Marketing to Millennials

Sean Fitzgerald: Franchise Marketing to Millennials

1851 Franchise

No Limit Agency’s Sean Fitzgerald on why franchise brands need to throw out to the old rules to attract a new generation of franchisees

sean-fitzgerald-franchise-marketing-to-millennials

TruBlue Home Service Ally

TruBlue’s Home Maintenance Plans: Peace of Mind for Homeowners

trublues-home-maintenance-plans-peace-of-mind-for-homeowners

Caring Transitions

Caring Transitions Targets Peoria, Illinois, for Franchise Growth

caring-transitions-targets-peoria-illinois-for-franchise-growth

Caring Transitions Celebrates a Strong Start to 2025 With 19 New Franchise Sales and Momentum-Building Training Events

caring-transitions-celebrates-a-strong-start-to-2025-with-19-new-franchise-sales-and-momentum-building-training-events

Right at Home

Right at Home 30th Anniversary in Home Care with Right at Home Logo

Celebrating 30 Years of Excellence and Future Innovations in Home Care

celebrating-30-years-of-excellence-and-future-innovations-in-home-care

Why TruBlue is the Ideal Franchise for Multi-Unit Owners: Scalable Growth With a Purpose

why-trublue-is-the-ideal-franchise-for-multi-unit-owners-scalable-growth-with-a-purpose

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 Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

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

DoorDash Expansion Could Reshape Delivery and Operations for Franchise Brands - 1851 Franchise

DoorDash Expansion Could Reshape Delivery and Operations for Franchise Brands

doordash-acquistions-deliveroo-sevenrooms

Crumbl Franchise Investment - TSG Consumer Partners -  1851 Franchise

TSG Consumer Partners Takes Minority Stake in Crumbl, Signaling Franchise Growth Potential

crumbl-franchise-investment-tsg-consumer

Yum Brands Reports Strong Q1 Results with Big Boost from Taco Bell

yum-brands-reports-strong-q1-results-with-big-boost-from-taco-bell

QSR: McDonald’s Gains Momentum With Chicken Innovation, Value Deals and Franchisee Support

mcdonalds-franchise-recovery-chicken-strategy-value-deals-2025

The Future of Franchising: Trends and Predictions for 2025 and Beyond

the-future-of-franchising-trends-and-predictions-for-2025-and-beyond

Layoffs Surge to Pandemic-Era Highs, Opening Doors for Franchise Growth

layoffs-surge-to-pandemic-era-highs-opening-doors-for-franchise-growth

Franchisee spotlight image with Randy and Sandy Craft, Children's Lighthouse logo on blue background

The Crafts’ Successful Journey from New Parents to Children’s Lighthouse Franchisees

the-crafts-successful-journey-from-new-parents-to-childrens-lighthouse-franchisees

Franchisee spotlight graphic with photo of Amy Lepke and family and Papa Murphy's logo

After 14 Years as a Stay-At-Home Mom, Amy Lepke Returned to Papa Murphy’s — This Time as an Owner

papa-murphys-franchise-amy-lepke

Franchisee Spotlight with Micki Waters and Papa Murphy's Logo

Work Mom: How Micki Waters Became a Mother Figure to Her Entire Papa Murphy’s Team

work-mom-how-micki-waters-became-a-mother-figure-to-her-entire-papa-murphys-team

District Taco Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

franchise-deep-dive-district-tacos-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data

Franchisee spotlight image with photo of Robert Trujillo and UWRG logo on blue background

How Robert Trujillo Expanded His Construction Business With UWRG

how-robert-trujillo-expanded-his-construction-business-with-uwrg

Sean Fitzgerald: Franchise Marketing to Millennials

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS