1851

Franchisors of all sizes and industries prioritize franchisee recruitment, which is why it is so important for brands to have an effective content strategy. According to Forrester, <a href="https://go.forrester.com/blogs/three-myths-of-the-67-percent-statistic/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=understanding-the-franchise-buyer-journey-2713910#:~:text=By%20now%2C%20we've%20all,journey%20is%20now%20done%20digitally.&amp;text=Just%20because%20buyers%20spend%20time,the%20early%20and%20late%20stages." target="_blank" rel="nofollow">67% of the franchise buying</a> decision is made digitally — though many would think this means that a point of sales cannot occur in the discovery process, think again. Franchisors can deliver a strong but subtle sales pitch early on in the buyer process through creative, strategic multi-channel messaging that drives potential franchisees to their most critical piece of content: their development website.Buyers do a considerable amount of research before reaching out to a sales or development representative for additional details. On average, potential franchisees visit a website up to 16 times and spend 172 minutes total on a website to thoroughly investigate the opportunity. Joe Mathews, CEO of Franchise Performance Group, says franchise recruiters need to develop skills to pull off a successful strategy that drives potential buyers to their website.“Lead generation is key,” said Mathews. “With a multi-tiered marketing and communications program, franchisors can almost naturally draw new franchisees that would be perfect for the brand. It takes defining a strong brand and providing a clear pathway that allows buyers to see themselves as a part of the brand.”Having a “full-funnel” recruitment process from the bottom up is key to attracting franchisees, and that process should imitate the buyer process as closely as possible. Mathews says that Franchise Performance Groups clients are continuously counseled on buyer behavior. The consulting firm — which has helped over 120 brands achieve more than 4,000 deals — defines the buyer process in four phases:Top of the Research Funnel: Anyone researching franchising as a career option.Mid-Research Funnel: Anyone researching a specific brand as a career option.Early Recruitment Process: When a potential buyer leaves their contact information and is pre-qualified.Backend Recruitment Process: Any qualified buyer who fills out a franchise application.Mathews says that a mistake many franchisors make in ushering buyers through that process is failing to reach potential franchisees early on in the buying process: “Engaging a potential buyer early on puts you into the conversation and can affect their decision making process. The more frequently they register a company as an option, the more they will consider the brand as a viable career move.”According to Mathews, the heart of a brand’s content strategy should be their franchise information website. Any marketing and sales tactics a brand develops should drive potential buyers to that site. Half the buyer journey happens before the candidate even reaches a website, so implementing a multi-tiered strategy is key. That strategy should take into account SEO, PPC, social media, retargeting the consumer site, referral links, PR portals, email, influencers, and sponsored content.“Your goal should be twofold: to provide helpful information and drive traffic to your site,” said Mathews. “All content, but especially that on the brand’s website should do five things for the buyer: educate, equip, empower, engage and eliminate obstacles. Brands need to make things as easy as possible for buyers to see themselves as a part of the brand because, frankly, it doesn’t take much to distract a buyer. It’s a big decision to buy a franchise, and you want to provide them with every reason possible to be a participant in the brand.”A brand’s website should have a clear call to action, says Mathews. That call to action is essentially to buy into the brand. Keeping in mind that buyers can easily swayed from buying into a brand at any stage in the process, the website should be the beginning of a conversation that leads to a sales team. If any gaps exist in that initial conversation, the brand should create a piece of content to fill that need. Buyers should be as informed as possible by the time they reach a salesperson and, according to Mathews, the more educated they already are, the more engaged they will be throughout that final conversation.“Never underestimate the power of rich content,” says Mathews. “It's important for the buyer to feel like they also know what they are talking about throughout the conversation. That’s why the discovery process is so important — the more educated they are prior to speaking with sales, the more they will feel like they’ve already made their decision to buy. Anything sales can provide should confirm what they already know.”For more information on Franchise Performance Group, visit <a href="https://franchiseperformancegroup.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=understanding-the-franchise-buyer-journey-2713910" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://franchiseperformancegroup.com/.</a>.

Understanding the Franchise Buyer Journey

1851 Franchise

Franchise Performance Group discusses how franchise recruiters can be more effective in attracting and engaging qualified franchise candidates.

This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

understanding-the-franchise-buyer-journey

HomeTeam Inspection Service

Good Day Columbus: Home Insurance Expert Reveals Why Central Ohio Premiums Are Rising and How to Combat Costs

rising-home-insurance-costs-ohio

CapitalSpring

Primetime Fitness Expands Crunch Portfolio With CapitalSpring’s Backing

primetime-fitness-expands-crunch-portfolio-with-capitalsprings-backing

Children's Lighthouse

How Children’s Lighthouse Franchisees Scale to Multiple Locations

how-childrens-lighthouse-franchisees-scale-to-multiple-locations

Express Employment Professionals

Betting on Himself: How Chris Brown Built an Express Employment Professionals Franchise From the Ground Up

betting-on-himself-how-chris-brown-built-an-express-employment-professionals-franchise-from-the-ground-up

Comfort Keepers

Comfort Keepers® Named One of America’s Best Home-Care Providers

comfort-keepers-named-one-of-americas-best-home-care-providers

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

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

Potbelly to be Acquired by RaceTrac in $566 Million Deal 

racetrac-acquires-potbelly-in-566-million-deal

Health Care Hiring Slowdown Highlights In-Home Care Franchise Opportunities - 1851 Franchise Agg

Health Care Hiring Slowdown Highlights In-Home Care Franchise Opportunities 

health-care-hiring-slowdown-in-home-care-franchise-opportunities

Caribou Coffee Names Scott Kennedy CEO, Eyes Continued Growth

caribou-coffee-names-scott-kennedy-ceo-eyes-continued-growth

McDonald’s Launches New Extra Value Meals as Consumer Demand for Value Continues to Climb

mcdonalds-launches-extra-value-meals

Power Eats: Smoothie King Rolls Out Food Nationwide To Fuel Franchise Growth

smoothie-king-food-menu-power-eats

Technomic Releases Annual Ranking of the Top 15 Fast-Food Chains in the U.S.

technomic-releases-annual-ranking-of-the-top-15-fast-food-chains-in-the-us

"Come in, We're OPEN" sign against abstract background

Small Business Optimism Dips, Raising Concerns for Franchise Owners

small-business-optimism-dips-raising-concerns-for-franchise-owners

Mega Franchisee Sizzling Platter Acquired by Bain Capital

mega-franchisee-sizzling-platter-acquired-by-bain-capital

Hely and Hiral Patel Bring Their Longtime Dream to Life With The Brass Tap

brass-tap-franchise-pasadena-maryland-hely-hiral-patel

Design with school-aged child standing on pencil with text "Education Franchises" and "<$500K"

Top Education Franchises Under $500K To Explore in 2025

top-education-franchises-under-500k

Franchisee spotlight graphic with photo of Ricki Oberoi and Layne's Chicken Fingers logo

Multi-Unit Wendy’s Operator Signs 12-Unit Deal With Layne’s Chicken Fingers

ricki-oberoi-laynes-chicken-fingers-growth

DevHub - Meet the Supplier - 1851 Franchise

DevHub: Scalable Digital Marketing for Franchises and Multi-Location Brands

devhub-meet-the-supplier

1851 Keyword - The Secret To Succeeding With a Part-Time Franchise Is Picking the Right Model

The Secret To Succeeding With a Part-Time Franchise Is Picking the Right Model

part-time-franchises-picking-the-right-model

Understanding the Franchise Buyer Journey

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS