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

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: campaign management, marketing campaign, MRM, marketing technology, Insurance Marketing, marketing resource management, local marketing, financial services marketing, distributed marketing, franchise marketing

Even though 2020 may feel like the year of “going nowhere,” the truth is, many organizations are moving in new directions with speeds and efficiencies never seen before. The question for many is whether the crisis-driven changes they are making are temporary, or will they last as companies emerge from the challenges brought on by the pandemic?

Tags: marketing process optimization, local marketing, marketing operations, franchise, streamline marketing, distributed marketing, franchise marketing, flexible 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: marketing budget, marketing strategy, marketing technology, financial services marketing, franchise marketing

Word-of-mouth referrals and recommendations are the currency of business success today. More than ever, they are key to establishing trust and building awareness. According to Nielsen, 83% of consumers say they either completely or somewhat trust recommendations from family, colleagues, and friends about products and services, making them a powerful resource to amplify your message.  

Tags: marketing process optimization, brand advocacy, MRM, marketing technology, Insurance Marketing, marketing resource management, local marketing, local marketing automation, franchise, financial services marketing, franchise marketing