In Short
- Develop a strong online presence: Use listing sites, social media, and diverse content to maintain visibility and attract franchisees and customers.
- Protect your brand: Register trade marks and maintain updated, accurate marketing materials.
- Leverage relationships: Use franchise events, brokers, and connections to build your network and expand your reach.
Tips for Businesses
Focus on creating and maintaining a robust online presence with up-to-date marketing materials and engaging content. Protect your intellectual property through trade marks, and consider hiring a social media manager or franchise broker to enhance visibility. Networking at events and leveraging personal connections can further strengthen your franchise’s reputation and growth potential.
Table of Contents
- 1. Build A Presence Online
- 2. Advertise on Social Media
- 3. Update Your Marketing Materials
- 4. Create Diverse Content
- 5. Understand the Conversion
- 6. Register Trade Marks
- 7. Use the Franchisee!
- 8. Leverage Connections
- 9. Attend Franchise Events
- 10. Hire a Franchise Broker
- Key Takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions
Being an owner of a franchise business involves marketing and sales, much like any other business. A franchise sales pipeline is essential to establish a franchise network, particularly its reputation. As such, a focused effort is required to effectively promote the franchise business online. This article explores ten ways to get started when promoting your franchise online.
Making the decision to franchise your business can be difficult. This Franchisor Toolkit covers all the essential topics you need to know about franchising your business.
This Toolkit also contains case studies from leading franchisors including leading Australian franchises including Just Cuts, FlipOut and Fibonacci Coffee.
1. Build A Presence Online
An online presence is essential for any business to thrive in an increasingly digital world. Finding ways to add to a business’s online presence is a worthwhile investment. Including a franchise business and its brand on listing sites, and ensuring that the business appears first in searches, are simple ways to ensure that a presence online is being maintained. However, having a brand at the forefront of not only prospective business owners (franchisees), as well as customers requires considerable time and effort.
2. Advertise on Social Media
Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, whilst only sometimes appealing to every person, are essential to target prospective franchisees and customers. Being active on these social media platforms ensures that the franchise is consistently being promoted online. A social media manager may be a worthwhile employee to maintain this online presence and continue to push the franchise brand online.
Continue reading this article below the form3. Update Your Marketing Materials
When starting a franchise business, putting together marketing materials in the first instance is essential. However, it is vital to ensure that these marketing materials are kept up to date and are continuously fit for purpose with aspects such as statistics and data of the business as it thrives. You also need to ensure that these materials are not misleading or deceptive to potential purchasers of your franchise or the goods and services you provide. Having a graphic designer get involved to make marketing materials visually appealing is a worthwhile investment to ensure that the franchise is promoted effectively in an online world.
4. Create Diverse Content
Try to break away from mundane, everyday advertising and find content that instantly grabs the eye of your target audience. Spending time putting together engaging content allows you to show that you and your franchise network care about the goods or services being provided and that your approach to operating the franchise network is professional. In addition, having content creators or content editors on board to promote the business online by creating engaging content can drive prospective franchisees and customers to the franchise online.
5. Understand the Conversion
Many layers to marketing require regularly getting people’s attention and getting people to reach out to you. It is one thing to have prospective franchisees, and customers visit your online presence, whether via a website or social media platforms. It is another thing to ensure that they reach out and provide their contact details. Certain tools can be implemented to ensure this process is smooth and effective for visitors who want to get to know you and the business you are providing. Further, when providing links where you gather this information, it is important to have privacy policies and website terms of use. This will ensure that the people providing their information to you know how that data is being used.
6. Register Trade Marks
Trade marks are just one aspect of a business’s intellectual property, which is one of a business’s most important assets. Other aspects of a business’s intellectual property include:
- systems and processes;
- copyright; and
- trade secrets.
It would help if you considered each of the above as a high priority to protect. Furthermore, you should ensure that your business name, logo, and slogans are protected via trade mark registration on IP Australia. This helps prevent competitors from stealing a franchise business’ identity and risking a potential loss of revenue. It is also crucial for when you franchise as your franchisees will use your trade marks in the operation of the franchise.
7. Use the Franchisee!
Franchisees are about to invest substantial time and money by getting involved in a brand. It is essential to assure franchisees that their investment will be worthwhile. Having the brand appear consistently fresh by keeping up with trends ensures that a franchise’s online presence is constantly being engaged.
8. Leverage Connections
Franchise sales often occur through referrals. Large franchise brands have a physical presence so large that there is a store on every street. Still, many times this also involves people spreading the news about a new franchise network that they saw online, effectively promoting their franchise. For example, this might include:
- vendors;
- friends;
- relatives;
- associates; and
- others.
Talking to people and being present is a practical approach to appearing professional and caring about your franchise. Remember, words spread quickly!
9. Attend Franchise Events
There are many franchise conventions and networking events that occur throughout the year. Plenty of franchisors and prospective franchisees peruse what is available to them and the competition. Building a network in the franchising industry that drives traffic to the franchise is important. This can also lead to people jumping online to find more information about the business.
10. Hire a Franchise Broker
Seeking out franchise brokers, mainly when the franchise network is in its early stages of growth, can be a worthwhile investment, as they can come up with the most commercial approaches and decisions. Franchise brokers spend their own money to generate leads for a franchisor. Additionally, they often use online spaces to advertise the franchised businesses available for purchase.
Key Takeaways
Like any business, marketing and sales will play a significant role in the success of your franchise business. Therefore, you should consciously promote your franchise across a wide range of platforms, including online. Some ways you can do this include:
- building an online presence;
- creating diverse content for your followers;
- registering trade marks;
- attending franchise events to build your network;
- leveraging connections; and
- hiring a franchise broker.
If you need assistance setting up your franchise, our experienced franchise lawyers can assist as part of our LegalVision membership. For a low monthly fee, you will have unlimited access to lawyers to answer your questions and draft and review your documents. Call us today on 1300 544 755 or visit our membership page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Being active on social media ensures that your franchise is consistently promoted online. For instance, you may post photos and videos on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok. If you require assistance, hiring a social media manager to maintain this online presence and continue to push the franchise brand online may be beneficial.
You should register your business name, logo, and slogans as trade marks through IP Australia. This helps prevent competitors from stealing a franchise business’ identity and risking a potential loss of revenue. It is also essential for when you franchise, as your franchisees will use your trade marks in the operation of the franchise.
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