Buying a franchise can be a life-changing decision. So, it’s not surprising that prospective franchisees look at a variety of criteria when evaluating their potential investment in a franchise business. As franchise marketing leader and Social Geek podcast host Jack Monson explains, “They are not just buying a job – they are buying their future.”

Tags: marketing ROI, brand consistency, MRM, marketing technology, marketing resource management, marketing operations, growth, franchise marketing software, franchise local marketing, franchise marketing

It was a valuable and inspiring three days in Atlanta last week at the Franchise Customer Experience Conference (FCXC). Prior to FCXC I wrote about the importance of having a game plan heading into the conference. This certainly paid off for me, as I took a great deal away from the time spent meeting and learning from franchise leaders about their approaches to franchise customer experience.

The conference experience doesn’t end when the microphones are turned off and the vendor exhibits are packed up. Indeed, during the final session of the conference, Franchise Founders CEO Matt Friedman reminded all of us it’s just as important to share what we learned from FCXC with our organizations. So, in that spirit, I’m sharing with you some of my biggest takeaways from FCXC 2022.

Tags: customer experience, data, franchise local marketing, franchise marketing

Most every industry goes through a renaissance at some point. A moment when markets align, lucrative business models come to life, investors flood in and sustained growth becomes possible.

The franchise industry is seeing this renaissance right now, as many emerging companies are creating new opportunities for franchisees in new consumer and B2B categories. These companies are making franchise ownership more accessible with less investment and providing more opportunities for people to turn interests and skills into successful businesses.

Tags: corporate culture, brand consistency, leadership, brand development, franchise marketing, multi-brand marketing

Multi-brand franchising is on the rise. Experts estimate more than half of all franchise units in the U.S. are owned by either multi-unit or multi-brand franchisees. Franchisors are strategically developing new complementary brands and acquiring brands in adjacent industries to build brand families that diversify and synergize their franchise businesses.

Tags: MRM, marketing resource management, franchise local marketing, franchise marketing, marketing portal, Restaurant marketing, home services marketing, multi-brand marketing, cross-selling, co-branding

Stephen Covey, the bestselling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, once said, “If there’s one thing that’s certain in business, it’s uncertainty.” I’m not sure that even Mr. Covey could have envisioned just how uncertain things would become.

Indeed, those in the restaurant business are managing through unprecedented uncertainty every day. In a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association, 96% of restaurant operators said they experienced supply delays or shortages of key food or beverage items in recent months.

Tags: MRM, marketing resource management, franchise local marketing, franchise marketing, marketing portal, Restaurant marketing, menu flexibility, location profile management

Since 2020, the home maintenance services market has been experiencing a pandemic boost, as people’s lives have become more focused than ever around house and home. Homeowners are expected to continue spending in the year ahead. In a recent Thumbtack survey, 30% of U.S. homeowners said they plan to invest $10,000 or more on home projects in the next 12 months, and another 22% plan to spend $5,000-$9,999.

How can you ensure your home maintenance service business or franchise is capturing its share of this booming market? And, how can you continue to connect with your best customers, even after the factors currently driving this favorable market recede?

Tags: Marketing Communication, marketing channels, customer segmentation, franchise marketing, market research, home services marketing, customer targeting, customer profile

A primary goal of industry conferences is to make important connections – with customers, prospects, partners, peers and others, who can help you advance your business goals. So, it was great to be doing just that – after more than a year away from the in-person event circuit – at the recent Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit, in Atlanta.

Tags: direct mail, employee engagement, brand consistency, QR Codes, local marketing, franchise marketing, data-driven marketing, Actionable Marketing Data, Restaurant marketing, direct mail campaign

Technology has made it easier than ever for distributed organizations to execute marketing campaigns at the local level. With marketing resource management (MRM) systems, programs can be centrally managed by corporate marketing to maintain control over things like brand standards, custom requests, messaging, regulatory compliance, and approvals, while also empowering local teams to customize campaigns to provide greater relevance to their local customers.

Tags: bank marketing, campaign management, marketing campaign, MRM, marketing technology, Insurance Marketing, marketing resource management, local marketing, distributed marketing, franchise marketing

Whether your marketing budget is growing or shrinking, you no doubt need to figure out how to fund marketing’s expanding role, a growing number of marketing channels and the integration of new marketing technologies.

Tags: bank marketing, marketing budget, marketing strategy, marketing technology, franchise marketing