How To Create a Franchise Sales Marketing Plan

With thousands of brands across almost every sector, the franchising industry is crowded with sales pitches targeting a small pool of viable entrepreneurs. It’s also crowded with companies that want to sell you marketing services. 

To cut through some of the noise, 1851 Franchise spoke with two franchising experts to find out how to create a successful marketing plan. 

Understanding the Target Audience

According to Mark Siebert, the franchising expert behind the iFranchise Group, nailing franchise marketing means understanding your audience inside and out. 

“Devising a sales and marketing plan is really a function of understanding who the buyer is going to be,” said Siebert. “You do research to figure out who that buyer would be by finding some likely buyers and profiling them. Figure out where this person is, what kind of media they are likely to consume and how do I get that media in front of them with a message that will resonate with them.”

Prioritize Local Media for Franchise Marketing

Entrepreneurs looking to open a business within their community probably read local publications, which just so happens to be much cheaper to place content in than national publications. 

Adam Goldman, a franchising expert at franchisecoach.net, explained some common mistakes he has seen in marketing franchises. 

“I’ve seen franchisors invest in marketing without a value add,” said Goldman. “Bad digital marketing is when your SEO efforts land on the third or fourth page, and you’re paying all this money on marketing.”

Instead, Goldman suggested going local with advertising, something that Siebert heartily seconded. 

“The vast majority of the franchisors market on a local basis, or at most a regional basis, because you want to be able to service and support your franchisees,” said Siebert, inferring that it’s easier to do business with people nearby your existing franchises. 

How to Market to Multiple Audiences

When marketing to different regions and cities, it’s important to switch things up. What plays in New York might not play in Texas. 

“It’s really hard because one size doesn’t fit all,” said Goldman. 

Also, franchises can market to different tiers of customers, something that B2C advertising rarely does. 

“Successful franchise marketing and successful consumer marketing are very different animals,” said Goldman. 

Siebert suggests having multiple marketing pitches: some that target individuals and others that target multi-unit developers, profiling them both and finding different channels to reach each.