Misc Items Flashcards
Most Successful Marketing Programs
The most successful marketing programs are the ones that are integrated and consistent across multiple channels, where there is a brand message that is supported at the local level. These are programs that may be developed by corporate marketing, which are enthusiastically embraced by the franchisees and supported with their individual or market co-op time and money.
Small System Marketing Programs
Even small systems can find efficiencies in corporately developed creative campaigns and social/web content that are locally implemented, whether through social channels, web pages, blogs or radio spots. Larger systems can realize considerable buying efficiency when the markets are sufficiently covered to support national traditional or digital media buys.
Reasons for Joining a Franchise
They are entrepreneurs who have started their own business within a franchise concept to leverage the benefits of an existing brand, processes, supply chain optimization, technology systems, marketing power and other factors.
Local Store Marketing
In a franchise system, it is often the case that different locations require different approaches. What works for one location from an advertising perspective may not work in a different region or even with a different local owner. This could involve the offers or discounts being run across different locations, the creative, or even the terminology used.
At the local level, managing Facebook advertising can be a complicated and time consuming process. (Boutique Window)
The balance between local ownership and innovation vs. organizational consistency and efficiency. It is finding this proper balance that makes implementing an effective brand strategy.
Power of Franchising
In our experience, the real power of franchising comes from balancing these seemingly conflicting objectives in order to:
Use the overall size and footprint of the business to achieve economies of scale, out-maneuver local and national competitors and share best practices across the company
Leverage the franchisor’s knowledge of the business and ability to provide cross-company support and resources
Capitalize on franchisees’ knowledge of their markets and empower them to innovate and explore new ideas
Diverse ideas and local Facebook budgeting is a strength, not a weakness
A wide variety of ideas coming from a motivated team is something most companies can only dream of. As a franchise company, you have this capability built-in. The trick is in putting in the appropriate approach to unlock that potential without the result being that everyone runs off in different directions.
We do this with our collaborative and participative approach!
National digital ad strategy with local flexibility
This is how we operate
In our experience, a hybrid approach works very well for franchise organizations looking to optimize their Facebook advertising. In this approach, the head office sets the overall campaign strategy and develops the campaign creative (images, photos) and copy. However, instead of developing just one set of generic ads that are used across all locations, in a hybrid approach the national marketing team creates a variety of ad options in order to allow franchisees to have several options to ensure the marketing is pertinent to their customers and local approach. In the best systems, the ad copy itself has some degree of flexibility to allow for variation by location. The more local the copy and relevant the advertisement is, the more effective the approach.
Although the ads may have several options and are localized, they are all still part of the same overall campaign approach. This enables greater coordination and effectiveness across the organization without compromising local flexibility. In this system, the franchisor is able to provide support to their franchisees to aid in their success, while franchisees are able to choose the ads that apply best to them and, where possible, even customize some of the ad copy for their location.
Franchisor Responsibilities
Coordinate the overall campaign strategy:
• Collaborate with the franchise network to surface ideas
• Planning around events (ex: holidays, black Friday, etc.)
• Campaign themes / approach
Develop on-brand campaign creative:
• Ensure logos and images are on-brand and of high quality
• Images are cropped and sized properly for the ad units being used
• Copy is on-brand, of high quality and in the right tone
Provide infrastructure support
• Provide processes and technology to enable easy campaign implementation for franchisees in a way that does not diminish their local flexibility
Franchisee Responsibilities
Develop and execute on local strategy
•Generate local campaign ideas and collaborate with the head office team
• Use the elements from the overall campaign that make sense for the market
• Augment the campaign with organic social media and other tactics
Customize and implement the local campaign
• Use campaign assets developed by the franchisor to accelerate implementation and reduce setup costs
• Determine an approach for the local market (specific offer, incentive, etc.)
• Ensure local terminology is utilized (avoid “generic looking” ads)
Employ technology to lower cost and increase speed
Marketing Opportunities for Continuous Improvement
Analyze overall results and share best practices
• Review campaign performance across the network to provide data analysis and strategic review
• Communicate results with franchisees and share learnings
Advertising Fund Defined
Advertising fund that pays for the development and placement of ads for the company.
In a small system, it would not be responsible to use the limited funds for placement of National Ads.
First off, an advertising fund is standard. We are not an extensive marketer or advertiser, so we employ a minimum advertising fund to develop local marketing materials.
Every franchisee comes into the system knowing they will be contributing to the advertising fund and what the fund can be used for. It’s in our FDD very clearly and in our Franchise Agreement.
Cause Marketing: 3Strands
If you Google 3Strands, it has an awareness and direct association with Apricot Lane Boutique that helps provide sustainable jobs for girls who have been rescued from human trafficking; All on Country Visions dime!
How does the advertising fund benefit the system?
It provides a consistency in our marketing/advertising programs that we provide to franchisees to implement.
How does it benefit your franchisees?
They don’t have to develop their own programs. They have programs that are consistent throughout the system available to them.
(Know all our services)
We are always improving on consistent and flexible programs which is our strength
Many franchise systems don’t have an advertising royalty. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
The fee is not income to the franchisor–it’s used to finance a franchisor-led marketing effort designed to benefit all stores in all markets of the system.
Without a marketing fund, there’s a high probability systemwide marketing won’t be developed. Most good franchise systems have an Advertising Fund!
If an advertising fund fee didn’t exist, it would indicate to me that the franchisor hasn’t thought through the system’s needs or is not willing to lead such an effort.
