While COVID-19 has uprooted traditional franchising sales norms, there may still be a market for old-school franchise sales strategies.
It’s an understatement to say that the franchising industry has changed dramatically in the previous two years. Traditional marketing strategies have been thrown out in favour of new, innovative ones. Yet despite the changes brought by COVID-19, many brands have found a way to make traditional sales strategies for franchises work to their advantage.
Our web experts have taken a deep dive into this new landscape of strategies and advancements by comparing the old with the new in an ever-changing landscape.
Digital Marketing
1. Website Design
In the restaurant franchising industry, digital ordering has been a craze for quite some time. This means many brands are falling behind if they don’t adapt to delivery service trends.
The franchising industry as a whole can learn from this by recognising that online ordering is now more popular than it has ever been. The development of a comprehensive website can easily capture the interest of modern consumers as sites like Amazon have only continued to expand over time.
By allocating a significant portion of a franchise sales budget to a digital web design strategy, a brand can ensure that it keeps up with the digital trends consumers are following. Larger franchises can benefit by hiring a specialised website development team. Even a new brand can invest a considerable amount of money in a website sales strategy with the help of outside consultants.
2. Social Media
If website design is one way for a brand to stand out, brands can also use social media to get exposure. With a committed strategy in place, brands are easily recognisable on social media. This level of exposure can frequently demand a team dedicated to these duties.
Social media has developed over time and so have the understandings of what makes a successful strategy. Many prominent companies have advocated social media marketing as a common skill, implying that sales budgets will be obliged to make a financial commitment to social media. The collegiate curriculum has even evolved to include these duties, which means that vital insights into an effective social media strategy are created in careful academic contexts.
A social media presence is also great for responding to customer questions in real-time. And it can often serve as a substitute for traditional customer service! Rather than finding an in-house manager or addressing complaints in person, a customer can write their comments on a social media account, where they can expect a far faster response because their comments are public.
Companies should invest in responding to these comments alone because customer feedback is best managed in a short period of time.
Traditional Marketing
1. Franchise brokers
Franchise brokers can be a leading method of traditional franchise sales outreach, even in 2021.
Franchise brokers can provide an invaluable consulting strategy, which could be exactly what a franchise sales needs to modernise its business model. While such guidance is seen as “traditional,” the consultation is significantly more forward-thinking than a time-old service may suggest. Brokers may generate more business leads with greater efficiency while also educating the companies they work with.
A few improvements in efficiency could make a difference between a stagnating franchise and one that emerges from post-pandemic. Brokerage companies exist to help speed up the process and they can also match brands with potential investors for all aspects of brand expansion. This is especially important for new brands trying to expand with the right team of franchisees because a larger footprint can typically accommodate a more comprehensive sales strategy.
2. Ground-game franchise sales strategy
As the world prepares for a post-COVID return to normalcy, a few sales methods are certain to resurface. During the peak of the pandemic, companies that had historically relied on yard signs, flyers or other ground-game marketing methods were unable to market the way they would normally.
With fewer restrictions on public gatherings, we’ll see more of this ground-game strategy — and it’ll be more successful than it was a year ago.
With the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, the public has gradually adopted person-to-person contact, which was not the case just a few months ago. Of course, there may be lingering effects and reluctance but more individuals may be responsive to flyers or the handing over of a business card than they would have been a year ago.
A simple ground-game strategy can be super simple and it rarely requires a significant financial investment. However, using it in some sales capacities could be met with scepticism, as many people may be wary of a person-to-person sales approach after it was restricted in 2020. While this can drive ground-game marketing to get more clever, it also includes some of the most brilliant brand development strategies. This type of creative strategy can become more innovative in the future.
How we can help with your franchise sales
The ideal digital and traditional sales budget has shifted drastically and it will continue to do so in the future. These traditional and digital approaches are certain to evolve as brands continue to progress franchising trends.
Combine your traditional and digital marketing for your business in the post-pandemic era. Top4 Marketing offers exclusive digital marketing solutions that guarantee results for franchises and multi-location businesses. we understand that marketing campaigns for franchises come with some unique challenges and huge opportunities. From consistent branding and messaging to complex reporting and tracking for each location local or national, Top4 Marketing is your franchise digital marketing partner that can handle it all.
To find out how we can help you with your Website + Marketing, using our unique location marketing platform called Top4, get in touch today at www.top4marketing.com
Looking to build customer loyalty through social media? Don’t forget to add your business to Top4.com.au
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